Healing Grace: "Do You Want to Get Well?"

At the Pool of Bethesda

painting by Nathan Greene

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The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

This is an overdue end-of-month blog post for March.

But since this is a personal blog, my own little corner in cyberworld, there are no hard and fast rules that I impose on my blog writing schedule. Ideally I want to come up with a month end post. But when that doesn't happen, then I just write a post when there is a chunk of time to do it. Thoughts and insights flow freely and naturally that way, like a conversation between two friends. A blog post, for me, is like that - a conversation. That is why it means so much to me when readers take time to join the conversation by leaving a response in the comment box.

Before I share about the month of March which ended six days ago, I want to begin this post by relating an awesome experience that I had just a few hours ago.

This morning I woke up "seeing" blue.  It had been a pleasant night, and I would have wanted to sleep a bit longer. But there were splashes of blue dancing before my half-closed and still sleepy eyes. Not in a literal sense, of course. But it seemed like the color blue was calling out to me.

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So, I got out of bed and did what I usually do upon waking up. I went to the garden and sat on one of the chairs, took a few minutes enjoying the early morning sights and sounds, thanking the Lord for a brand new day. 

A gentle hue of blue was slowly spreading across the dawn sky.

A peaceful feeling of blue came over me. 

It's difficult to describe what that's like. It's not blue in the sense of being sad... but blue, like a warm, quiet feeling of being loved... embraced... affirmed... understood.

Blue is my favorite color.

No particular reason for my preference... except that I just feel naturally drawn to it.

One after the other, thoughts came rushing into my mind about what this color reminded me of.


My Prayer Shawl

The first thing I thought of was my special shawl, a Jewish prayer shawl called a tallit, a special gift from Israel given by my friend Rosemarie many years ago. In special times of need, I wrap it around my shoulders, or hide under it as I read my Bible, asking God for a special grace for a specific need.

It is white with blue stripes on it, and it has tassels, or fringes on them, called tzitzit. The knots on these tassels serve as a reminder of God's laws. But I also know that there is a special reason why there are blue threads running across the woven fabric of the shawl.

In the Bible, blue has a very special meaning. It stands for God's Word and for His healing power.

Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God. (Numbers 15:38-41)

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It was a widespread belief during the time of Jesus that there was a miraculous healing power in the Messiah and in the tassels of His tallit. 

In my favorite Bible story, this is probably the basis for the action of the woman suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years. In desperation, she sought to find healing by secretly touching the fringe of Jesus' shawl, and said "If I can only touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made whole." (Matthew 9:21) 

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Well, the tassels of that garment had blue threads in them. And the woman, believing that Jesus was the Messiah, was made whole. In faith she had to kneel down, literally bowing before the Lord in order to touch the hem of His tallit. Jesus Himself said that it was her faith that provided the environment for her healing.

I believe that blue is the color of faith.

Israel

The flag of Israel came to my mind.

Blue is the national color of  Israel, God's chosen nation, as depicted in her flag. 

In the words of David Wolffsohn, the person who is given the credit for designing the Zionist flag:

At the behest of our leader Herzl, I came to Basle to make preparations for the Zionist Congress. Among many other problems that occupied me then was one which contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem. What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag -- and it is blue and white. The tallit with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this tallit from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations. So I ordered a blue and white flag with the Shield of David painted upon it. That is how the national flag that flew over Congress Hall came into being. Source

I have a very special love for Israel. Sooner or later, those whom God is calling to intercession will eventually find themselves drawn to praying for the nation whom God calls as the "apple of His eye."
(Zechariah 2:8)

Israel has a prophetic destiny, and if we love God, then we will love the nation that He loves in a special way, the nation that He calls His "first born."

Then say to Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: 

Israel is My first born son."

-Exodus 4:22

God's Heavenly Throne

In the first chapter of Ezekiel it is written that the prophet saw four living creatures, and "above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone..."

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Blue is the color of sapphire.

It is also written in Exodus 24:9-10 that when Moses went up on the mountain together with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel,

... they saw the God of Israel. 

And there was under His feet as it were 

a paved work of sapphire stone, 

and it was like the very heavens in its clarity.

Blue reminds me of God's sovereign rule over all creation, over all the nations, over my life.

God's Word

I thought of God's written word, the Bible. It is our love letter from God... our manual for our "operating instructions"... our history book that documents numerous real life stories of Abba Father's faithfulness, power, might, and majesty. It is precious food for our spirit, for God Himself says that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!

This account has always amazed me. In Exodus 24:12 we read that God gave Moses the tablets of stone on which He had inscribed with His own fingers the laws and commandments that Moses was to teach the people.

According to Jewish midrash, these tablets were actually made of blue sapphire stone as a symbol of God's heavenly throne and His eternal Word.

The color blue is symbolic of God's word!


God's Comforting Presence

A beautiful passage from the Bible came to mind as I was thinking of the color blue:

O you afflicted one,

Tossed with tempest, and not comforted.

Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,

And lay your foundations with sapphires.

- Isaiah 54:11

What comforting words these are! In a time of trouble and difficulty, my Abba Father promises that comfort will be mine in the days to come! Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall see God! I believe that blue depicts the presence of God, and this verse tells me that my comfort will come from being in His very presence.

These passages from Scripture just blow my mind away! Obviously, sapphire stone is very special to God, and so is the color blue.


I have no doubt that colors have special meanings and that Abba Father speaks to us through them.


God's Healing Power and Grace

This morning, the color blue reminded me of so many things - among them, the beautiful and timely message of the healing that the Luke 8:43 (Matthew 9:21, Mark 5:25) woman received by touching the hem of Jesus' prayer shawl in faith.

Each time I encounter this story, something in me rises up to connect with this woman's story of incredible faith. For many years I have held on to the promise that part of my life story is my own version of supernatural healing.

Now I can finally share what is on my heart about the month of March!

The healing of the woman with hemorrhage connects to another story of healing recorded in the Bible, one that spoke powerfully to me while I was visiting my daughter in Manila last month.

In John 5 there is written the story of a man who had an infirmity for 38 years, and was waiting by the pool of Bethesda hoping to be healed in a miraculous way.


Jesus confronts this man with a loaded question:

Do you want to get well? 

- John 5:36

What strikes me in the many stories of healing in the Bible is the way Jesus asks questions to catch the attention of the one in need of healing.

Who touched Me? is a seemingly foolish question that Jesus asks after the woman with the issue of blood secretly touched the hem of His garment. After all, He was in the midst of a huge crowd and people were pressing in against Him. 

But this question was actually intended for the woman. Jesus wanted her to come out in the open about her faith.

Do you want to get well? This is another question that doesn't make sense. After being ill for 38 years, it goes beyond saying that the man would want to be healed.

But Jesus sees the real need of the paralyzed man. He wanted the man to move out of self-focus and be aware of the true source of healing.

There is no one who can help me, the man replies. 

But Jesus is not impressed with his self-pity. 

Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.

Three simple commands that Jesus gives... and with the words come the power enabling the man to carry them out!

The man is healed. This time, the faith came as the man took Jesus at His word. 

He did as he was told.

He got up. He was no longer an invalid. He was being given a new identity.

He picked up his mat. The mat stood for his old way of life. With this command came a new way of living. There was to be no turning back... no provision for a relapse.

He walked. He was ready for a new walk... a new victory... a new power... a fresh grace.

Then Jesus gives a fourth command. Stop sinning. Could anyone do this on his own? As with the first three instructions, Jesus gives this man the power to carry out the command. The paralytic not only receives physical and emotional healing, he receives spiritual healing as well.

What touched me the most about this story was the third command that Jesus spoke... the command to walk, and all the other things that the command stood for.

Enoch was a man who walked with God, and the Bible says that Enoch pleased God in this way.

Those that wait on the Lord will regain their strength.

They will mount up with wings like eagles...

Run and not be weary...

Walk and not faint...

This is what I desire. A consistent walk... of faith... of obedience.

Do you want to get well? I hear Jesus asking me the same question.

The obvious answer would be Yes.

But sometimes we can use our situation as an excuse. And we can be blind to our real need.


Jesus asks the question that we may see. What is it that we need healing for?

Narrowmindedness?

Complacency?

Self-righteousness?

Self-centeredness?

Unforgiveness?

Unbelief?

I think the easiest condition to heal is in the physical.

The deeper issues of the heart are more difficult to reach.



My response:

Yes, Lord. I want to be healed. 

Thank You for reaching out to me and confronting me with this question.

Re-seed my faith, Lord. Enable me to re-gain a sense of direction.

Thank You for Your offer of a new walk... a new victory... a new power!

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, 
Let me walk upon the waters,
Wherever You would call me...
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger 
In the presence of my Savior..."
- from the song Oceans, by Hillsong United

The month of March ended on a very positive note for me. I knew Abba Father was opening new doors of healing for me... new opportunities... open doors of provision.

March was also my birthday month, and it was a month of celebrating the faithfulness of God in my life.

Many valuable words of affirmation were spoken over me by beloved friends and family members. 

Here are some of the spoken  blessings I received:

You are a modern day Esther, raised up for such a time as this.

God is launching you out into the deep.

Your heavenly Father rejoices over you with gladness and singing, He quiets you with His love.

This is a season for you to arise, and shine!


I also received numerous tokens of love! Friends and family members treated me to special meals at restaurants and in their homes!

The past month was such a wonderful gift... a beautiful reminder that I am loved, and valued! March made me feel important, appreciated, and validated.

Thank you Lord for giving me true friends and thoughtful family members - from Bacolod, from Manila, and from all over the world!


I have named the month, Healing Grace.






Sharing some pictures for narvelous March:

with friends Tina and Rosemarie, in Manila

with grandsons, at Kuppa in Bacolod

with First born Son

my precious family... 

Women of Purpose, a joint birthday celebration for me and Mayang

a family outing at Campuestohan

Sister in law Sue and her whole family treated me to lunch

Tyrol restaurant in Bacolod

my Family Foundations Family,

together with Nening Arimas and Babes Luzuriaga

a beloved friend, Ruby

my white crape myrtle trees... in full bloom!
and look at the bright blue sky!

My birthday prayer for 2014:

my Word Cloud for March:

A special song Abba Father gave me for my 61st birthday!