Healing Rays of Righteousness

Read Exodus 4:1-17 

When God called a reluctant Moses to be his servant in leading Israel out of Egypt, he asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”  And Moses replied that it was a staff.  God then directed him to throw it on the ground and it became a snake.  God then told him to “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.  So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.” After reassuring Moses that he would empower what Moses held in his hand, God said, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

I’m reminded of Mother Teresa who lived as an ordinary sister in a convent.  But while doing so, an extraordinary dream grew within her mind and heart.  One day she shared her heart’s ambition with her Mother Superior, who asked her, “Well, how much money do you have?  Sister Teresa replied, “I have two pennies.”  Mother Superior quickly replied, “Oh, you cannot start an orphanage with just two pennies.”  To which Sister Teresa replied, “No, but with two pennies and God I can start an orphanage.”  And she did!

A shepherd’s staff, two pennies – what is that in your hand?  Are they holding empowered gifts of help and healing, warmly clasping another’s hands of need; or are they tightly clenching earthly treasures and selfish greed?

A young man who was depressed by the evil, the suffering, and the misery in the world complained to his rabbi:  “Why did God ever make such a world?  Why, I could make a better world than this myself.”  His rabbi quietly answered:  “That is exactly the reason God put you in this world – to make it a better world.  Now go out and do your part.”

In the rabbi’s answer, we hear a truth that is frequently overlooked.  We often speak of our dependence upon God, but seem to forget that God depends on us.  There are many things He will not do without our assistance.

God brings forth bread from the earth, but not without the farmer, who properly prepares the soil, plants the seed, and harvests the crop.  God heals the sick, but not without the surgeon’s skilled hands, the doctor’s medicine, the nurse’s vigilance, the chaplain’s prayers, and the encouragement of family and friends.  God graciously chooses to partner with us in doing his healing, restorative work in the world.  Truly, we are blessed and privileged to be joined with him in a great partnership.

Let’s look at our hands for a few moments.  What a blessing they are.  What an amazing, intricate network of joints, tendons, and nerves, enabling us to do so much.  What a severe handicap we would suffer without them.

With these two hands we can bless a person or bruise them.  We can heal or hurt others.  We can generously give to another or greedily grab from them.  We can choose to lovingly extend our hands toward others in caring compassion, or we can tightly clench them to protect our earthly treasures and selfish greed.  The decision is ours to make with each encounter of another human being.

This truth is so beautifully expressed in these words from Alexander Irvine’s novel, My Lady of the Chimney Corner.  “God takes a hand whenever he can find it, and just does what he likes with it.  Sometimes he takes a bishop’s hand and lays it on a child’s head in benediction.  And then he takes the hand of a doctor to relieve the pain, the hand of a mother to guide a child.  And sometimes he takes the hand of a poor old creature like me to give comfort to a neighbor.  But they’re all hands touched by his Spirit, and his Spirit’s everywhere lookin’ for hands to use.”

Look at your hands and pray;   “Lord Jesus, help me to use my hands in holy, generous ways of healing and empowering the hands of others today, tomorrow, and always.  Amen.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – January 23, 2019