Jewels of Grace

At the end of a healing retreat at Ellel Grange I thought of the guests who had been on the retreat, now preparing to return to their homes. Some of them would feel that the Lord had done big things for them over the two days of the retreat and may have testified to such during the testimony time that morning, while others might feel that He’d only moved them forward the tiniest step, or even that they hadn’t received anything from Him.

It’s easy to see the healing work that the Lord does in our lives in terms of big or small. We understandably long for those dramatic breakthroughs that make such a difference to how we feel and live. At the end of that retreat I felt the Lord say to me that every healing touch on our life from Him is a miracle of His grace. Our verses for today are addressed to an afflicted one, a broken one, with the promise that instead of pain and brokenness there will be comfort and beauty.

Each healing we receive from the Lord is like a precious stone, a jewel in the ongoing rebuilding of the faulty foundations and broken walls of our lives. Some of those jewels are big and noticeable, others seem small, perhaps not even understood by us or seen by others, but still of priceless value and reflecting the glory of God. Together all these jewels of grace are making up the work of art, the masterpiece that is each of our redeemed lives.

Can I encourage you to rejoice over every healing touch you receive in your walk with Jesus? In Zechariah 4:10, the Lord asks through the prophet, ‘Who despises the day of small things?’ Actually, what had just happened was an amazing thing, the restoration of the foundations on which the temple of the Lord was to be rebuilt. Some of the seemingly ‘small’ things the Lord does in our lives are deep in the core of who we are, and part of the new foundation He’s putting in place, on which more visible healing will be built.

That new foundation is itself built on Jesus, the cornerstone, author and perfecter of our faith. As we treasure Him above even the healing He does in our lives, and follow and obey Him as our Lord, we have the assurance of His word that our lives will be built of gold, silver and precious stones, ready for the day that we see Him face to face (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for every healing touch I’ve received from You. Thank You for taking the darkness and pain of my wounds and replacing them with jewels of grace. Thank You that they make up the crown that I’ll lay at Your feet in heaven, one day. I love You, Lord. Amen.