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Friday, March 14, 2025 |
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Scriptures: Mark 9:23 (NIV) – “Jesus said, ‘Anything is possible to him who believes.’” Matthew 9:22a-b (NIV) – “Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’” Message: My niece, Kelly, and her husband, Tim, have the cutest and most independent three-year-old, Eli. Several weeks ago, after Tim preached his Saturday evening service at Victory at Vineyard, as they usually do, the family went out to dinner. Eli was holding the door for all his relatives to exit while Kelly went to their truck. Suddenly, a loud blast of a car engine came from the auto show next door. Kelly looked over at Eli, and his eyes were wide open with a startled look. A few seconds later, his adult sister brought a crying Eli over to Kelly. She put him in his car seat, and he stopped crying. However, he refused to get out of the truck once he got home. For the next four hours, Eli slept restlessly, waking often, crying, trembling, breathing heavily, and wanting to go back to the truck; he was inconsolable. Tim said, “What happened to cause this reaction?” Kelly kept thinking about what he said…. “What happened?”. She started praying, “Dear God, why is Eli acting like this? He seems traumatized, but why?” She kept thinking he was going to be in therapy for the rest of his life! Then she remembered the car motor blast; that was it! Tim and Kelly laid their hands on him; Tim prayed to change the memory of what happened and take away the anxiety of that moment. Immediately, they felt his little body relax, and his breathing became steady. He slept soundly the rest of the night and the nights thereafter. Reflecting on the power of prayer and the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation, I am reminded of the profound impact of belief. Lent, a season of spiritual renewal, introspection, and heart purification, is a testament to the power of faith. We are called to pray with an attitude of expectation, firmly believing that God hears our prayers and will answer them. That is what makes this story of Eli so beautiful: Kelly and Tim believed! The woman who was hemorrhaging believed. Prayer: Lord, teach us to pray with an attitude of expectancy. Guard us from the fear and doubt that would hinder us from receiving an answer. In Jesus name. Amen.
Barbara Moss Lakeland, Florida |
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