Fear No Fear

“But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, and said to the people, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come and be healed on those days, but not on the Sabbath day.”” (Luke 13:14, MEV). Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the sacred holy day (Exodus 20:8-11). God laid it down and there were real penalties to violate it (Numbers 15:32-3). Yet Jesus, who was perfect and kept the Law perfectly, healed on the Sabbath. He took a lot of heat for it, but it was unjustified. Jesus did no creative work on the Sabbath. Neither did Holy Spirit. Instead, what Jesus did was restore bodies and people back to where they should have been. No one was designed or meant to be crippled. Or blind. Or sick. Or diseased. Or bent and hunched over, unable to stand up. Every miracle was a miracle of restoration, not a miracle of creating a new thing. It’s a really important distinction because it shows the character of God in action. Remember that God rested after Creation, entering into the accomplishment of what He had set out to do (Genesis 2:2-3). He is STILL resting. He might DO something new, but He isn’t CREATING something new. It’s all about restoration. He restored to their originally-intended spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, and physical health. He did it in earthly ministry. He does it today as well. He’ll do it in the future. The power of healing was released through what Jesus did (Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24). The healing power is there to be engaged through our trust in Him. He is resting in our restoration. Jesus engaged it. We can engage it. It isn’t a new thing. It’s restoration.  Just like we bathe to remove dirt, we can engage the healing Jesus accomplished and released to us to remove those things that aren’t part of our originally-intended spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, and physical health. There is no rest in ill health. Choose to believe and trust in Jesus. Engage His rest. Let Him restore you by what He has already finished. It’s there waiting for you. Grab hold on it and let it wash over you, restoring you to what you’ve always been meant to be.