Get Up and Walk!

In the Biblical book of John chapter five versus one through eighteen, Jesus speaks to a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  After a short conversation, Jesus simply says to the man, "Get up!  Pick up your mat and walk."  Wow!  I am reminded of this parable time and again in dealing with my own back issues.  Some time ago, I went to see the doctor and was diagnosed with muscle strain and spasms.  About the only prescription for relief she could provide was for muscle relaxers and physical therapy.  Initially, the medication worked wonders, and then it began to wane in effect.  Now, for some reason, my back feels great, and I haven't been taking the medicine.  I do wonder what happened to cause my back to feel this good; in fact, it hasn't felt this great in a very long time.  Of course there is some residual discomfort, but I am experiencing extreme relief from what had been ailing me for well over a year or longer.  Maybe I shouldn't wonder as I had been praying concerning the physical issues plaguing me.  Almighty God can choose to heal, or He can release His perfect strength in my life as He did in the life of the Apostle Paul while he dealt with his own thorn in the flesh.  Either way, God has provided and healed, dissipating the back and hip pain.  If and when it comes back, I can still lean on the strength and sustaining power of Jehovah God.  Prayers always get answered, but not always to our satisfaction or selfish whims.  His creation is here to glorify and worship Him, not the other way around.  He is not a marionette on a string dancing to our sinful tune.  For this season of pain relief, I am praising God for the answer of healing on my physical body.

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