Ask God for Healing
“Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them.”
Matthew 15:30, NRSV
Can you recall a memory of when you were younger, falling while playing and running indoors, looking for a hug and sympathy — and maybe a plaster* — for a grazed knee? You were asking for healing.
That is what is happening in the reading from Matthew when people go to Jesus and seek healing. We are now in the season of Advent, a time when we can bring to God what is wounding us, and we can ask for comfort and restoration.
One thing that has struck me recently is the number of new books that are coming onto the market that talk about the revelation of how the Coronavirus pandemic affected each author. People are genuinely surprised by how a major life-altering event affects them. Normally they are too busy to realize that they may be lonely or do not have enough to do or maybe that they are not fully in control of their life. They miss the busyness and change, and they have been forced to think and to listen to their change of situation. Then, they write a book telling how they overcame their woundedness.
If you are feeling lonely or depressed, what better time to bring your feelings to God? Use your prayer time. Listen. Come to church. Talk to a trained expert who will listen and who will offer constructive help. We are amid the holiday season, do not let things go from bad to worse.
Seek help for your grazed knee.
*Denotes the British word for Band-aid.
