TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2011
“A man in the crowd called out, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.’ …Jesus replied, ‘… Bring your son here.’ Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.” Luke 9:38-42
READ
This story is a violent description. How awful would it be to watch your own child, or sibling, go through this kind of illness? It has been suggested that the boy suffered from severe epilepsy, or another disease that cased seizures. Regardless of the reason, these people would have had no understanding of this problem.
Jesus makes something very clear through His actions here. He has authority over all things, even those things we don’t understand and we find terrifying. We may be facing something in our lives which scares us, which we don’t understand. Whether this is a disease, a situation, we must remember that Jesus has the authority to rebuke evil, and drive it from our lives in the same way as He does in this miracle.
PREPARE
- Praise God for who He is
- Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing
- Allow His Spirit to draw you near
- Listen as He speaks to you
PRAY
- Pray that God fills us with comfort from that which scares us
- Pray that God fills us with comfort from that which we don’t understand
TRUST
- Thank God for hearing you
- Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will
FOLLOW
What’s happening around us?
Welcome Home Refugee Housing Community, a refugee housing facility, was created to meet some of the needs of the refugees from all over the world who settle in Kitchener each year. Since its foundation in 2004 in partnership with Ray of Hope and International Teams Canada, Welcome Home has hosted 76 refugees from 27 different countries. This facility boasts 11 apartments with shared kitchen, laundry and lounge for short-term housing. Volunteers can build friendships, bring a meal, play games or music, clean, paint, repair, help move or tutor.
http://www.iteams.ca/impact_welcomehome.php