A study to show the blessing in getting closer to Jesus!
Luke 13:11-13

"And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

And when Jesus saw her, He called her to him, and said unto her, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity."

And He laid His hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."

Verse 11 tells us there was a woman who had a spirit that was causing her life to deteriorate over a period of 18 years. Not only did it affect her physically to the point where she could no longer stand or even look up. It was causing weakness in her mind, will and character and causing her to fail in her personal undertakings.

There are some very important points I'd like to emphasize in verses 12 and 13.

1."Jesus SAW her" – she had to be close enough to him for him to see her.
2."He CALLED her" – she had to be close enough to hear him call her to him.
3.She had to be OBEDIENT to his call before he spoke her deliverance.
4."He LAID HIS HANDS on her" – she had to be close enough for him to touch her.

There are times it seems as if your life is deteriorating. You can't seem to stop the attacks on your mind, it seems as if you don't have any spirit or motivation, and everything you try to do fails. That is when you need to find out where Jesus is and head in his direction. It couldn't have been easy for this woman to find him. She had deteriorated to a point where she couldn't lift herself up AT ALL. That means all she could see was the ground. She had to exercise her faith to the point where she knew she might not be able to see Jesus but if he could just see her, he would see her condition and heal her.

When Jesus saw her, he could have healed and delivered her where she was (as he had done many times for others), but he didn't. He called her to come closer to him. Do you know that when God calls you, he's not just trying to get your attention? He wants you to come close enough to hear him because he has something he wants to say to you. Your obedience to him puts you in a position where he can speak to you regarding your condition or situation. He could have spoken directly to the spirit (he also had done that many times in dealing with others), but he didn't. He spoke to her. That means he needed HER to know that she had been released from the spirit that had her bound. She was free and it was important that she hear

He told her she was free BEFORE he laid hands on her. He used present tense. That meant she was free as he spoke it even though she still "appeared" to be bound and lacking life. She had to know that she was made whole even though there was not yet a visible sign. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things NOT SEEN. He then prepared her for action and operation. Once you have been delivered, set free, and made whole, God begins to prepare and position you to do something. She was instantaneously made whole, healed physically, mentally, and emotionally and her first action was to praise and worship God. She had not stood in 18 years. I'm sure she and everyone around her was excited and in awe of what Jesus had done for her. She could have took some time to stand up and looke around for the first time in 18 years and celebrate with her family and friends, and she may have eventually done that. But the FIRST thing she did was PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD.

When God does something for us, no matter how big or small the FIRST thing we should do is glorify him.

About the Author

My name is Rudelle Thomas and I currently reside in the Metro Atlanta area. I write Inspirational non-fiction, fiction, poetry and devotionals. Some of my devotionals are featured on shelovesgod.com, ideamarketers.com, and sermoncentral.com. I have poetry published with the International Library of Poetry and am in the process of writing two books, one fiction and one non-fiction. "In The Midst Of It All" is the story of one woman's journey through life's struggles, and how her faith in God gave her the strength to keep fighting. "Able To Stand!" is a book that teaches us that the only way we can "withstand in this evil day" is to equip ourselves with the armor of God. It also teaches what the armor of God is, why we need it, and how to put it on.

My greatest achievement is my online magazine. I am the Editor and Publisher of an online magazine titled, "Divine Eloquence Ezine". Divine Eloquence is devoted to not only spreading the Gospel, but also to promoting your writing and published works. We have recently been presented with a number of Web Excellence awards. I am also the CEO of my own Desktop Publishing company, "Divine Designs 777, Inc. We specialize in Administrative needs, Webdesign, Logo design, Business cards, etc.

It is my desire use the gifts and talents that God has blessed me with to be a blessing to others!

Be Blessed!