"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he souw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town."
~ Mark 8:22-26
She was an elderly woman, who had lived with neuropathy pain for about 15 years! Her condition continued to deteriorate, until she had the most difficult time walking, and moving around. Near the end of it, she spent most of her time in a chair or bed. Her legs seemed to be constantly swollen to about 3-4 times their normal size! Her lower legs were mostly a black and purple colour, like they were horribly bruised.
She had been raised with the knowledge of Christ, with the belief that miracles could happen. The problem was, that her beliefs were that the healing had to come in the fashion with which she was accustomed or taught in her religion. This was a stumbling stone for her faith. Instead of her faith being in Yeshua, the Holy Son of God, it was in the customs and traditions of the religion she was taught. But, as she listened to the teachings about Christ, her heart began to take courage. She soon asked for a blessing. We laid our hands upon her head, and pronounced a blessing upon her. She felt better, but her legs still hurt.
As time went on, we taught more and more about the Saviour. Her faith continued to increase, and once again she asked for a blessing. This actually occurred several times, with her faith in the Saviour increasing each time. Then one time, one of us put our hands upon her head, and the other placed hands upon her feet, and, as we spoke the words of the Saviour, the elderly grandmother could feel the power of God flow through her legs. She began to really believe! As she felt the power of God within her, she could feel it working in her legs, and she loved it! It was amazing for her to actually feel the power of her Saviour working within her, healing her legs. Her faith exploded with joy and hope! She learned that her Saviour loved her, that he thinks that she is worth it. Those great and terrible stumbling blocks were vanishing before the brilliance of the Son, before the tremendous love of the Saviour.
One more blessing, and the pain was all gone. 15 years of neuopathy pain, wiped out by the love of the Saviour!
Today, this grandmother loves to tell the doctors and everyone she meets that the Lord is real! That the healing power and love of God is real.
Sometimes, people need to go slow. Often, there are stumbling blocks that are in the way. Sometimes, it takes a few steps for their faith to increase. It is our job to help them, to encourage them, to 'help their unbelief.' Do not give up, just because a blessing does not take hold the first time. Learn the will of the Father about it, humble yourself to His will, and perform the task that He asks of you. It will work! May the glory be to the Father, always and forever!!
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