“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” (Lk 13:10-16).
When I read this Scripture I immediately thought of a woman I know. She too is “bent over.” There are medical reasons for her bent over situation, but she needs prayer. If she were healed it would be a great relief to her and visible to everyone else. So I gathered the church kids around her and led them in a prayer. We’re still awaiting healing.
One thing I’m discovering through this process is the shallowness of my faith. The more I go on, the more I doubt that God will heal. I know. I’ve only probably had 18-20 actual people in this experiment that I’ve prayed for, but I’m starting to get casual about it. I’m thinking if it took some other folks upwards of 700-800 people before they saw healing, do I actually think I’m going to start seeing at 20 or so? My mind says no. But why not? Is God limited by numbers? Are numbers the source of healing or God? How little is my faith. The problem is it creates a casual attitude instead of a contending one.