Who Is In Pain

As they went, they were cleansed.

IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT, and the pain was unrelenting. I couldn’t catch my breath, it hurt so much. I had been diagnosed with a large kidney stone the previous week. The day before, my doctor had tried to break it up with a procedure called a lithotripsy, which uses shock waves to break the stone into smaller pieces. Unfortunately, my pieces were still too big to be expelled, and now they were stuck. This resulted in excruciating pain and a fast trip to the emergency room. I was sick for the next month as doctors inserted stents and performed another lithotripsy. I felt like I was caught in an endless cycle of treatment.

I needed the Lord to step in and heal me. I was desperate for His healing touch. I learned in that season that the Lord will walk beside you through every physical trial. I did not receive instant healing, but I did have an excellent urologist, a compassionate team of doctors and nurses, and a supportive family. My employer even held my job open until I could return.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read about ten men who no doubt suffered terrible pain as well.

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

I love how Jesus healed people in so many different ways. He healed some with a command or a touch of His hand. He healed a blind man using mud and instructions to go wash in a certain pool. But these men? He gave them directions to go show themselves to the priest, which is what lepers were required to do if they had been healed. Scripture tells us that “as they went, they were cleansed.”

Their healing came during the journey. Momma, if you’re in a place where you, too, are crying out, “Master, have pity on me!” trust this: The Lord sees you and hears you, and He has a plan for your healing. As you walk with Him, may He touch your ailment, speak restoration to your body, and give you instructions on your specific path to healing.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is hurting. Lord, the pain might be physical or emotional. No matter the cause, she is suffering tonight, and she needs You to bring healing as only You can. Lord, we ask for a miracle. We ask You to remove what’s causing her to ache tonight. Your Son suffered on the cross so she could be whole. Tonight we believe for Jesus’s sacrifice to bring the healing she needs in her mind, body, and spirit. Bless this momma with rest and peace.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Jesus, sometimes this pain feels like too much to bear. I ask for Your comfort and healing touch for . . .