When Grace Rushes In

Recently I wrote on discouragement and our attempts to avoid it.  I referenced the unnamed woman, in Luke 13, literally bent over for 18 years.  We looked at how she straightened up from her hopeless condition and I mentioned Jesus filled her void.  As promised, we’ll dive deeper into that point. 

Sooo, a funny thing happened while working on that post.  My eyes locked on a phrase that seemed self-explanatory, but following The Prompt (aka the Holy Spirit), I looked it up in a concordance.

“And He laid His hands on her…”

Seems obvious, right?  We have other accounts of Jesus touching people before their healing came.  It would be safe to assume this simply meant He touched her with His hand.

But the Greek word here translated ‘hand’ is derived from two Greek words.  The first meaning pouring with the idea of rushing storm water, and the second meaning a gap, chasm, a void of some sort.  I realized Jesus didn’t just place His hand on her, He abundantly supplied her what she lacked.  He filled her emptiness in a hurry!

Maybe you know what it’s like to grow weary in your soul.  Maybe you’ve been stuck there a long time and can’t shake yourself free.  It’s a scary place to be, I know. You feel weak and helpless, but feeling that way doesn’t make it truth.  The truth is, Jesus is with you, supplying you with strength for every area of weakness.  His grace is rushing toward you!

Jesus came to set the captive free and He finished it at Calvary’s cross.  Agreeing with Him straightens you up, changes your perspective.  Focused on Jesus, you’ll recognize His grace in your life and, like our unnamed sister, you’ll get your praise back!