Worship

“Anything Is Possible” by Bethel Music and Dante Bowe

Scripture

“Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place his hand on him.

“After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.  He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means ‘Be opened!’).  At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

“Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. ‘He has done everything well,’ they said. ‘He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” -Mark 7:31-37

The Power of Faithful Friends

This man’s miracle started with the faith of his friends.

Jesus walked about 50 miles to get to this region and encounter this man who needed a miracle. It wasn’t a waste of time or energy for Jesus. This deaf and mute man was worth all the miles He trod in His sandals on that dusty road. And the risky faith of this man’s friends was worth their possibility of disappointment. They stepped into a moment to bring Heaven to Earth.

Jesus encountered this man’s friends bringing him from their own place of longing and desperation. These friends were begging Jesus to do something only He could do. There is just nothing like friends who bring you to the feet of Jesus! He knows no limitations on receiving us, so we should have no limitations in bringing one another to Him for healing. Together in that place, we both become undone with the power and the wonder of God.

Just last week during our mission trip to Fort Hood, I (and two others) had the joy of bringing my dear friend and her brother right to the feet of Jesus. Our room of four awoke one night to a call of sheer sadness and grief as this woman’s brother was in ICU unexpectedly. Three of us encircled her and worshipped and prayed and read the Word of God over her brother and the situation for more than two hours. It was a sacred moment. The next day, in the midst of her own suffering, we went back out into the harvest field, and I watched the spirit of God rise up in her to declare the gospel message. Five high school boys accepted Christ as their Savior in just a matter of minutes of hearing about the love of Jesus. I don’t know if I have ever seen the redemption of God come with such acceleration and vindication in just hours. Jesus will have the final word on life and death! Five were snatched from Hell that day, and we are still praying for the miracle of recovery for her brother. I can say with utter conviction: Jesus indeed has the final word!

Jesus’ Personal Touch

Back to the man seeking healing. Before Jesus stood a man who could neither hear nor speak. Jesus pulled him aside to be eye to eye with Him, probably within in a stone’s throw of the friends and onlookers. I see the love of Christ protecting this man’s dignity, not making a spectacle out of his brokenness. Then He proceeded to do something unique with the man. The method of His healing is not anything we have seen Jesus do in the Gospels before. He used a new method! He could speak a word, but the man would not hear. He had to do something that would demonstrate His understanding and intimacy in a way that this man could comprehend!

“Many people cared about this man, and perhaps many had prayed for his healing. But no one ever stuck their fingers in his ears and spit on his tongue like this. Jesus did something completely new to catch this man’s attention because He could not catch his attention with words.” – David Guzik, Mark 7 commentary

“Through touch and the use of spittle Jesus entered into the mental world of the man and gained his confidence.” -William Lane, Mark 7 commentary

Jesus is so intimate, so personal, so kind, and so attentive.

As He places His fingers in the man’s ears and places His spit upon the man’s tongue, He lifts His head to Heaven and sighs. This sigh indicates not only His compassion for the man but the deep grief of the sin of this broken world. And then He prays to His Father. The Greek word for “sigh” is the same word used in Romans 8:22-23 where we “groan” for what we don’t not yet have: full redemption.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” -Romans 8:22-24

Prophetic Fulfillment

Jesus was getting ready to pay for brokenness with His very life. We were the joy set before Him as He endured that cross. The victory and freedom and healing that came forth is not a theological idea but a profound reality that is ours to take hold of. Oh, that we would be the ones who declare freedom to the captives and healing to the brokenhearted!

Jesus lifted His head, looked to Heaven, and called for the Father to move on behalf of this broken man. This moment is a direct fulfillment prophesied of Jesus in Isaiah 35:5-6. The Messiah has come!

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” -Isaiah 35:5-6

And as the people gazed on at the miraculous healing of the deaf and mute man, the crowds declared in awe and wonder, “‘He has done everything well … He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak (Mark 7:37, emphasis added).’” And that deaf, mute man now had a mouth full of wonder to declare things he was never able to articulate before! Jesus gave this man a new testimony that no one could argue with.

Key Takeaways

As I process this encounter, here are a few things we can count on:

• He does do all things well! The work of redemption in our lives is done oh so well! He is trustworthy in all His ways, even when we don’t understand the process. But the process is as glorious to Him as the end result!
• As much as Jesus and the Father were critical to this man’s healing, so were his friends! It is urgently important that each one of us is surrounded with people who are going to steer, move, and sometimes carry us to Jesus. When we don’t have faith, we need the strength and faith of those who will run us right to that throne of grace.
• Jesus will always be intimate in His approach and unique in His process. He doesn’t work by method nor does He expect us to. When we pray for healing for someone, every time may look different. That is just the creativity and intimacy of Christ in and through us to a hungry, hurting world. We get to approach people with freedom as we minister in the power and authority of Christ in us, not by law or rule or method.

A Prophetic Declaration

I want to prophesy to you that HE WILL DO ALL THINGS WELL IN YOUR LIFE! And those who stand with you will receive a deeper conviction of the power of the love and goodness of God! My heart was expanded as I watched my dear friend walk through the valley of the shadow of death just hours earlier and courageously declare the salvation of Jesus with eyes heavy from tears a few hours later. And five men’s lives will never be the same! If I could look at you with eyes of compassion as some of you are just in hard spaces in life, I would tell you that your firm anchor in Christ is immovable. He will carry you through this process, and I promise that one day you will have full understanding. And one day you will praise God for this storm.

So Lord, I ask You to fortify my sisters with friends who will walk them right to Jesus every time! I pray for those who feel lonely, that You would send new friends who are passionate for You, Jesus, right to their side. I pray for tenacity in the process requiring faith—to believe You to be who You say You are and do what You promised to them You will do. I ask for anointing of faith to be deposited in these who read my words. Give them faith for impossibility. Strengthen them in the secret place as they wait on You. Renew them as they worship and as they cling to You with all they’ve got. I pray the JOY of the Lord to revive weary and tired hearts. Lord, raise them up to declare the goodness and the wonder of God. Loosen their tongues to speak and their ears to hear what You are speaking to them today. In the mighty and wondrous name of Jesus, amen!

A Few Key Notes

• The Arise luncheon has a new date!  Mark your calendars for the luncheon in May!  RSVP details to come.

Date: May 13

Time: 11:30 a.m.

Location: The Hope Center, 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75075

• There’s also a new date for the Midland Harvest Day!  Join us in Midland (May 7-8) or in Waco (April 9-10) for a day of going out to pray for people and share the gospel.  Training will be available.  If interested, email me at [email protected].