See What God Can Do

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

SEE WHAT GOD CAN DO

Luke 13:10-13

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."  13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

NIV

There is more to this narrative including the response of the indignation of the synagogue ruler and how Jesus humiliates him with his response but let us first deal with what set off the rest of the narrative. To have an infirmity for eighteen years seems more common than just this woman who encountered Jesus and was set free. How many people today are simply living with their infirmity for eighteen or more years? Then we wonder is it possible that some of our infirmities are caused by some spirit, as this woman was? Can evil spirits cause us believers who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to be inflicted with an infirmity? We think that this could or would not happen because the Spirit protects us from evil, just as we pray the way Jesus taught us to pray, “do not lead us into temptation, but believer us from evil”. How could we believers ever be in the situation this woman was in with her infirmity being caused by a spirit, which an evil spirit is implied. Jesus healed whoever came to him, and it did not matter when or where. However, we still have to come to terms with the fact that we still have believers who have infirmities, some of which we are told are incurable by medical professionals. Are our incurable infirmities impossible for God to cure? Are we living a “settled for” life, accepting our infirmity without going to Jesus for healing, or is it that we really do not have the faith, or believe the Lord can heal us today? After eighteen years of being bent over not being able to stand straight with her head held high, Jesus sets her free, by his word, and by placing his hand on her. Let us look to Jesus for our infirmity, he is calling us to come forward to him. We also notice this was not done privately but in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Perhaps we should come forward in church on Sunday and be healed so that Jesus will be glorified, and everyone will be amazed and give God all the glory, honor, and praise he desires. We could say that Jesus has already set us free from the infirmity of sin and death, healing us and giving us eternal life. But what about the physical condition of our bodies? Have we resigned ourselves to living with our physical infirmities? Let us go to Jesus and believe and see what God can do.