(Psalm 119:9) It was good for me that I was afflicted that I may know your decrees.
Affliction according to the dictionary is what caused/causes pain or harm. Pain can be anything that made you undergo anything that caused pain and suffering. Illness, physcal or emotional pain caused by an experience, that affected you emotionally. It could also be an illness or disease. The thing is,we never want to be associated with affliction,and by the blood of Jesus, and his grace, affliction shall be far from us.
Its a very sensitive topic ans yet crucially a high need to understand because,often we as.Where is God in all these things the world is suffering.
The bible says."Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him from them all". Psalm:34:19. So,then affliction is not that the individual is far from God or a sinner. What does Jesus say about affliction, one of the things he said to Blind Bartimeau's mockers is. After the people asked Jesus which of his parents have sinned,his mother or father. And Jesus replied, "none of them".
Jesus knew affliction in his calling. Jesus - "My soul is sorrowful, even unto death."Jesus was mocked on the cross,he was rejected by men and he was drawn to people with affliction,accepting them whether it was physical or emotional affliction did not and doesnt matter to him. He looked out for the woman with the blood issue when he felt his strength was lost called onto these women as they also looked for them. Believe like the women with affliction affliction shall come to an end and be far. Pursue Jesus relentlessly and he shall pursue your afflictions. He shall deliver you and bring beauty for Ashes.
Luke 13:10-17 Jesus encountered the woman with the bent back and healed her. She went on to praise God.
Mark 2:25. The woman with the issue of blood for 12 years, was healed by faith when she touched the garment of Jesus amongst the crowds. This woman went telling everyone what Jesus had done for her. Would she have known Jesus if she had no affliction.Would she have gone on to tell of Jesus to those around her. Not all are afflicted in similar ways or for some it looks like there is no affliction. But wait, if we dig deeper we find there is a different type of affliction hidden to the naked human eye. But because we are consumed with the physical, we miss the unseen ones.We are attracted to and take more seriously those who from the naked eye have no afflictions.
I was listening to well known pop star interview recently. She said, what happens after you have the car, house and sucsess. What else do you need?. She then said, you just sit there and listen to the inner voice with no interuptions. That is good, but she She never mentioned the voice of God.
No one would want to imagine this pop star with all that she has physicall afflicted spiritually and lack spiritually. But she delves deeper and discusses her afflictions and how she looked to the inside for spiritual healing.Who, if not God the creator is inside us when we call on him.
Wondered for a moment, and it occured to me by hearing from the holy spirit that, it is possible to be spiritually afflicted and it remains unseen to the naked eye and many may not know that they are afflicted spiritually. They know it is suffering but dont see it as an affliction.
So, there may be no emotional pain, no disease,illness,no suffering even but there is a void within the spirit.
How these women survived all those years with those physical afflictions is only something those who have undergone would understand. But they must have also suffered spiritually. Earlier in the article, I indicated affliction as suffering. The stigma,physical and emotions attached to the woman with the issue of blood and the woman with the bent back undoubtedly accompanied spiritual suffering.
The woman with the issue of blood and the bent woman were spiritually afflicted. The bent woman for years sought the Lord in their illness. They were both healed. I can imagine that once they were healed,they continued to refered to as the, "woman who used to have bent back".The pain,be it physical or emotional,illness or disease were spiritual afflictions they underwent. Each day the these women were avoided by people because of their affliction the suffered rejection Pain,suffering and rejection are spirits. Thus possible to call them (spiritual affliction).
What however, shall we say to those continually afflicted for years. And what do we do when affliction does arise. Jesus himself suffered and encountered many people who were afflicted. Sometimes, the afliction is so much that, it is possible to go around wondering whether there is an end to it.
Get to know Jesus,give your life to Jesus.Tommorrow is not known.Jesus is knocking on your door. Find a Bible believing church and ask to be ministered by a man or woman of God.
Be Blessed
Blessed Jackqueline
You can find me on You Tube - Blessed Jackqueline
