Recovering

When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 4:43-54

Healing is a thing we all want when we are injured, traumatized or sick. I know all too well how hard it is to need healing and desperately praying for a miracle. When healing doesn't happen, we often hear people are told they weren't faithful enough. Yet Jesus regularly healed strangers, enemies and people he encountered on the street, without a test of faith. I couldn't write my blog yesterday as I was in the midst of a miracle from a visiting angel. My massage therapist came to my house and taped me up, massage the pain sites and made me a tea. I have been dealing with severe back pain and could barely walk. I am so much better today and felt the touch of God's compassion and healing. I know I have much more ahead of me in terms of my back, but I also have known the grace and kindness of real angels who appear at the right time.

Gracious Creator, you send us angels when we cry

you bind us up and mend us in our sorrowful times

and give us back our laughter, joy and hope.

We often think you have abandoned us and are alone

thinking if we were better and more faithful

you would heal us like the royal official's child.

Lord, give us voice and heart to never stop asking

knowing you will send visiting angel at the right time

and will restore our joy, our hope and our very lives. Amen.