He laid hands on…

He laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly.

Have you ever noticed that Jesus is never in a hurry? Instead of acting right away, Jesus gently led a blind man to a place where they could be alone. He then prayed with him and took the time to ask how well he was seeing. Then he prayed with him again, until his vision was completely restored.

We do not know why this miracle happened in stages, but it is clear that the ongoing interaction between Jesus and this man reveals an important aspect of God’s plan for healing.

We all know what it is like to beg God to heal a sickness or an inner wound caused by divided relationships. Sometimes he answers right away, giving a powerful witness to us and the people around us. But it seems that he is more likely to take his time. We experience a partial healing, but the illness remains. We are more at peace and more forgiving, but there is still a sting to the inner wound.

We do not know exactly why God takes his time with us. This is one of the great mysteries of our faith. But we should never think that Jesus is indifferent to our needs. Our healing matters to him, but it seems that there are times that he wants to heal us on a deeper level than we are looking for.

Perhaps he wants to build our trust in him. Perhaps he delays to strengthen our faith. Or perhaps he wants our humble surrender to him to testify to the people around us. Whatever the case, we can be sure that every time we come to Jesus for healing, he hears us and answers us. Every time we come to him, he touches us a little more deeply and asks, “Do you see me more clearly now?”

You may be suffering physically. You many have a deep emotional or psychological hurt. Your healing may come incrementally instead of all at once. Trust that Jesus is healing you. A deep hurt can take time to mend; it can require a gradual letting go. But each step along the path helps you to see Jesus more clearly, and that is the most important healing of all.

-word among us