He Sees You
One Sunday during a church service a beautiful young woman asked me to pray for her, and then she looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I feel so unnoticed by God, as though He doesn’t even care about what’s going on in my life.” Sometimes we all can feel that way, especially during difficult times like what we’re experiencing today. Perhaps you’re struggling with something right now and wonder, “God, where are You? Do You see what I’m going through? Do You care?”
In Luke 13, I’m sure that the crippled woman who came into the synagogue where Jesus was teaching had wondered the same thing thousands of times over the years. There was a large crowd gathered around Jesus that Sabbath day, but suddenly He stopped teaching when He noticed her in the crowd. It wasn’t because she was so beautiful or had created a commotion. This woman “had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years,” was bent completely forward and could not straighten up. One translation describes her as “a woman who had a spirit of infirmity” that had bound her.
Bent over and frail, she felt completely unnoticed and alone. Others always avoided her. But the good news is that Jesus saw her, and He knew all about her. In fact, He immediately called her forward. Can you imagine that sweet little lady moving slowly toward Jesus, the crowd parting, and then He spoke this word to her: “Woman, you are free from your infirmity today.” Then He touched her, and she immediately stood up straight for the first time in nearly two decades. Can you imagine the first face she saw in this upright position was the face of God? It was the face of Jesus.
She had felt invisible, uncared for. She had an identity of being crippled, but Jesus saw her and called her “a daughter of Abraham,” a precious daughter of the promise who needed and deserved His compassion and love. He saw His covenant of love with her. He saw a promised agreement that couldn’t be broken. When He set her free that day, I’m sure she was stunned.
Don’t allow anything to bend you over and bind you up, because “whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” You are free indeed today! You’ve been bought with a great price. You are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You have a covenant between you and God just as that woman had. No matter what situation you’re in right now, no matter how unnoticed you feel, He sees you and He knows you. He’s calling you forward to become everything He’s intended you to be. Stand up straight and look into His wonderful face.
In Luke 13, I’m sure that the crippled woman who came into the synagogue where Jesus was teaching had wondered the same thing thousands of times over the years. There was a large crowd gathered around Jesus that Sabbath day, but suddenly He stopped teaching when He noticed her in the crowd. It wasn’t because she was so beautiful or had created a commotion. This woman “had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years,” was bent completely forward and could not straighten up. One translation describes her as “a woman who had a spirit of infirmity” that had bound her.
Bent over and frail, she felt completely unnoticed and alone. Others always avoided her. But the good news is that Jesus saw her, and He knew all about her. In fact, He immediately called her forward. Can you imagine that sweet little lady moving slowly toward Jesus, the crowd parting, and then He spoke this word to her: “Woman, you are free from your infirmity today.” Then He touched her, and she immediately stood up straight for the first time in nearly two decades. Can you imagine the first face she saw in this upright position was the face of God? It was the face of Jesus.
She had felt invisible, uncared for. She had an identity of being crippled, but Jesus saw her and called her “a daughter of Abraham,” a precious daughter of the promise who needed and deserved His compassion and love. He saw His covenant of love with her. He saw a promised agreement that couldn’t be broken. When He set her free that day, I’m sure she was stunned.
Don’t allow anything to bend you over and bind you up, because “whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” You are free indeed today! You’ve been bought with a great price. You are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You have a covenant between you and God just as that woman had. No matter what situation you’re in right now, no matter how unnoticed you feel, He sees you and He knows you. He’s calling you forward to become everything He’s intended you to be. Stand up straight and look into His wonderful face.