See the Power

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

SEE THE POWER

Luke 6:17-19

17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

NIV

We are about to get into a whole of what Jesus told his disciples at this meeting of this large crowd of them as well as this great number of people from all over. From this description we gather there was a whole number, perhaps hundreds, or thousands of people. It is impossible to actually know just how many, but the fact is they all were trying to get close enough to Jesus to touch him because power was coming from him. We cannot be sure what exactly that looked like, but it must of have some physical appearance, or at least there was physical evidence of this power coming from him. It is difficult to image that Jesus prayed for each of these people who were healed. That would have taken days, or weeks and maybe even months, if the crowd was as large as it is described. There was simply power flowing from him and as many as there was who needed to be healed were. It was not his fine word filled prayers, but his power that was healing them. Perhaps we can take a clue from this when it comes to our prayers for the sick, or for healing, or for that matter anything. Perhaps all we need is to be near him and allow his power to flow through us. Oh sure we can impress all the people with waxing on in prayer, giving either mini sermons or life lessons to those in need of his power, but maybe we just need to allow his power to flow. Do we think because the scripture says that the prayer of a righteous man avails much that we need to pray as though we are trying to prove how righteous we are? Would it not be more effective if we just allowed his power to flow through us so people would be healed? How many words does it take to see his healing power, or does it just require faith? There is power in the name of Jesus! All we need is the name of Jesus! Now maybe some of the people need words, because that is how we all were raised, hearing prayers filled with words, but if they saw the power of the name of Jesus at work, no words would be needed, and all of them would be healed. We all need the power flowing from him. We need to see the power.