I’m the mother of an adult child who struggled with addiction and mental health issues for over ten years. The years have been rough, but I’ve found lasting comfort and hope from God for my heartaches. Through faith in him and His Word, the Bible, anyone can be helped because he is the God of compassion for all who suffer.
On my long journey, He’s been close, caring, and personal. I can say with confidence my healing was found in Him!
Luke 13:11-13 records a moving story about a woman who found healing from God.
…and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. (NIV)
She had experienced a great deal of heartache, crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. Many of our children have suffered for a long time, too. They’re disabled in a different way. Like the crippled woman, they may have stopped believing things could ever change and maybe we have as well.
Then the Messiah came.
What We Long For
He saw her. He really saw her.
And he felt her pain.
She didn’t ask for help, yet he initiated and spoke earth-shaking words, “Woman, you are set free...” Then something surreal happened…he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God…
Jesus noticed her, he perceived her need, cared about her plight, and was moved to action.
As parents in pain, we long for God to do this for us; to care enough to step in and set our children free. Sometimes we wonder if there’s still any reason to hope. Are they too far gone?
After my daughter’s relapses I needed hope. I didn’t know if she would survive. Would I ever get my daughter back? What could I expect realistically? I hadn’t heard of many happy endings.
Does Jesus see? Does he know? Does he care? If he does, then why is he taking so long?
Delayed answers make it more and more difficult to trust God. We grow weary. Will recovery and healing come?
Dying inside we watch our loved one grow sicker and sicker, increasingly disabled.
The Touch of the Master
During Bible times, people probably thought the woman’s condition was due to someone’s sin. Touching her might have been frowned upon. In the Luke verses, I’m moved by how Jesus didn’t only speak words that healed–he came in close and touched the needy woman.
How caring and loving. We tend to pull away from suffering, especially if we don’t understand. We don’t want to get too close. The other person’s suffering makes us uncomfortable. You may have experienced this with your friends. We hold back, but not Jesus. He did the opposite.
The Savior’s healing touch and healing words moved the restored woman to worship. How could she not? She would never be the same. Her life was changed forever.
The touch of the Master results in praise.
I believe the Savior sees our sons and daughters right now. He hasn’t forgotten them (or us). He’s still able to heal their brokenness. He knows the sins of their past and their needs in this moment: Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. He’s aware of how long they’ve been crippled maybe by one of these: addiction, depression, suicidal thoughts, mental health issues, self-harm, immorality, trouble with the law, or pornography. He has compassion on them.
Be encouraged, dear parent in pain. They might not be seeking Him, but that doesn’t stop Him from seeking them.
He can restore them and set them free.
6 Reasons to Hope Freedom is Possible
- Jesus knows the need.
- He understands and cares.
- He still has the power to heal.
- We can trust his ways and timing.
- He has the power to heal and restore.
- Everything could change in a moment.
Want help understanding the culture of Bible times? Go to Walking the Text by Brad Gray.
Recommended book:
When You Love a Prodigal: 90 Days of Grace for the Wilderness by Judy Douglass
**The touch of the Master results in worship. How have you experienced his touch in your life? Please share in comments to encourage others.
Thank you for this website. There was a time when my daughter was a prodigal; even thou, she had made a profession of faith as a young girl. I have been concerned of bi-polar, but brain cancer has taken the place of all those concerns. It has changed my attitude toward her. I am more loving and caring now, and that has made all the difference. Don’t we all respond positively to love? I am still waiting to hear her claim Jesus as her Savior. So I hold on to the promise “That He who began a good work in you is faithful to see it to completion.” Love always wins out.
Loving all the while, June Risk
Thank you for your comment on my blog. I am so glad your daughter is no longer a prodigal, but am so sorry brain cancer is now a concern. How is she doing? Yes, we do respond so positively to love. Yes, yes, yes! I will pray she chooses Jesus as her Savior. May the Lord help you continue to hold onto hope that He will indeed complete the good work he has begun. Keep loving with wild abandon!