Look Up Again

Monday, September 7

Luke 13:10-13 (NKJV)

“Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”

Devotion

For eighteen years, she had been bent over. Eighteen years of seeing life from the same lowered perspective. Eighteen years of carrying something she could not change. Luke tells us that she “could in no way raise herself up.” She couldn't straighten herself. And maybe that is where the miracle begins. Not when we finally figure out how to fix ourselves, but when we recognize that we cannot. There are things we cannot straighten by trying harder. There are burdens we cannot lift with our own strength. There are places in us that determination, self-help, and striving cannot heal. Some things require a Deliverer.

But after eighteen years, where do we find this woman? Still in the synagogue. Still showing up. She had not received her miracle the year before. Or the year before that. For eighteen years, her circumstances had remained unchanged, yet she was still found in the house of God. She had no idea that this Sabbath would be different. Sometimes faithfulness looks like simply showing up again. Don't let the length of the waiting determine the location of your worship. Keep coming. Keep seeking. Keep believing. You never know when an ordinary day of faithfulness will become the place of an encounter with Jesus.

And then Scripture says something so tender: “But when Jesus saw her…” She didn't have to fight through the crowd to get His attention. Scripture doesn't even record her asking Him to heal her. Jesus saw her. The woman who had spent eighteen years looking down was being looked upon by Jesus. Before she reached for Him, His eyes were already on her.

And then He called her to Himself. Before He straightened her, He brought her near. We so often want Jesus to change what is around us, while Jesus is calling us closer to Him. We want the answer. We want the breakthrough. We want the circumstance to move. But sometimes the first invitation is simply: come closer. Because the miracle began with proximity to Jesus.

Think about what eighteen years bent over would have done to her perspective. Her condition continually pulled her gaze toward the ground. Down became familiar. Down became normal. Life can do that to us, too. Grief can bend us. Disappointment can bend us. Waiting can bend us. Fear can bend us. And if we spend long enough staring at what is beneath us, we can forget what it feels like to lift our eyes.

Jesus changes what has bent us so we can lift our eyes again.

He did for her what she could not do for herself. Eighteen years of looking down were changed in one encounter with Jesus. So keep showing up, keep drawing near, and let Jesus touch what you cannot straighten on your own.

Before you reach for Him, His eyes are already on you. What has kept your eyes down does not have the final word over your life.

Jesus does.

And when Jesus lifts your head, look up again.

Today's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that Your eyes are already on me before I ever reach for You. When life has bent me beneath the weight of waiting, disappointment, grief, or fear, remind me that I do not have to straighten everything in my own strength. You see me, You call me closer, and You are able to touch what I cannot change. Keep me faithful in the waiting, showing up and trusting You even when nothing seems to move. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Apply It Today

Don't let the length of the wait keep you from the presence of God. Keep showing up, keep seeking, and keep worshiping. Your ordinary act of faithfulness may be the place where you encounter Jesus in an extraordinary way.

Resources

• Don’t miss yesterday’s powerful message from Reggie Dabbs, “I Didn’t Ask.” Be reminded that God’s love and grace can meet you right where you are—even in the places you never expected. Take a moment to watch and let His grace speak to your heart.
• Download this week’s wallpaper and keep this reminder close: God sees you. He knows you, He loves you, and He hasn’t forgotten you. WallPaper