'healing' Tagged Posts (Page 4)
Daily Devotions
Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.” vs. 11 John 6:10-21 When we read the feeding stories in the gospels we can’t miss the connections that writers are making with Holy Communion. In each account Jesus takes the loaves in his hands, offers a prayer of blessing, and then distributes them to the people. And they were satisfied! It’s…
Daily Devotions
When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.” vss. 54-55 Mark 6:53-56 Once Jesus had been identified as a healer, there was no holding back of the crowds. His plan to take a brief time away with his disciples went by the boards as the word spread about his ministry. Everywhere he went, as soon as…
Daily Devotions
She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’” vss.27-28 Mark 5:21-34 The woman’s condition made her ritually impure so she had a dual purpose in seeking out Jesus. She hoped that if she touched his clothes she would be both healed and cleansed. In our world we think of healing primarily in physical terms. We seek out…
Daily Devotions
let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” vs. 10 Acts 4:5-12 The early disciples were unabashed name-droppers! Whenever they were in a tough spot or needed a spiritual power boost they dropped the name of Jesus and were amazed at the results. People of faith…
Daily Devotions
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress” vs. 19 Psalm 107:17-22 Again and again in the psalms and other portions of scripture we read about how God reaches out to those who are in distress or any kind of trouble and offers them healing and restoration. This psalmist has in mind the occasion in the wilderness when the Hebrews were being tormented by poisonous serpents and God provided for them. It…
Daily Devotions
So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.” vs. 9 Numbers 21:4-9 Given the general distaste for snakes that exists among humans, it can be surprising to learn that the symbol used to designate medical professionals is a serpent coiled around an upright rod or stake. It’s origin is traced by scholars to the rod of Asclepius, the…
Daily Devotions
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;” vs. 22 Isaiah 40:21-26 The prophet may not have had our cosmology–we’ve pretty much discarded the notion of a three story universe–but he certainly had an understanding of God that defies the centuries. In his estimation the Lord was above and beyond all things and human…
Daily Devotions
They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’” vs. 27 Mark 1:27-28 The crowd recognized that Jesus was teaching with authority and they were amazed. They were well acquainted with authority figures of several kinds. There was that of their Roman overlords, a kind of political authority derived from the emperor. And the scribes too claimed authority–they interpreted the religious…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 … “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” vss. 2-3 This letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is the oldest section of the New Testament and gives a glimpse into the inner life and concerns of the earliest Greek followers of Jesus. As such,…
Daily Devotions
Ezekiel 33:7-11 … “So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” vs. 7 Whenever Israel embraced wickedness, Ezekiel had been charged by the Lord to issue a warning. The people were to turn from their wicked ways, and if they did not, they would die! There are some for whom that would be a dream job! They love pointing out…
An Open Dialogue: The Racial Divide in America
Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center Invites All to an Open Dialogue on The Racial Divide in America. Featuring: Joel Bjerkestrand and Sarah Payne Naylor Details: Thursday, June 25, 2020. 4:00 – 5:30 pm. At: Spirit in the Desert, 7415 E. Elbow Bend Rd, Carefree, AZ. Due to Social Distancing Guidelines, space will be extremely limited. Please call or email to reserve your seat: (480) 488-5218; sue@spiritinthedesert.org Facial masks must be worn during this event. This event will be streamed LIVE…
Daily Devotions: April 10, 2020
April 10, 2020 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 … “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” vs. 4 As news of the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, there were some who saw it as God’s punishment for humanity’s embrace of deviant lifestyles, or perhaps our failure to care for the earth. That’s not an unusual response. Religious folks have always been quick to blame natural disasters on profligate…