Thursday, September 18, 2008

powerful pain

I have struggled with an "eye affliction" for several years now despite visits to specialists and various attempts to rid myself of the problem. It has surprised me how pain in one's eye can be so consuming and distracting. Such a small area yet so loaded with pain receptors. Perhaps because it is such a delicate and important part of the body it needs extra insurance that when there is a problem it WILL NOT be ignored!

The pain I struggle with as a result of this affliction comes and goes and thankfully is not a frequent visitor. However in this past week I had about four days of discomfort and I noticed that I was growing increasingly desperate with each day that passed. The wearing power of pain puts an amazing magnifying glass on one's ability to persevere and rejoice in the midst of trial. I found myself whining and speaking far too often of the trial I was undergoing. It's not like I was physically incapacitated by the problem but I was crawling into bed and curling up trying to sleep or disappear. The exhaustion brought on by this discomfort was emotional and physical. Almost embarrassing to admit that I can succumb so easily to a physical trial that is barely noticeable unless someone looks at the little swollen reddened area on my eyelid.

I found myself telling the Lord "it's not like I'm asking for the full meal deal here - just the eyes - if you could just heal my eyes". And I began asking for prayer - thankful that I have a community around me that is more than willing to pray if I ask. And then this morning as I sat in the car before going into the school to teach two good friends popped in to encourage me and they were only too happy to speak to the Lord on my behalf and to call forth healing, rebuking the infection. I was so grateful for the intercession on my behalf and later as I was out shopping I realized that I was pain free and I thanked my precious Jesus for rescuing me again.

It's interesting how the natural so often speaks of the invisible in our lives. The problem in my eyes is caused by blocked oil glands and I need the Lord to apply eye salve so the oil can once again flow over my eyes restoring their comfort and ability to see properly.

So Jesus, I ask for healing in the natural and in the spiritual. If I am somehow allowing blockage to create any kind of blindness in the spiritual realm I ask you to grant me the ability to push past the hindrance, to get rid of that which prevents clear sight. I command any spirits of infirmity or blindness to be rendered powerless in my life by the powerful name and blood of Jesus Christ.

"
The lamp of the body is the eye,
if therefore your eye is clear
your whole body will be full of light"
Matthew 6:22


I want to have clear eyes...I want my whole body to be full of light. I want the Body of Christ to have clear eyes, so that the Body of Christ will be full of light in a society of increasing darkness.

"Because you say 'I am rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing'
and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire..
.and eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see". Rev. 3:17,18


So Jesus, I don't know exactly what this is all supposed to mean, but if I ask I shall receive, so I ask for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation so that I may have the knowledge of Jesus and see what I am supposed to see. I ask for the ability to buy eyesalve so that I can see clearly...and I ask this for the Body of Christ as well.

Thank you for endlessly rescuing us. For giving us visible, even painful reminders of our need to pray and to call out for supernatural intervention.

2 comments:

Jessanna said...

beautiful- loved hearing your heart in and through this!

God's Girl said...

I have chronic pain... thank you for the encouragement my dear sister in Christ.