Scripture Scribbles: September 8, 2024

the Gospel

Mark 7:31-37

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

the scribble

If I could highlight for you a line from this Gospel reading, it would be, “and PEOPLE brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment.”

These people knew this man needed Jesus. He needed our Lord and Savior to help him, and they knew it. They had faith that Jesus could help, and he did.

Have you ever “brought” anyone to Jesus?  Have you ever had a loved one that you are praying for and you “carry” them right to the foot of the cross and lay them down? Have you ever handed your loved one over to Jesus and begged Him to heal them because you know He can?

Or do we hold back?

Do we think this may be too big of an ask?

Did this man’s deafness, and speech impediment seem too big or too small for his friends to bring him to Jesus? No, they trusted that this man could be healed by Jesus, and they were right!

Do we trust Him with the big and the small?

Recently I have watched people I love very much struggle with really hard life moments. It can be hard to see Jesus there in the struggle.  I know He’s there, and I know He is the Divine physician and I know He can heal….. I’ve seen it!

But we don’t know what we don’t know and we can’t see what we can’t see. But can we ask? Can we ask for sight, for wisdom, for understanding?

Can we be the PEOPLE who bring people to Jesus? Can we be like those friends in Mark 2:4 who put a hole in the roof to lower their friend down, Jesus looked at them and saw their faith…. He healed the man….Their faith helped heal their friend.

Can our faith be big enough for our friends? Can our prayers carry our loved ones to the foot of the cross? Can we trust that one day we will see God's hand in ALL of it? The little and the big, the heartbreaking and the heart bursting? The beautiful and the sorrowful? I know sometimes it’s too much, too heavy, too overwhelming…. Let’s bring it to HIM. All our fears and concerns, all our hopes and our dreams, all our brokenness and our burdens and let Him heal. Let Him work….

“He has done all things well”

Today’s devotion was written by Beth Brennan