Scripture Passage - Matthew
19:1-8
"Jesus stepped
into a boat, crossed over and came
to his own town. Some men brought
to him a paralyzed man, lying on a
mat. When Jesus saw their faith,
he said to the man, "Take heart,
son; your sins are forgiven." At
this, some of the teachers of the
law said to themselves, "This
fellow is blaspheming!" Knowing
their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why
do you entertain evil thoughts in
your hearts? Which is easier: to
say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or
to say 'Get up and walk'? But I
want you to know that the Son of
Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins." So he said to the
paralyzed man, "Get up, take your
mat and go home." Then the man got
up and went home. When the crowd
saw this, they were filled with
awe; and they praised God, who had
given such authority to man."
Meditation
Sometimes circumstances in our life
leave us feeling troubled, perhaps
even crippled. Perhaps we are failing
at something at school, or a
relationship with a friend is on the
rocks. Sometimes our heart aches for
something we cannot have right now,
and we don't understand why. Sometimes
the Lord takes something from us.
Sometimes, our hearts just hurt. This
scripture passage shows us a few
things to remember when we find
ourselves in a difficult place.
1) It is important to have the support
of people of faith. In this passage,
the cripple is brought to Jesus by his
friends. It is their incredible faith
that leads them to carry their friend
to Jesus, they trust in his mercy and
in his healing power. In times of
distress of challenge- cling closely
to those people of faith in your life.
Maybe this is a close friend, maybe
it's a sister or a youth group leader.
Whoever it is- trust them, because
they will help point you to Jesus.
2) The Lord is always ready to give us
healing- of our hearts, minds, bodies
and souls. Here, Matthew points out
how Jesus saw the importance of
healing this man spiritually and
physically. He freed this man from the
guilt and shame of his sin and
restored him to full health. We serve
a God who loves to heal and restore!
Ask yourself- is there an area of your
life- spiritual or physical- that the
Lord may want to heal? Is there an
area of your life you are reluctant to
bring before the Lord, perhaps because
you doubt his ability to heal and to
love and to give? Here we see exactly
what the Lord would say to you- GET UP
AND WALK!
Sisters- we should not let anything
come between us and the Lord. Let's
reflect on his love and mercy today,
and bring forward to him any areas
that need healing. Our God is loving
and compassionate- let us not forget
that. Today- let us GET UP AND WALK!
Prayer
"Father, I trust in your mercy
and forgiveness. Today I bring to
your these areas of my life which
are not as healthy as they could be.
I need your healing power to touch
every area of my life, please
forgive me for ways in which I have
sinned against you. Help me to get
up and walk. I love you Lord, and I
believe in your saving power."
.
She
Will Live
meditation by Mary Rose Jordan
Scripture:
Matthew 9:18-19
"While he was
saying this, a synagogue leader
came and knelt before him and
said, "My daughter has just died.
But come and put your hand on her,
and she will live." Jesus got up
and went with him, and so did his
disciples."
Meditation
In this passage we see the synagogue
leader bringing his heartbreak to
Jesus. Many people would consider this
a hopeless situation, but this man
still sees hope. He brings that hope
and trust to Jesus. He is so
courageous- even though his daughter
has already died, he still holds out
hope that Jesus can heal her. This
does not go unnoticed by Christ.
How quickly do we bring our troubles,
our worries, our deepest concerns, to
the Lord? I know that oftentimes I try
to do things alone. Sometimes I think,
"It's ok God, I've got this one. I'll
call you when things get really bad."
Or sometimes I let things fester and
eat away at me instead of quickly
bringing them before the Lord. This
should be a good lesson for us- that
even in the most hopeless, most
frustrating, most heartbreaking
situations, there is always reason to
hope and trust in our heavenly Father.
All of our heart-troubles should be
brought to Jesus.
The other phrase that caught my eye
was "she will live". How
beautiful are these words?! When I
heard these words, I heard them deep
in my heart, as if they were written
just for me, "Mary Rose, you will
live". Christ wants ME, he wants US to
live! He doesn't want us to just
survive and barely make it by in life,
he wants us to be full of life and
know the freedom we have in him! He
wants us to bring our cares to him!
Today, let us consider our own
situations and bring before Christ all
those things hidden away in our hearts
that cause us to worry, to be anxious,
to be sad or hopeless. These must all
be given over to the Lord, who offers
us a hand and says, 'Here, my beloved
daughter, let me carry that burden for
you.' Today- the Lord wants to say to
you... "YOU WILL LIVE. Let not your
heart be troubled, instead hope and
trust in me, a Father who loves you
and wants you to LIVE a joy-filled
and hopeful life!"
Prayer
"Father, today I bring to you all
my worries, concerns and anxieties
(name them specifically!). I trust
in your power and your love and I
have hope because I know that you
make all things good for those that
love you. Help me today to trust and
hope in you. Protect me from worry
and anxiety and help me to live my
life with a joy-filled and hopeful
attitude. Help me to remember your
words to the synagogue leader, "she
will live". I believe, in my heart,
that these words are for me too. I
love you, Jesus."
[art work by
Joanna Lewis]
