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Being Open
Devotional for Sunday, November 2, 1997 by Cassandra Wessel
Mark 7:31-32,34-35 - Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!"). At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.We have started an intercessory prayer group in our church. We are small in number, but we spend much time praying for the concerns of our largely senior citizen congregation. The other day, as we went down the list of the congregation to pray for their needs, I realized that the minority of them are healthy. It is at times like that when I turn to passages such as the one above which remind me of God's compassion for those who are ill. Jesus sowed sunlit hope and spoke possibility to those who were frail with infirmity and soul pain. I am reminded that with a "deep sigh" Jesus said, "Be opened." Was it from compassion or fatigue that our Saviour sighed? Jesus pronounced, "Be healed." To those whose ears were stopped up because they could not or would not hear the voice of God, Jesus commanded, "Be opened." When I see Jesus' response to so many needy people, I feel encouraged to carry on. When I remember I have a Saviour who is in the healing business, I am amazed at such love.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, restore me. Comfort me. Come to me. Heal me. Open me to Your possibilities for me. I pray in Your name. Amen.
Cassandra Wessel <casswessel@ymail.com>
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, USA
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My Peace.