In Luke 13:10-13: Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity of eighteen years, and was bent over and could no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. No matter what you are going through, I am here to tell you, you can bend but don't break.
On last Saturday, I had the pleasure of speaking this message to a group of ladies at a nearby church where they had their first women's conference. I really had a struggle of which woman I wanted to speak about, so God gave me this text but to talk about three different women of the Bible. The woman with the spirit of infirmity, the woman with the issue of blood, and the woman at the well. They all had so much in common and as women; I hate to say it , but we are a little complicated.
They were at the right place at the right time
They had a physical need as well as a spiritual need
They were social outcasts
They had an encounter with Jesus.
The woman with the spirit of infirmity who didn't know how to fix her situation. Could you imagine trying to do daily routines? Take a bath, walk, comb her hair, put on her clothes, use the rest room, look at someone. All these things we take for granted. This woman couldn't do any without a struggle. But she heard about a man teaching at the synagogue and Jesus noticed her and healed her. You know everyone don't want to see you healed. The ruler of the synagogue was not pleased with Jesus healing on the Sabbath, but Jesus reminded them they worked on the Sabbath loosing their ox or donkeys; which is bondage like the woman and lead them away to water; that's restoration like the woman. They couldn't see the woman was in bondage and needed restoration, but it was ok for them to loose their animals and restore them. Anyone want to complain about what Jesus is doing in your life you tell them to take it up with God!
The woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-47) who is the one that tried to fix it. Ain't it like us trying to fix things only to make them worse. Everything she tried didn't work until she had no money left and then she tried Jesus. She heard about a man name Jesus and she pushed her way through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment and immediately her flow of blood stopped. Sometimes we have to push or press our way through for our healing.
Then the woman at the well (John 4:5-26) who I call the one who didn't know she had anything to fix goes to the well to draw water. She met a man who was waiting on her. Just in case you didn't know Jesus went for the woman not the water. She came face to face with Truth and didn't even know it. But the only way to get her healing she had to speak her truth. Jesus asked her to call her husband to come here. Now Jesus already knew the answer he just wanted her to speak her truth. Stay with with me. The Samaritan woman said, "I have no husband." When she spoke her truth Jesus could help her. We have to open our mouths in order for healing to take place. The city in Samaria that Jesus traveled to see the woman at the well was call Sychar which means end. After her conversation with Jesus, after she spoke her truth, after Jesus prophesied to her, and after she realize she was with Truth, she ran out and had to tell the very people that didn't associate with her and they believed her.
I am here to tell you don't give up on yourself and don't given up on God. Like the woman with spirit of infirmity, your situation might be so bad that you can no way lift yourself, but God! Your Sychar is near. Your end is near. The end of your bondage, your issue, your shame, your bitterness, your doubt, your guilt, your unforgiveness is near. It is the end of whatever had you bent, then end of whatever had you drained, the end of whatever you left at the well. Declare today nothing can break you anymore because you now how to fix it, you are not going to try to fix it yourself, and you know what needs to be fixed and the answer to all three is Jesus! Nothing is going to break my heart, my peace, my joy, my soul, my smile, my mind, my spirit, you can't even break a nail from this day forward. I can bend but I will not break!