“Wonderfully Our Redeemer’s Kind!”

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

June 22, 2008

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Observations:

I asked myself what Jesus does for the deaf and mute man whom some people brought to Him?

1. Jesus took him aside away from the crowd.

2. Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears.

3. Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue.

4. Jesus looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”)

Interpretation:

I asked myself what is the significance of taking him aside away from the crowd?

When some people brought him over to Jesus, I believe Jesus wanted to work in His life privately away from everyone. Jesus wanted to deal with him individually and address the man’s problems directly and specifically. This is evident by Jesus’ next two actions.

I asked myself what is the significance of those two actions?

Jesus could have just said to the man, ‘be healed’ and whatever infirmity he had would have been healed but Jesus decided to address the problem directly and specifically by putting His fingers into the man’s ears to specifically address his deafness. Putting His fingers in the man’s ears shows Jesus working in the man’s life to address his deafness. Later, Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue to specifically address his muteness. Jesus does not stop there which is evident by the last action here.

I asked myself what is the significance of the last action?

Jesus looked to heaven to let the man know that His healing is coming from above and that Jesus has the power to work in His life and heal Him. Finally, Jesus says, “Be opened”. Jesus could have said that right away but I believe it is to show us that there are areas in our lives that the Lord does heal but through time. He works in us and through us to give us the healing so we can be whole. It is not always instantaneous.

Observations:

I asked myself what happens when Jesus gave the command?

1. At this, the man’s ears were opened.

2. At this, the man’s tongue was loosened.

3. At this, the man began to speak clearly.

Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life. I learned that Jesus could have healed the man right away by just saying the words to him but He directly intervened to bring healing as a process and specifically. There have been areas in my life too that Jesus has worked in that way. I wished healing would have been immediate but it came through a process but it has been a wonderful process as I look back in retrospect. More than anything, I was able to spend time in prayer and reading of His Word completely from Genesis – Revelation in 33 days of the 40 day time out I took to seek the Lord in prayer and His Word from my normal evening routine. The pain slowly subsided but it was a process of Jesus working in me and through me. The situation also helped me grow in my faith and made me see how I should approach things in the future. I thank the Lord for His wonderful healing.

No matter what others said to me, the pain was still there but until Jesus personally reached out to me taking me aside in this situation, did the pain slowly subside and disappear eventually. Through this the Lord opened new doors for me and made me evaluate a lot of other things. That is exciting to know for me and He will do the same things for you as you seek Him whatever you are going through.

I ask you now dear friend, where do you want the Lord to work in your life?

Dear friend, whatever area you need the Lord’s healing and work in your life, share it with the Lord. Jesus wants to work in your life and bring healing to you. Yes, He does! Many times people love sharing and sharing what they are going through but never take it to the Lord in prayer individually. Corporate prayer for a situation is important because that is intercession but it should not end with intercession.

When some people brought the man over to Jesus, they interceded on behalf of the man but when he was with Jesus, what did Jesus do?

Jesus took Him away from the crowd to deal with him individually. Jesus wants you to deal with your situation one-one too but do not forsake intercession. Take whatever you are facing to the Lord in prayer and do what He tells you to do. Some situations may require extensive counseling, inner healing, etc and the Lord will make it clear to you. Yes, He will friend! He can heal you for He has the power but it is also important to remember that healing can be a process and you should not give up.

There is an area of our lives we all need the Lord Jesus to work in. It is the area of our Christian growth where we are continually being transformed by the working of the Holy Spirit. However, it starts with us acknowledging how weak we are and that we cannot serve the Lord on our own apart from the Holy Spirit working in our lives, believing that the blood Jesus shed was for us to deliver us from the bondage of sin.

Friend, maybe you are reading this right now and have never come to know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior! Let the Lord work in your life where your life has been deaf to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Allow the Lord to open the deafness you have for His Word and let His Word dwell in your richly in all wisdom. Allow the Lord to work in you that you cannot help but proclaim Jesus Christ to the rooftops. He will take away the muteness you have for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and you will be so excited to see the work Jesus will do in your life.

But it is important for that to be experienced that you have individual time with Jesus. Very rarely do counseling sessions involve more than one person but it does happen. Some people brought the deaf and mute man to Jesus but Jesus wanted to deal with Him directly.

Jesus wants to deal with you directly to whether you know Him or not. Jesus wants to spend that individual time with you alone to work in your life. That should be exciting.

I hope you come to Jesus as you are and become hungry for Jesus falling on your knees before Him. Ask Jesus to work in you and through you. Don't make your relationship with Jesus always a corporate thing in community. Community is very important such as church, cell groups, etc to grow in the Lord but if that is the only way you want to grow in the Lord, you are missing out and the growth would be stunted.

It is like a relationship between a husband-wife, boy or girlfriend. It is good to do thing with other people jointly but if your relationship is always dependent on being with others to do things, eventually that relationship will falter because there is not that individual time to grow with each other and spend time with each other.

In the same way, community is important but Father God misses His time with you. God, the Father wants to spend time with you individually speaking to you through His Word and the Holy Spirit. He wants you to speak to Him too as you read His Word and meditate on it day and night.

Yes, the passage had to do with physical healing of the man but the principles apply for those who need spiritual healing too. Some people took it upon themselves to bring the man to Jesus for healing but Jesus then took over. We need to bring people to Jesus but allow Jesus to work in their lives.

The person needs to be willing to receive healing whether it is physical or spiritual too. The man had to agree for Jesus to put spit in his mouth. The same way, you need to agree for Jesus to work in your life and give Him permission to work in your life individually too.

Whatever you are going through no matter the struggles, do not give up because healing takes time and is not always instantaneous but the Lord will give you the strength to get through!

May you let the Lord work in your life knowing wonderfully our Redeemer’s kind! Amen!

“Wonderfully Our Redeemer’s Kind!” (W.O.R.K)/"Where do you want the Lord to work in your life?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for healing the man with deafness and muteness. You dealt with the man specifically in his area of needs. We thank you that you can do the same for us. You Oh Lord know what each of us face and how we need your healing in our lives. So, we come to you now and receive the healing you have for us. Please tell us what to do and help us to be obedient. Thank you so much Jesus for dying for our sin and coming back to life to save us. We are so sorry for our sins and accept your cleansing blood to wash us whiter than snow. Thank you because of what you have done for us, we can turn to you in prayer for the answers. I pray right now for the one who is in need of healing, for you Oh Lord know where they are hurting whether it is emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. Please come Lord and heal them with your power and love for all things are possible with you. Thank you so much Jesus. Help us to wait on you Lord and not give up! Thank you that you have heard our prayers and answered us. You are our Lord and Personal Savior whom we accept into our hearts and ask you to reign. Thank you in your timing we can feel the healing for you are the Answer. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!!

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!