Bent Over

​Meditation
Luke 13:10—11--As He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ​

 I was reading Luke 13 in my quiet time and was struck by two thoughts. How many times have I walked by a person who was bent over and just assumed old age or some illness was the cause of their posture/condition?  How many times have I been more concerned about my message and teaching, than in recognizing a greater opportunity for ministry right in front of me? I have never (that I can recall) wondered if someone bent over was afflicted by a demon.  And why is that?  Because those of us who live in the West have been taught all our lives that a physical condition or symptom is linked to a physical cause. Often, that is the case. And yet, Jesus saw a woman and instantly recognized the source of her trouble. He set aside His planned instruction to communicate a different spontaneous lesson. He laid His hands on an 18-year-old battle and brought instant peace (Vs. 13).  Lord have mercy! 
           
Bent over anger, betrayal, fear, lust, pride, sleeplessness, the past, pain, grief, depression, failure, discrimination, poverty, hate—we see the obvious, but do we understand the source? What we perceive governs how we respond. What we confront determines outcomes. The next time we see someone who cannot straighten up we would be wise to ask our Father.
           
Lord, will you enable my mind to grasp what is really happening in the lives of people?  Will you allow me to discern the enemy’s handiwork, when the outward manifestation is truly a spiritual battle? My eyes are weak. My perception of truth is limited. I need the Holy Spirit to guide me so that I can diagnose what I have incorrectly recognized; to care instead of remaining calloused; to apply words for healing through hands of faith instead of assuming and potentially missing the opportunity to minister. 
             
Inspiration
“The post-apostolic fathers took the realm of the demonic so seriously that they automatically took new converts from paganism through rites of deliverance from evil supernaturalism, a practice we have lost to our own detriment.”—Dr. Ed Murphy in The Handbook of Spiritual Warfare, p. 7.

©2023 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you want to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.     
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)