My Shoes!

Would anyone want to be in my shoes? ?

Shoes! Women’s weakness. I see, men’s too! We all get drawn towards other shoes, don’t we? We feel tempted to buy the shoes that others wear.

And in life, we all come with our own situations, circumstances, challenges, mountain tops, mostly valleys and what not. And we all walk in our own shoes, often wanting to be in others shoes, assuming that they have better shoes and better paths in life. When asked “How are you doing?”, most of the times, don’t we all just lie with a smile. Regardless of how we really are doing, we reply with the best smile “I am doing good. How about you?”. Outwardly when we see others, we think others cruise in their lives while we paddle hard and we want to be in their shoes rather than ours, as ours seem painful and blistery.

Would you want to be in my shoes? Disregard my smile as I talk. Disregard the almost perfect pictures that I post in social media. If you get to know my walks of life, the valleys that I am mostly on, and rarely a mountain top, would anyone want to be in my shoes? ?

I guess that is the case with most peoples’ walk, we just don’t see from the outside. All we see is perfect smiles and “I am good. Thank you”.

No matter how painful the valleys are and how many blisters we get in these shoes that we are in, I am thankful to God and God alone, for never forsaking me in any of the valleys, for drawing me closer to Him in each valley and never letting go of my hand. I have learnt that valleys are places where no one in this world can accompany us, except God. And He is more than enough. His Grace is sufficient. 

Yet there is one place where I can remove my shoes and I can break my heart and pour out my tears – on my knees in Prayer. When I pour my heart out, God is so faithful that He answers. I have felt incredibly awed by ways that He lets me know that He sees me. He lets me know that He sees my tears – my EL ROI- the God who sees me. The One who saw Hagar’s tears in the desert – He sees my tears too. The One who saw Hannah’s tears at the altar – He sees my tears too. And I am amazed by how He sends me a message that He sees and my tears are not wasted. 

One Sunday, when I was going through too much, I went a little early to church, just so I could pray. I sat at an end seat as usual and I just cried as I prayed. Tears rolling down my eyes, as I opened my eyes, a miracle happened. An elderly white lady was coming up the stairs just then. I am amazed by the timing. She saw me and my tears. In this country, where people are more interested in giving “space” , this lady looked at me and my tears. She, to my surprise, came over and sat down near me on the stairs next to me. And she asked how I was doing. I said my problem in 3 sentences. She gave me a tight hug and started praying, still hugging me tight as she prayed. My cries started to quiet down and I felt God’s peace. To me, it is God’s way of letting me know that He sent me comfort. I serve a God who is just too good, too sweeter than honey. So, taste and see that the LORD is good. 

Psalm 56:8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? 

Psalm 139:13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 

14. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 

15. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. 

Psalm 23:4. Though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

I am thankful for the shoes God has put me in. 

Psalm 18:33 He makes my feet like the feet of the deer, and sets me on my high places. 

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Handmade with a purpose

Mathew 25:14

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his servants and gave 5 talents to one, 2 to another and 1 to another, to each according to his own ability; Then he who had received the 5 talents went and traded with them, and made another 5 talents. Likewise, he who had received 2 talents gained 2 also. But he who had received 1 talent went and dug in the ground and hid his lord’s money.

The ones who got 5 and 2 talents came and proudly shared their accomplishment of multiplying it to the lord. Their lord appreciated them and said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord”.

Then the one who had received one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours”.But his lord answered to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.”

God has blessed me with so many creative skills. I work in Corporate for a living. I also love to do various stuff in my free time. My days would seem incomplete if not for these hobbies. I love to do watercolor arts with verses on greeting cards, bookmarks, wall arts. I also make jewelries. Recently I even tried some jewelries with resin. I make crochet caps and scarfs too.

I have a big and desperate desire to make use of these skills for God’s purpose. I have this deep desire to support some missionary work which proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who do not know Him. Everyday I pray earnestly for God to give me a greater purpose to be useful for His Kingdom. I have spent so much of my life running after worldly things and accomplishments which are meaningless. I want to spend the rest of my life doing a greater purpose so that I can store up my treasures in heaven. Mathew 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good woman are ordered by the LORD and He delights in her way.

I have listed my handmade items in the Bonanza site. My desire is to send the profits of these sales to a sincerely done missionary work. As of now, I am very much touched by the missionary work by GEMS(Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (https://www.gemsbihar.org/index.php) in Bihar, India. Please visit my listed items in the below link. https://www.bonanza.com/booths/GracefulPainted

Kindly share your thoughts on the comment section.

May God bless you abundantly and may each of us be used mightily for His Kingdom purpose! To Him be all glory, power and honor! Amen!.

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A lesson from Cookie’s matted hair

Cookie is our puppy who came into our family as a birthday gift for my son. Cookie was a miraculous provision by God. We did know that a puppy came with a lot of responsibilities. However, the responsibility of taking care of a puppy seemed easier when compared to the suffocation I felt during the Pandemic quarantine. Cookie is a very furry breed and whenever he comes back from grooming, once in a couple of months, he comes back with all the fur shaved off. It was very hard to see him with no fur and I could also sense that he felt stressed with the visit to the groomer and the loss of fur each time. I consequently kept postponing his next visit to the groomer. His grooming needs were hence, past overdue, and although we tried to keep up with brushing his fur and trimming it at home, we eventually found out that in addition to a few lighter matted spots, he had 2 huge bunches of matted hair behind his ears. I quickly read up on how to get rid of these without having to take him to the groomer. I spent a few hours, using the detangling spray and comb and scissors and was able to remove about 60% of the matted hair on both sides. As I got closer to the skin, it seemed extremely difficult and Cookie started to get very restless and I realized that I had no choice but to take him to the groomer again. However, through this, I learnt a valuable spiritual lesson, if I may put it that way. 
As I started working on removing the matted hair, I felt how difficultly tangled the hair was. And I realized, is this not how Sin is? It starts off with one small sin, like a small tangle, a small knot, which pulls in a bit more and then a bit more and in no time, before we realize, it becomes a big bunch of matted mess. We cannot untangle ourselves from this mess. Unless someone is kind enough to painstakingly spend time to go through the patient process of detangling which is painful for both parties, there is no escape from it. No magical redemption from it. 
Sin has such a downward spiral effect. In the garden of Eden where everything was perfect and God saw that everything was good, sin entered through disobedience. Because sin enters in a subtle way and then does not stay subtle, it’s next stop from disobedience, was murder of Cain’s brother Abel. From disobedience to murder was a steep drop as in a rollercoaster ride. And today, here we are living in a completely evil world, wicked at its core. 
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 
Romans 5:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
1 John 1:8,9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

May we confess, may we repent, and may we pray to our Christ Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!
Amen.

Cookie – after getting all the matted hair removed.

Please visit the Christianbook.com to purchase Bibles, Journals, books and many more to help learn the Word of God.

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The LORD’S battle

1 Samuel 17:47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues His people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and He will give you to us!”

The Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.

Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.

Goliath stood and shouted a taunt at the Israelites, for forty days, every morning and evening. “I am the Philistine champion. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!”.As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.

David took Goliath’s challenge and insisted that he will fight Goliath. Saul tries to match David’s armor with Goliath’s, by giving his own armor – a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, as he was just a simple shepherd boy. So David takes the armor off, picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight Goliath.

Stirs our thoughts, doesn’t it? Goliath, a nine feet man, trained for war from his youth, comes with heavy armor. His armor itself weighed more than 150 pounds, all this while his challenge was to fight against one man from the Israelite army. Probably because the whole world knew of the God of the Israelites, who demonstrated His Mighty hand to the Egyptians and many other enemies. While David, a young shepherd boy, refused to wear such armor, and goes with just 5 stones, a sling and his shepherd’s staff.

Goliath cursed David by the names of his gods. David replied to him, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies-the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. “

Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. Ideally, would he not fall backwards? But when it is the LORD who fights the battle, the enemy has no choice but to fall face down in front of the Almighty God, the LORD of hosts.

David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword and used it to kill him and cut his head off.

The battle of His children belongs to the LORD. Amen! And He never, ever lost one and never ever will!

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Remember me, O LORD!

1 Samuel 1:19 And the LORD remembered Hannah.

When the LORD puts people on hold, it is for a greater purpose. Peninnah had children, while Hannah had no children. While Peninnah cruised through life, Hannah was stuck in a spot. Adding to the misery, Peninnah provoked Hannah severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb. So it was, year by year, when Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, that Peninnah provoked her, therefore Hannah wept and did not eat.

Years went by and Hannah was still left to wait. Intense words express Hannah’s emotional state – bitterness of soul, anguished in weeping, a sorrowful spirit, complaint and much grief. Hannah was at the end of her rope. She made a vow before the LORD and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life; and no razor shall come upon his head”. 1 Samuel 1:11

God molds His children to fulfil His purpose for them especially in their time of waiting. No wait time goes to waste for His children. When the appointed wait time comes to pass, Hannah gets to the point where she is willing to make the vow to the LORD that she will give the child back to Him. She makes the demand for a male child, even though this child is not hers to keep anymore.

With Hannah’s vow, her wait time before the LORD, who had closed her womb also came to an end. Isn’t it amazing? When we fret and moan thinking that we are the ones who are waiting for God, isn’t God also waiting for us, along with us, waiting for us to in align to His heart, so that He can accomplish His higher purpose in us and through us.

1 Samuel 1:20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him from the LORD”.

Peninnah had children, but none significant enough for their names to be mentioned. But Hannah’s loan to the LORD Samuel surpassed Eli in hearing from God at a very young age.

1 Samuel 2:20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD”.

21. And the LORD visited Hannah(same as Sarah – Genesis 21:1) so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.

Isaiah 49:23 For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.

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Grace for two broken vessels

Jesus shows grace to the woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. The scribes and pharisees were more interested in testing and trapping Jesus, at the cost of this woman. Yes, the woman did commit sin, for which the judgement according to the Law of Moses was stoning to death. Jesus, however, showed grace to the woman. Jesus brought conviction to those wanting to stone her in judgement. At least one stone could have been thrown at her by the only one who was without sin – Jesus. But Jesus did not punish her. Jesus showed her grace instead. Grace accomplishes what punishment cannot.

My mother and I are witnesses of such amazing grace. My mother went to be with the Lord on February 2nd, 2021. She was diagnosed with terminal illness. On December 23rd, she was admitted in the hospital. The doctor had given her only 3 days to live. I was not informed of how critical her condition really was, but was asked to visit her immediately. Even though I am the only child to my parents, I did not have a good relationship with my parents. Our family had a history of broken mother-daughter relationships. God gave me the verse Joshua 1:9 three times.”Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” I started my travel arrangements. With much hesitation and fear, I asked , “Lord, what do I do? what do I do? “. Just then, the worship leader started singing a song that I remembered as a song sung at funerals. I was so taken aback and instantly asked, “Lord, what are you saying?”. Right away I decided to go to see my mother. I reached home on Jan 15th.In those 2 weeks, God had prepared me for the task of leading my mother’s soul to Jesus. I went to see my mother at her home. I was shocked to see that she had become extremely thin and beyond recognition. She held my hand and said, “I am going to Jesus“. I was speechless. That same night, she was admitted in the hospital.

A friend had reminded me that my first duty was to lead her to Jesus and so I went to the hospital the next morning, held her hands and prayed a prayer of repentance with her. I asked her to get everything right with God, forgive anyone whom she had not forgiven, let go of worldly concerns, etc. I did all this without really knowing that she had only days left to live. Everyday I prayed holding her hands. Each day, I read many Psalms from the Bible to her. As I read, our hearts just rejoiced. Then God gave me the wisdom to ask her to repeat as I read and she would do that. One day as I said, “shall we read Psalms 91?”, without waiting, she quoted the entire Psalm 91. I recorded this moment and that is the last memory I have of her.

I started spending more time at the hospital, reading God’s Word to her and playing some good Christian messages for her. Doctors were suggesting to discharge her and take her home as they didn’t have any further treatment options to offer. But even with all this, my mind still could not understand that she had only few days left to live. I prayed for a miracle and I believed that she still had time left. I simply could not understand that she had only days left.

On Sunday, as there was no one else to help, God gave me the grace to clean my mother and change her soiled clothes, all by myself. The nurse was so surprised to hear that I cleaned and changed her clothes single handedly. I had never taken care of any adult until then. But as I cleaned my mother, I truly felt that that made Jesus happy. It felt like I had done just what He had desired of me.

As doctor continuously suggested to discharge her, I agreed to take out mother to our home on Jan 27th. The Psalm that I read for her that day was Psalm 116. As I came to verse 15, I had a hard time reading out loud”Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” My mother repeated it along with me. I felt so sad that I had picked this chapter to read without seeing this verse. That morning, a friend posted a song and I instantly learnt the second stanza which talked about God being both my father and mother. I was singing that song repeatedly in my mother’s room that morning. She told me to “buy a Bible with big letters. Read it for your dad just like you did for me”. That was the last thing she instructed me to do.

I started the discharge procedure. At around 10:30 am, she suddenly made gasping sounds. When we asked , she said she had trouble breathing. The doctor asked her what was happening and she replied, “I am going to Jesus”. When a nurse said “don’t be scared” , she replied,”I am not scared”. She was so calm and peaceful as she answered. Then she just repeated, “Jesus, Jesus”. She was admitted in the ICU with oxygen support. As I waited in front of the ICU, I broke down and cried several times, as I remembered this song that I kept singing about God being my father and mother. I believe God was comforting me through this song, even before my mother’s passing.

From there, things only went downhill. She moved from an oxygen tube to a ventilator. Doctor told me to inform the relatives. I had not told my dad about how serious mother’s illness was. Her siblings and many other relatives came to the hospital to see her. On Friday the 29th, when I called her, she opened her eyes and looked at me. I rubbed her arms and said, “mother, I am here”. But her arm hurt as I rubbed, so I just rubbed her shoulder. That was the last time she responded to me.

Since the, the doctor said that she was 100% on the ventilator and that there was no hope left. On Saturday, as I spoke to the doctor, I broke down and said that I could not decide whether to remove my mother from the ventilator or not. I continuously prayed asking God to keep me from making this decision. However, it seemed like this was the only prayer that God wouldn’t answer. I suddenly remembered being mentioned that God won’t take the believing loved ones unless we surrender them to Him wholeheartedly. A friend helped to pray that even after we remove her from ventilator, as it is God who gives us breath, He would give her the breath if it is His will. After this prayer, I had peace about that decision.

On February 1 morning, I went to talk to the doctor. As I waited outside, I prayed for God to help me make the right decision. As I started speaking to the doctor, I felt so much peace and I told him that I am ready to let her go. The doctor said that he will first start weaning my mother off of the medicines she was on, and then will gradually remove her from the ventilator. My mother was off the ventilator that night. But against all odds, she continued to breathe. Even the doctor was surprised.

On February 2nd, by evening, my mother’s oxygen levels dropped down. I still did not understand. I was at the hospital till 7pm. After that, I went home. I called my dad at 8:10. When he asked how she was, I answered, “she will go to heaven whenever her time comes”. I came to know that my mother went to be with the Lord at 8:14 pm. She went to be with the Lord, just when I was saying the above words to my dad. I reached the hospital after 45 minutes. As I saw her face, she had this glorious smile. For one who was on tubes for days, she had a very happy smile. The smile was the evidence that she went to heaven just as she said. February 2nd also happens to be the death anniversary of her mother. She did not have a good relationship with her mother, but what are the odds that both my mother and my grandmother share the same death anniversary date.

My mother and I are witnesses of this amazing grace of Jesus. An entire life time of broken relationship was restored by Jesus in two weeks. Now all I can remember about my mother is this perfect mother-daughter relationship in Christ. He showed grace to my mother in so many ways. My mother always prayed that she would leave without suffering much from sickness. God truly honored that prayer. Though she was diagnosed with terminal cancer that had spread to multiple organs, she did not suffer a bit of pain from cancer. She did not have to leave this world with a broken relationship with me, but left happy and peacefully, giving me the privilege of having taken care of her in every way I possible could, even if it was only for two weeks. Though her life was nothing but broken pieces, she always held on to God. She did not know to let go of some baggage. God taught me about that and sent me to her to help her let go of those burdens she was carrying, preparing her for heaven. God saved me from having to live with a lifelong regret due to our broken relationship. Instead, He restored our relationship. Everyone who I have spoken to in these weeks, have experienced the grace and reconciliation of Jesus. I will continue to proclaim of this amazing grace of Jesus, for His glory. Amen!

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The untouchable woman

Sometimes our problems can be too embarrassing that it is hard to even ask God for a deliverance. A woman having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, is a perfect example for the scenario. She is probably the only person who could not openly ask Jesus Christ for a healing, because her issue was too embarrassing to be addressed publicly. But that did not stop her from having faith to receive healing from the King of compassion. She thought to herself, “ It is ok if I can’t ask out loud, I can still touch Him and receive healing. He doesn’t even have to know. It is enough if I touch Him. If He can touch the blind and the lepers and heal them, I should receive healing too, by touching Him”. And she was healed immediately.

Jesus wanted to honor her faith and asked who touched Him. If not for that confrontation, the woman would have missed out on an opportunity to glorify God. She came trembling and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

And Jesus said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace”.Luke 8:48

Let us boldly take our untouchable issues to the creator of the Universe. Nothing is too filthy for Him to cleanse. He has seen it all and yet loves us enough that He laid down His life for us on the cross.

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The ordaining hands of God!

As we grow in our relationship with God, we understand the character and the heart of our Almighty God and God opens our eyes to see how He ordains each happening in our lives.

Along with the other beautiful women, Esther was also taken to the King’s palace. Let us see the order of events that happened to understand the ordaining wisdom of our Almighty God.

  1. Esther, instantly got favor in the custodian’s eyes. She got special favor in the King’s eyes too. Without second thoughts, the King made her the queen. God gives special favor for His children.
  2. Mordecai discovered the plot against the King and reports it to Esther. Esther informs the King in Mordecai’s name. She did not take credit for informing the plot. She gave the credit to Mordecai for whom it was due.
  3. Haman – an Amalakite – received the highest honor next to the King. The King himself had commanded that everyone including the royal officials at the King’s gate should bow down or kneel down and pay respect to Haman. Amalakites were God’s enemies whom God desired to eradicate from the face of earth. Mordecai obeyed God by not bowing down before His enemies. Standing up for God demands us to take sharp turns towards God. Mordecai did the right thing by saving the King’s life, but when a choice had to be made between obeying the King’s command and God’s command, he chose to obey God.
  4. Because of the anger Haman had against Mordecai, he tricks the King to sign a decree against the Jews.
  5. Hearing this news, Mordecai wore sack cloth and wailed as he went to the King’s gate and conveys the news to Esther and asks her to plead to the King for mercy. He reminded her that God will save His people one way or the other. It is her choice to be part of saving His children.
  6. Esther asks her people for a fasting prayer and then takes action. She risks her life and goes to the King. God gives favor in the King’s eyes again.
  7. God put His wisdom in her request to the King. Instead of asking for mercy, she invites the King and Haman for a dinner.
  8. Haman, instead of rejoicing about the special dinner invite, is consumed with anger over Mordecai and makes gallows for Mordecai.
  9. Because of God’s ordaining hands, that night, the King could not sleep. He asks for the book of good deeds to be read and finds out about Mordecai’s good deed. In the mean time, Haman comes to the courts to request for death sentence for Mordecai – as if eradicating the entire community of Jews is not enough.
  10. God’s divine intervention causes all honor which was recommended by Haman ,to be given to Mordecai. To Haman’s extreme humiliation, all honor was done to Mordecai by Haman himself.
  11. Hearing this, Haman’s wife and friends realize that Haman’s downfall has started and that God of Israel will protect His children.
  12. Esther reveals the plot of Haman to the King on the next day. Haman was hung to death in the same gallows that he prepared for Mordecai.

Take aways:-

  1. Do the right thing in God’s eyes – even if we have to do it all by ourselves.
  2. God will surely defend His children, when we take a stand for Him.
  3. God’s wisdom thwarts the crooked wisdom of His enemies.
  4. Allow God to write your story. He writes the best story for His children who obeys Him.

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At the Bethesda

Bethesda means “House of Mercy”. What happened at Bethesda? A crippled man who had been an invalid for 38 long years was also beside the pool, along with multitude of sick people, each awaiting the stirring of the pool by an angel. The first one to get into the water while the water was stirred got healed. This man waited for his turn for 38 long years. Jesus sees him.

Jesus knew that he was awaiting his turn for a long time. Yet he asks “do you want to be healed?”. We also tend to lose focus and hope and “waiting” might become a habitual act, lacking expectation. Jesus stirs in hope into this man by asking this question. When our Hope becomes crippled with the wait and our wait becomes a habitual act, Jesus comes to us and meets us where we are and stirs in hope. The man hoped for a helping hand from Jesus to get to the pool. But with Jesus, a word is all that is needed to put an end to our crippling wait. 

Today our wait can also be for many things – healing, deliverance, fulfilling of promise, blessing-the list goes on. Jesus sees us, knows our wait time, comes and meets us where we are, stirs in hope and then with a word, puts an end to our wait. 

Just as this man and multitudes of others waited for an angel, today there are multitudes of people who are stumbling in the dark, trying to find meaning in their money, status, power etc. They are as helpless as this man as they do not have anyone to intercede for them in prayer for their salvation. Their life wastes away in despair. As believers, it is our responsibility to intercede for anyone God puts in our path so that God would redeem their soul through salvation and free them from the infirmity. 

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