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Tag Archives: hope

Raised from the Dead

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in healing, raised from dead

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Tags

comfort, faith, family, healing, hope, mercy, power, study scripture

Daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9:18, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:40-56)

“Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying” (Luke 8:4-42 NIV).  The story is reported by three writers, but only Luke tells us the ruler’s child was his only daughter and was about 12. Because he was a physician, he would have investigated every story for details others might not have considered important. Maybe they weren’t, but they were interesting.

When Jesus gets to the ruler’s house, He finds the grieving has begun. Funeral music is playing via piped instruments and the crowd of people in and around the house is noisy. The custom of that day was to grieve the dead by loud, woeful cries, continuing until they could emit no more than a sob. This would have been the noise of the crowd.

Jesus tells the crowd that the child is not dead, only sleeping. They laugh at Him and He sends them away, allowing only the little girl’s parents and three disciples, Peter, James, and John, to go with Him to where the child’s body lay. How did He come to just these five? Perhaps He was surrounding Himself with only those of strongest expectation. Certainly the parents were desperate for their child’s restoration and Jesus had compassion for them. The disciples chosen were the three Jesus was closest to, and He needed them to see His power, for soon they would be sent forth to heal in His name.

Scripture says Jesus took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up” (Luke 8:54)! Dr. J. Vernon McGee, preacher, teacher, and author, said those words could be translated “Little lamb, wake up.” (See Thru the Bible, notes on Luke 8:54, page 284.) That sounds like the way Jesus would speak to a child, doesn’t it? Full of love and compassion for a little one. Verse 55 says “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.”

The royal official’s son in Capernaum (John 4:46-53), the son of a widow in Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Lazarus (John 11:1-6, 11-44)

There were three other reports given us of Jesus raising the dead to life. Of all, Lazarus is probably the most familiar and the most spectacular because he had been in the grave for four days (John 11:17). This would mean a decaying body with a horrific stench.  It must have been a frightening thing for the family, even knowing of Jesus’ past miracles, to think of what would be revealed when the grave was opened. But Jesus was God! Four days in the grave to Him was no more than a child’s scraped knee. So after thanking God the Father for hearing Him, Jesus commands Lazarus to come out. And Lazarus, dead and buried for four days, walks out of the grave and goes home. (See vv 41-44).

Would these four restorations from death be the only ones that happened? I doubt it. I suspect these are only representative of many.  We know Jesus healed many more than were reported for Luke 4:40 says “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.”  And Mark 1:34 says “and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons . . .” In final support that we know only a little of His miracles, John said this in his gospel (21:25): “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

We will not know all the miracles our Lord did until we reach heaven. And as the gospel song goes, “Won’t it be wonderful there?”

All scriptures are from New International Version (NIV).

Deaf and Mute Man

10 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in healing

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Tags

faith, healing, hope, mercy, trust

Mark 7:32-37

“Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him” (Mark 7:31-32 NAS).

Jesus_the_Healer005When this story takes place, Jesus has already healed many and word has quickly spread. People who had seen or heard of His miracles must have talked about them constantly. Surely there was not a day that went by that they were not discussed and marveled over. Can you imagine what it would mean to be in need of healing and hear that there was one who was able to heal every need, no matter how long-standing or serious? That there was nothing impossible with this man named Jesus? He could touch a person or simply speak a word, and people were made whole.

I like the way the New Living Translation (NLT) words Mark 7:33: “Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue.” I like the NLT version because it makes it very clear that Jesus wanted to be alone with the man, to get him away from all distractions so he could focus on the One who would heal him. Think about the noise of the crowd and their shuffling for space to get a clear view of what was sure to be another miracle.  Since the man could not hear, he would have to be very centered on Jesus to understand what was happening. And Jesus had more for him than bodily healing and He didn’t want the deaf and dumb man to miss it. He had the greatest gift of all–healing for his soul.

This healing involved more outward actions than usual.  He may have put his fingers in the man’s ears to let him know what was about to happen—that He was going to open them. He may have touched the man’s tongue with His sacred saliva to indicate power would leave His body and flow into the man’s body. Whatever His reasons, we can agree with The Pulpit Commentary: “We may be assured that, in the case before us, these signs used by our Lord were intended to awaken the afflicted man’s faith, and to stir up in him the lively expectation of a blessing.”

There was one other case of healing where the healing was of one both deaf and dumb (or mute). It was of a demon-possessed boy, told in Mark 9:14-29. In verse 25, it says this: “When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, He rebuked the evil spirit. ‘Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,’ He said. ‘I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again’” (NLT)!  This was one of the many healings of demon possession and that topic will have separate coverage.

Were both situations caused by evil spirits? I don’t think so. Scripture says Jesus spoke to a spirit in the child–a demonic possession. There was nothing in the first  healing that indicates it was anything but a physical abnormality. He simply touched the man’s ears and tongue and he was healed.

Writing about the man deaf and dumb reminds me of a personal experience. Quite a few years ago, I served as the church director for the Exceptional Department, a ministry for mentally challenged adults. Most of the men and women lived in group homes with house parents and the house-mother from a home called one day saying one of the women there, Margie, wanted to talk with me about Jesus. The Holy Spirit was moving through the Exceptional Department, as one and then another wanted to profess faith in Jesus and be baptized. Now Margie was asking for that same thing. I knew Margie’s father was still alive so I asked the house-mother what he thought about this. She said she had talked with him and he very much wanted Margie to have this chance to talk to me about her understanding of Jesus. Margie wasn’t deaf, but she did suffer from a speech impairment so severe I could hardly understand a word she said. This caused me great concern on how we would communicate. Certainly, I prayed about our coming time together, but when I got to the house, I asked Margie if Sandy could meet with us and help me if there was anything I couldn’t understand. Sandy had just a mild disability and she was a favorite friend of Margie’s. Margie quickly nodded her head that it would be fine for her to join us.  However, on that day, Jesus opened my ears just like He did the man of Mark 7:32. For I understood perfectly every word Margie said, and there in her room, she gave her heart to the Lord. That was a day I stood on holy ground.

Healing of Chronic Afflictions

21 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in healing

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Tags

faith, healing, hope, study scripture

Some of those healed by Jesus had afflictions of long duration: a woman with a 12 year hemorrhage, another bent over for 18 years, and a man who had been an invalid for 38 years.

Healed from 12-year hemorrhage
(Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48)
Mark 5:26 says “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”  Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says her suffering would have been from the various medicines tried on her, causing her nausea and perhaps, pain. Some of the medicinal plants rabbis recorded were gum of Alexandria, alum, saffron, Persian onions, and cumin; they were put into wine and drank.

A continuing loss of blood surely caused the woman to be tired and weak, and with certainty, she would have been ostracized by the Jewish community—seen as one unclean. Because she had spent all she had trying to get well, she now lived in poverty; she had no more money for seeking help.

Then she hears about a man named Jesus who heals. She determines to get close enough to touch Him, believing that alone will heal her.  She believes in His healing power because she first believes that this is the one who Isaiah said would come and heal—it is Christ!

woman healedSomehow she manages to push through the throngs of people surrounding Jesus. She gets close enough to reach just the edge of His clothing, but with that single touch she is healed (see Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:29, or Luke 8:44). To know immediately that she was healed, she must have felt a surge of strength, the release of nausea and pain, something different from what she had felt in all these years. Jesus knows that power has gone out of Him and asks who touched Him; the woman falls at His feet and confesses. And Jesus says to her as He did to the others, it is because of her faith that she is healed (see Mark 5:34).  We need to bury that deep inside of us: God’s healing always requires faith.

Healed from being bent over 18 years (Luke 13:10-17)
Anything Luke writes about the healings of Jesus is of particular interest because he was a physician. He would have asked for details, questioned extensively, and been satisfied in his mind of what was being reported. Luke reports his findings to Theophilus, his friend, and a man of high rank in the Roman world, perhaps a governor over provinces. In his gospel letter, Luke says in verse 3 that he has “carefully investigated everything from the beginning.” A physician doesn’t deal with anything but fact.

Luke is the only one who tells about the woman who was “bent double,” as some translations say. He says she has been disabled for 18 years. When her healing came, she woman was in the synagogue hearing Jesus teach. So here we know of her faith. She had come to hear the Master teach, not to seek healing. But when Jesus notices her, He felt compassion for her, and he set her free from the horrible bent over condition, and immediately, she stands upright. Jesus said Satan had kept her bound like this; why, it is not said.

A healing such as this should be reason for excitement, and those around her were. All but the temple ruler, that is. He was outraged because healing took place on the Sabbath. He should have been bowing before the long-awaited Messiah, thanking God that He had finally come, and delighted to see firsthand His miracles, but he was blinded by his pride. His ego stood in the way of truth.  It reminds me of what a friend used to say about his opinionated mother: “Don’t confuse her with facts, her mind is made up.”

Healed after being an invalid for 38 years (John 5:5-9)
We don’t know what made this man an invalid. Verse 3 of the NIV translation said those gathered at the pool by the Sheep Gate were the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. Other translations mention withered limbs. Whatever the man’s illness, he needed help to get into the pool that was believed to bring healing when the waters were stirred.

Jesus approaches this man of long-standing disability and asks if he wants to be made well. That may seem a strange question to ask of him, but I believe the Lord wants to get the man to focus on Him. His healing will not come from the pool of water, but from the Son of God.  When the man explains that he is never able to get to the waters when they are stirred, Jesus ignores the statement and tells him to get up, take his mat, and walk.

Again, we see immediate healing, and again, we see the ire of the Jewish leaders when they see the man carrying his mat (working), because this healing also took place on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders had decided for themselves how the Sabbath was to be lived, and they observed it in a superstitious way. Jesus took every opportunity to convince them that they were wrong in their interpretation, but they simply could not get past their prideful law-keeping to God’s grace of healing.

Stories of chronic illnesses being healed give hope to those with them.  For 10 years, I suffered with severe fibromyalgia. Pain and fatigue were debilitating. Social life was non-existent. I read every resource I could find on the illness and none gave hope that it could be cured. I saw different physicians and tried different medications, none of which helped. But about five years ago, my healing came and I now have no symptoms at all of fibromyalgia. It was the Lord in His mercy that healed me; there is no question in my mind.

All scripture references are from NIV translation.

Living in the Here and Now

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in insight

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

hope, love, observation

In his book, Nearing Home, Billy Graham talks about growing old and taking advantage of life’s last leg of our journey home.  He begins the book with this quote from Vance Havner:  “The last chapter in life can be the best.”

Dr. Graham says that his wife Ruth always lived in the here and now.  He called it her realm.   He said she lived life by the simple creed to live fully in the present moment.

In Mark 14:3-11, we read the story of the woman who came to Jesus with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it over His head.  Some were indignant and scolded the woman, saying this was a waste; the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor.  But Jesus instructed them that this woman had chosen wisely.  “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.  But you will not always have me.  She did what she could.  She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”  It was an example of living in the here and now.

I recall many occasions when I have failed to live in the here and now.  I put something off because the timing didn’t seem right, the situation seemed awkward, or I couldn’t grasp the full sense of an idea that was tickling my mind.  Then when God provided more vision later on what the result would have been had I acted on His prompting, I have often grieved over what was lost.

In my last chapter of life, I want to be better at living in the here and now.  I want to be like Ruth Graham and the woman with the alabaster jar.  I want to step out in obedience to the quiet voice of God even when I don’t understand.  It will mean giving up control and sometimes walking in the dark.  But it will also mean living the last chapter of my life with peace and joy.  For those are fruits of the Spirit, the benefits of choosing God’s way over my own.

Clothed in Salvation and Righteousness (Repost)

20 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in adoration, comfort, faith

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

adoration, anticipation, comfort, faith, hope, love, study scripture

Of everything I’ve written on Prayerful Pondering, this post has received the most attention.  First published in March of 2011, I am pulling it to the top of the list as a repost, and praying it will continue to bless.

_________________________

Imagine it. Standing before God, clothed not in all that would condemn us, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the filthy rags of our sins, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the paper garment of pride and self-interest, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the clung to-coverings of resentment, frustration, and anger, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the way the world sees us, but in His salvation and righteousness!

Isaiah 61:10 says “I delight greatly in the LORD, my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

That leaves me in complete awe. It leaves me without words adequate to express my gratitude. It causes me to fall on knees of thankfulness and weep before the King of Kings, to praise the One who does that for me – the lowliest of the low.

Jesus, He who is clothed in a royal robe of love and sacrifice, compassion and forgiveness, kindness and humility, gentleness and patience – it is He who holds out His arms to me. It is He who gave me the garment of salvation and arrayed me with righteousness when I said yes to Him. This One who alone is Holy has exchanged my unclean earthly garment, foul and unsightly beyond description, and adorned me as His bride, worthy to come to Him and live with Him eternally.

Philippians 3:20-21 says “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” It is the miracle of God’s love.

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The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

God has not given us a spirt of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

© Pat Rowland and Prayerful Pondering, 2010 - 2013.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Pat Rowland and Prayerful Pondering with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Hope must be in the future tense. Faith, to be faith, must be in the present tense. Catherine Marshall
Everything over your head is under his feet. Dr. Tom Lindberg
What an excellent ground of hope and confidence we have when we reflect upon these three things in prayer--the Father's love, the son's merit and the Spirit's power! Thomas Manton
Our Christian hope is that we're going to live with Christ in a new earth, where is not only no more death, but where life is what it was always meant to be. Timothy Keller

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