The 
Phases of Faith
Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I thank You for this new day of life, and for the gift of salvation through Jesus! I know that the best response I can have in my life is to praise You and thank You whatever my circumstances. I DO praise You for who You are, for the amazing God of the universe that You are! I thank You for all that You have done in my life, for all the blessings You have provided for all the times that You have given me deliverance in the midst of delay, difficulty and dead-ends. I pray that You will use me today to glorify You, that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that all that I think, say and do will serve to advance Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Luke 13:10-13
10One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God!
Reflecting on God's Word
When has God provided a deliverance in your life, and how have you thanked and praised Him?
Thoughts...How She Thanked and Praised Him...
The situation is one that we may have difficulty relating with, or for some perhaps it will be easy to relate—there was a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit, bent double for eighteen years. Imagine that, every moment of life bent over in pain, never able to stand up straight, never able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life from their normal perspective. And imagine that the source of the problem was not physical at its origin, but spiritual—an evil spirit did this to the woman. Underlying the situation was that Jesus was in a synagogue teaching—on the Sabbath. It was against the Jewish law to “work” on the Sabbath. Would Jesus heal the woman on the Sabbath? If so, this would give the Jewish leaders more “ammunition” in their growing case against Him and his radical ways.
There was never any doubt in Jesus’ mind as to what He would do. By His own proclamation, He had come to to “preach Good News to the poor…to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, 19and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” He would certainly heal the woman—He would cast out the demon and give her a total and complete healing, and that is exactly what He did!
Now, comes the woman’s response. What would she do given the amazing nature of her deliverance? Imagine what it must have been like to go through 18 years of delay, difficulty and dead-end only to be suddenly and instantaneously delivered—literally in both the physical and spiritual realm in her life! The response was immediate. The Scripture tells us that Jesus touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. The next words are, “How she praised and thanked God!” We might think—of course she praised and thanked God, after all, look what Jesus did for her. But remember not everyone Jesus healed stopped to say, “Thank You.” We’re told of ten lepers Jesus healed, and only one came back to say, “Thank you.” How often in our own lives has God provided a deliverance, perhaps dramatic, perhaps not, and we say a quick, “thank you,” and then move on with life? Praise and thanksgiving is the REASONABLE response to God’s deliverance in our lives, and yet it doesn’t always happen. The attitude of gratitude and praise is something that can be spontaneous, but is also developed. If we remember to say, “Thank you, “ to God for the small deliverances we receive each day, then we’ll say, “Thank you,” for the big ones. If we don’t develop that habit or attitude of gratitude in our lives, then we may miss out on the opportunity to thank and praise God when it comes.
The woman’s life was undoubtedly radically changed by Jesus’ touch. So are ours! Whether the touch brings physical healing, or spiritual wholeness, or a sense of His presence in the midst of difficulty, the reality is praise and thanksgiving are givens for those who rest in the hand of God. Our lives receive meaning and purpose that others will never know unless they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus’ presence in our lives gives us the assurance that no matter what delay, difficulty or dead-ends we face in life, He will deliver us. Sometimes we wait for physical healing, sometimes we wait for spiritual wholeness, sometimes it doesn’t seem like Jesus is there when we go through the struggles that life often brings, but He is! Jesus said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Jesus always tells the truth. Therefore, He is always with us. When we feel alone, or angry, or hurt, or in despair, or as if there is no point in going on, remember the woman in the synagogue—18 years—18 years she waited. Then one day Jesus came into her life, and nothing was ever the same: how she thanked and praised God! How she thanked and praised God! Imagine the next morning when she got out of bed for the first time in 18 years and was able to stand and stretch! Imagine that very day when she was able to go out and look at the sky while standing upright! Her perspective was literally changed. So will ours when we wait for Jesus’ touch in our lives, when we trust Him and when we live a life of thanksgiving and praise. I’m not talking about some Polyanna, rose-colored glasses worldview that denies reality. I’m talking about trusting God enough to give Him praise and thanksgiving for the deliverances we have received and for the ones that are only a touch of Jesus away at this very moment. As we devote our lives to Jesus, as we put Him first in our lives, as we praise and thank Him throughout our days, our lives are set free in an amazing way. Let’s live that way right now and each day to Jesus’ glory and praise! Amen.