Whatever has you down right now… Get up, Get to praying, and trust that God will straighten it out!
On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all…When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. (Luke 13:10-13)
As I meditated on Luke 13: 10-13, I couldn’t help but look at it from this woman’s perspective.
A woman who the devil had bound for 18 years hunched over and unable to look up. She was unable to look people in their eyes or look up period. She was bent over and all she could see was down.
I kept imagining what that must be like. Then suddenly it hit me that many of us are just like this woman. We may not be physically bent over like this woman, but Satan may have us bent over in some way.
Whether it is in a marriage, children, job, mentally or in our health. We have yet to experience true happiness, peace and joy. Because we’ve been down for so long, we fail to acknowledge the goodness of the Lord. Some have been bound by their own situations for years.
…And I get it… sometimes it seems impossible to find a way out. You have tried and tried to get yourself straight. When you take one-step forward, it feels like 20 steps backwards. It feels like someone has you chained down. The pain of being bent over and worn down is so painful! You can’t see an end to this thing.
It’s hard, but it’s even harder when you refuse to look up.
If you find yourself in such a situation today. I’m here to tell you there is an end to it. Hold on… pain ends. God can and He will straighten you up.
The scripture said Jesus saw her and called to her.
God sees your pain.
He see’s everything you are going through.
God sees every effort you have made to get out of your situation.
He sees how tired you are and how close you are to giving up.
But He needs you to completely surrender it to Him. He needs you to come to Him with an open heart and to trust Him wholeheartedly.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
He needs you to come to Him without doubting Him or telling Him how to do His work.
Stop giving Him ultimatums. Stop telling Him if He doesn’t help you… “I’m not going back to church or I’m going to stop believing in You.” He is God and can do all things.
If we pay attention to the scripture it says “He called her forward and said to her,” it makes no mention of her speaking until she had been healed. It wasn’t until she experienced healing that she opened her mouth to praise Him.
She went immediately without questioning Him and received healing instantly. This woman was obedient to the voice of God.
She didn’t say Lord I can’t walk this far or I’m embarrassed others will see me. When Jesus called her, she went and Jesus made her whole. She was able to look up and praise God.
Many of us have been bound by situations for decades. God wants to set you free, but you refuse to look up. You refuse to look to Him for help.
Today, I urge you to stop looking down. Stop allowing the devil to use your situation to keep you down.
