Earthly Permission
Simply defined, prayer is earthly permission for heavenly interference. (Tony Evans)
I believe this saying is true. When we pray, we invite God to step in and divinely alter our horrible circumstances. In Mark 5, we see this Jewish lady, bleeding daily, perform an act of faith and receive a miraculous healing.
But she did something else before that.
For twelve years, this broken woman prayed, bombarding Heaven like a reverse hailstorm. At last, God answered, giving her this task.
But for at least nine of those years, Jesus was just a carpenter.
A Bleeding Problem
Under Levitical Law, a woman who was bleeding during her monthly period or after giving birth was considered unclean. Anyone who touched her until she was purified became unclean too.
But the Old Testament law went further.
“‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. (Leviticus 15:25 NIV)
Mark 5 states this woman had had been bleeding for over a decade.My Spiritual Point
How many of us stop praying when the answer we’re seeking doesn’t happen as quickly as we desire? I’ve been guilty of becoming discouraged and giving up.
But let’s look at Tony Evans’ quote one more time.
Simply defined, prayer is earthly permission for heavenly interference.
God always seems to wait for us to ask, before He answers.
He seems more interested in building up our faith muscles than keeping us comfortable.
Frequently it’s hard to believe, but His timing is always perfect.
So let’s give the Lord earthly permission to interfere in our lives in a heavenly way.
Resources:
Here’s the link to the biblical story, Mark 5:24-34, illustrated by this week’s image.
