” ‘Aeneas,’ Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.’ Immediately Aeneas got up. ” Acts 9: 34
This passage reminds me of another paraplegic at the well that Jesus asked whether or not he wanted to be healed. But here, Peter doesn’t ask. He states it as a fact – in the present tense. Jesus Christ heals.
There are times in life that circumstances can emotionally paralyze us. It may be a death of a loved one, or a loss of a job, a betrayal of a spouse or a child that has turned down the wrong path. Perhaps it is the knock on the door from a fellow soldier to deliver the news you never wished to hear, a devestating diagnosis, or an act of crime against you and your family. Whatever it is, you do not know where to turn, so you sit on your paralytic mat, so to speak. But hear this as Aeneas did, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up. Take care of your mat. (In other words, put it away). The standing may feel a little wobbly at first, but His arms will hold onto you as you again begin to walk down the path of life. Trust Him that He is there right beside you – always was, always will be.
Dear Lord, when the things in life stop me in my tracks, help me to get up and go on with life and the work You have called me to do. Thank you for being by my side to guide, strengthen and comfort me. My hope rests solely in you. Let me get up and look to you, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.
“”But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” Matthew 17:7
