Lenten Reader | Day 18

March 9th, 2021

Healing

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” And they had nothing to say.

- Luke 14:1-6

Healing is alleviating one's pain or bringing one to full health. Jesus saw this man suffering, and he did not hesitate to heal him. Can we say that for ourselves? Maybe we've experienced the death of a loved one, but we deny ourselves time to grieve. Or we are holding a grudge and choose the pain over forgiveness. Fear and anxiety can freeze you and cause you to live in chains. There are a number of ways we allow pain to live in our lives. Sometimes we secretly hold onto the pain. We want the outside world to see only the happy, shiny parts of us. Or we are such slaves to the pain that we don't believe we deserve a different life.

Jesus doesn't want that for us. In fact, he hurts with us.

Yes, healing is a process, and it can cause us to face the hurt, grief, pain, or illness that we don't want to see. But the transformation is beautiful and freeing, especially if we invite Jesus to walk through the healing process with us. If we allow him to work, we can be restored to optimal health. So, what are we waiting on? Ask Jesus to help you let go of the pain or the grudge. Allow yourself to grieve in his presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you face the fear and anxiety. God sees your suffering and does not hesitate to heal.

-Christina Martin