Second post of the week! I got inspired to write a second post after listening to Ricky’s Wednesday night class. He referred to two passages: Mark 8:22-25 (the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida) and Jeremiah 31:32. Both make a statement regarding a person or a group of people being led by hand. In Mark, the blind man is led by hand by Jesus out of the city where Jesus then lays His hands on the man to initiate the healing of the man’s blindness. Now we know that this is not necessary. Jesus does not need to lead the man out of city nor does He need to actually touch the man to heal him. We know this because we read about Jesus healing in the midst of crowds (ex: the man lowered from the roof as Jesus is surrounded by people) and that Jesus can heal without touching them (ex: the healing at the pool where Jesus says “get up! pick up your mat and walk). The second statement coming from Jeremiah regards God leading the Israelite’s out of captivity in Egypt and into the promised land. Now it was necessary for God to lead His people out of Egypt because they would have been unable to do so themselves. However, leading them by hand is odd wording because it’s not literal. God worked through Moses to open the Red Sea and then His power closed it too. So if neither case required an actual leading by hand, why word it that way?
What I get from this is that God, Jesus, and the Spirit can take us by hand and bring healing, bring release from our captors, peace from our troubles. No one else can do this for us, at least not in the way that the Trinity can. You may find temporary release in and from this world but it will all come back time and time again until you take Jesus, God, or the Spirit by hand and allow them to guide you to where you need to be, to what you need, what you truly need. It worked for the blind man and he got more than what he thought he was getting, he got what he truly needed as well as eyesight. It worked for the Israelite’s even if they wound up squandering it by their many many mistakes. If it worked for them, and the many others it has worked for and will work for, it will work for you. Take Jesus, God, or the Spirit by the hand and let them guide you. Let them lead you to where you need to be. Let go of your troubles, of whats hurting you, of whats holding you back and they will provide. Grab their hand and let them lead you!