Hope

“Stretch out your hand." Mark 3:5

When Jesus visited a synagogue on a Sabbath, there was a man with a withered hand. Jesus healed him with no hesitation even if He knew He was being judged badly for healing on a Sabbath. 

All of us have a withered something we can stretch out to the Lord. It can be a talent we haven't used, a dream we've allowed to die, our health, a relationship destroyed by unforgiveness...

The good news is Jesus is asking us to stretch it out to Him, for healing, restoration, to make it whole again. We shouldn't lose hope. There's always hope. God never abandons us, although it may feel like He does sometimes. There is an ancient adage, “Homo viator, spe erectus,”, Latin for “Man is a wayfarer, (supported) upright by hope”.  In German, when a woman is pregnant, one says that she is “der Hoffnung”, she is “in hope”. 

What do we need to stretch out to God today? Whatever it is, we should know that our God walks with us. He has a plan. He always has a plan. In Romans 8:28: St. Paul tells us, “All things work together FOR GOOD to those that love God.” Or “In ALL THINGS God works together with those who love Him to bring about what is GOOD.” We just need to trust Him with all our mind, heart, and strength.