Mark 7:32-35 "And they bring unto him one
that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put
his hand upon him. (33) And he took him aside from the multitude,
and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; (34)
And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be
opened. (35) And straightway his ears were opened, and the string
of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain."
I do not even pretend to understand the reasoning behind this motive of healing used by Jesus. I understand the outcome and I believe we all excpected the same outcome when we first read "they bring unto HIM one that was deaf." I believe it is very important to take our friends and loved ones to the Lord each time we pray. I'm thankful for friends and a Church family who takes time to lift one another in their prayers. These friends, or family, took their time to care for this one who was deaf and could not speak well. They besought Jesus. They prayed to Jesus that He would put His hand upon Him. I'm thankful for these friends.
But, as I typed that last paragraph, I noticed something. "They beseech him to put his hand upon him." It seems they had a preconceived idea as to how Jesus would heal this man. Lord, at your touch, I know you can heal him. Lord, speak the word and I know He shall be healed. Jesus had showed His power in many different ways. He is not restricted in the manner in which He reaches out to touch the lives of His people. "Please Lord, put your hand upon him." They could not have been prepared for what they just saw. I admit, I am baffled at the manner in which Jesus healed the man. Please put your hand upon him. Instead, Jesus put his fingers into his ears. He spat. He touched the man's tongue. "Straightway his ears were opened and he spake plain."
My thought this morning is this: No matter how Jesus chooses to respond to our prayers, you can be assured He knows what He is doing, how to do it, and the effects are incredible. Spiritually, we cannot hear the Word of God without the touch of Jesus. Spiritually, we cannot truly speak the things of God without the touch of Jesus. That, to me, is the primary lesson of this text. But there is another lesson that comes to my mind.
In this time of confusion and turmoil, we pray for the Lord to take away this Covid-19 virus. I have prayed and I'm sure others have prayed that the Lord would just make it go away. But what if, in making the virus go away, the Lord is using it to bring about other effects. What if, He is using this virus to teach us that the dollar bill is not the answer to every problem? What if He is teaching us that time with family is more important than spending so much time on the job? What if He is teaching us that if we want our nation to prosper, we must come together and be united under Him? What if? What if? How can we know about these things? Just as these friends took the man to Jesus, we must take our situation unto Jesus. Lord, please show us and help us to learn the lesson you are teaching us, even through this terrible malady that is sweeping across our nation.
I do not even pretend to understand the reasoning behind this motive of healing used by Jesus. I understand the outcome and I believe we all excpected the same outcome when we first read "they bring unto HIM one that was deaf." I believe it is very important to take our friends and loved ones to the Lord each time we pray. I'm thankful for friends and a Church family who takes time to lift one another in their prayers. These friends, or family, took their time to care for this one who was deaf and could not speak well. They besought Jesus. They prayed to Jesus that He would put His hand upon Him. I'm thankful for these friends.
But, as I typed that last paragraph, I noticed something. "They beseech him to put his hand upon him." It seems they had a preconceived idea as to how Jesus would heal this man. Lord, at your touch, I know you can heal him. Lord, speak the word and I know He shall be healed. Jesus had showed His power in many different ways. He is not restricted in the manner in which He reaches out to touch the lives of His people. "Please Lord, put your hand upon him." They could not have been prepared for what they just saw. I admit, I am baffled at the manner in which Jesus healed the man. Please put your hand upon him. Instead, Jesus put his fingers into his ears. He spat. He touched the man's tongue. "Straightway his ears were opened and he spake plain."
My thought this morning is this: No matter how Jesus chooses to respond to our prayers, you can be assured He knows what He is doing, how to do it, and the effects are incredible. Spiritually, we cannot hear the Word of God without the touch of Jesus. Spiritually, we cannot truly speak the things of God without the touch of Jesus. That, to me, is the primary lesson of this text. But there is another lesson that comes to my mind.
In this time of confusion and turmoil, we pray for the Lord to take away this Covid-19 virus. I have prayed and I'm sure others have prayed that the Lord would just make it go away. But what if, in making the virus go away, the Lord is using it to bring about other effects. What if, He is using this virus to teach us that the dollar bill is not the answer to every problem? What if He is teaching us that time with family is more important than spending so much time on the job? What if He is teaching us that if we want our nation to prosper, we must come together and be united under Him? What if? What if? How can we know about these things? Just as these friends took the man to Jesus, we must take our situation unto Jesus. Lord, please show us and help us to learn the lesson you are teaching us, even through this terrible malady that is sweeping across our nation.