The Healing Which Becomes Eternal

Prayer-Soldier

The Healing Which Becomes Eternal

Scripture:

Say to the fainthearted: Take courage, and fear not: behold your God will bring the revenge of recompense: God himself will come and will save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free: for waters are broken out in the desert, and streams in the wilderness. And that which was dry land, shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. (Isaiah 35:4-7a)

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, with respect of persons. For if there shall come into your assembly a man having a golden ring, in fine apparel; and there shall come in also a poor man in mean attire: And you have respect to him that is clothed with the fine apparel and shall say to him: Sit you here well: but say to the poor man: Stand you there, or: Sit under my footstool: Do you not judge within yourselves, and are become judges of unjust thoughts? Hearken, my dearest brethren: Has not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to them that love him? (Jame 2:1-5)

And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst the of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring to him one deaf and dumb: and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him. And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears: and spitting, he touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he groaned and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened. And immediately his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosed and he spoke right. And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it. And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He has done all things well. He has made both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. (Mark 7:31-37)

Reflection:

Some appear to be blessed with everything, yet, they are not fulfilled. Others are afflicted with many challenges and infirmities, yet, their hearts are full with joy and love. How do we explain this condition, for should not those blessed with status and many things be forever happy? Should they not be fulfilled through what they seek? What then, can be the explanation when depression is in their hearts? What then, can be the explanation when they look within themselves only to find a painful void? What then, can be the explanation when they try to fill the void with meaningless pursuits of the world, only to find the emptiness remains?

We live our lives seeking a place, measuring ourselves against others in what they do and what they have, but the faithful understand their blessing for all are loved by Him. We do not always understand why He allows our afflictions. We do not always understand what He seeks us to learn. We watch as those who are undeserving have everything, yet, those innocent of heart are among the poor and the afflicted. This is what we see in this world, but there is a different story if we look at what is found in the heart.

He has apportioned gifts to all the children of His creation, but He blesses each one differently. Some He blesses with gifts to share and others He blesses with affliction for a good we do not always understand. Blessed are those who, though afflicted, seek first to fill their heart with the Holy Spirit and the blessings of love. The time will come where those who enter the kingdom will find there is no one who is afflicted, where every heart is full with His Word. Should we not be surprised, then, that when He came to walk among us that He opened the ears of the deaf, made the lame walk and the blind see? Blessed are those who are healed of their afflictions; but, even more, blessed are those who are afflicted of the heart and healed by the Holy Spirit.

We judge one another and seek our relationships by what we see. We confer status and take away status by appearances, but we should consider that what each of us has today may be gone in an instant tomorrow. Those with social position may, in a moment, have none. Those who are held in esteem may find that that with one miss step, many may look down upon them. When people become overly confident in themselves and turn from Him, He will leave them to their devices. The haughty will see one day that the control they believed was within their hands was really, always in His; for the day will come when He will raise the lowly so that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. So many times He has brought forth the lowly to humble the mighty.

There is no station in this world which may be fulfilling if He is not in our hearts. There is no station which we cannot bear when we open our hearts fully to Him. We do not always understand the blessings He grants and the joy which may be found in the smallest of things when we do not first seek the truth only He can reveal. Blessed are those who understand that there are no riches of this world which can compare to the blessings of faith and His love.

And so He healed the afflicted. Blessed are they who were healed, not because what was done for their bodies, but because their affliction brought them to the center of the moment where the eyes of witnesses were opened to the greatness of His works. Many thought those who were afflicted were being punished for their sins, but Jesus told us that the afflictions some endure were not because of their sin, but so that the works of God might be made visible (John 9:3).

The works of the Lord are not just through great miracles, but are seen through the hands of the children of His creation. Through the offering of charity, comfort and love to the afflicted and the less fortunate, the faithful live the Word for the blessings for whom they care and for the blessings of their own soul. He works through each of us, just as He works through the afflicted.

Let us pray in thanks that He has given us this time, in this world, to heal the afflictions of our souls. Blessed are we, for through His sacrifice our souls may be purified. What is healed through Him will become eternal. Still, we must be careful of the hour for the time will come where the final choice shall be made. Just as the afflictions we give over may be healed and that healing is eternal, so too will become the afflictions to which we cling; for what is not given over to be vanquished by His love in the light will become eternal in the agony of the darkness.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier