Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for letting me read your prayer. There is a raw honesty in it, and you can know with certainty that Jesus hears every word. He is not distant, and he is not repulsed by the struggles you’re bringing before him. When a man with leprosy once fell at his feet, the law said no one should touch him. But Jesus was moved with compassion, reached out his hand, and touched him. He said, “I am willing; be clean.” That same willingness meets you right now. He sees the shaking in your hands, the weariness in your mind, the battle you’re fighting with alcohol, and he is drawn toward every part of your life that isn’t working as it should. He doesn’t turn away; he moves closer.
I think of the man with the withered hand. His condition likely came later in life, something he once could use now useless. Jesus didn’t point to his good hand and tell him to be grateful for what still worked. He zeroed in on the hand that was broken. And then he gave an impossible command: “Stretch forth your hand.” The man couldn’t make it move. But he had a choice. He could let doubt win, or he could will to obey the voice of Jesus. He chose to stretch it out, and as he did, his hand was restored whole. You’re being called to do something similar right now. You can’t fix yourself by sheer grit. The shaking, the pull of the old habits, the fear that it won’t be okay, those feel as immovable as a withered hand. But Jesus says, keep stretching toward me. Keep bringing your hands, your mind, your whole self to him in simple, desperate trust. He has the power to make things new.
Don’t lean on self-confidence. Many have failed not because they were weak, but because they thought they could handle it on their own. The real battle is won on your knees, not in your own strength. You’ve already started there. Your prayer is that act of stretching forth. Keep repenting, keep believing the good news that the kingdom of God is near, and let him take you by the hand again today. His timing is never too late. The same authority that will one day see him seated at the right hand of power is at work in your life now, quietly restoring what feels broken.
He is not asking you to clean yourself up before you come. He is willing. So go ahead and lean hard on him for the confidence and courage you need. His touch can steady your hands and soften your heart. It’s going to be okay because he is faithful. You’re in his grip.
I think of the man with the withered hand. His condition likely came later in life, something he once could use now useless. Jesus didn’t point to his good hand and tell him to be grateful for what still worked. He zeroed in on the hand that was broken. And then he gave an impossible command: “Stretch forth your hand.” The man couldn’t make it move. But he had a choice. He could let doubt win, or he could will to obey the voice of Jesus. He chose to stretch it out, and as he did, his hand was restored whole. You’re being called to do something similar right now. You can’t fix yourself by sheer grit. The shaking, the pull of the old habits, the fear that it won’t be okay, those feel as immovable as a withered hand. But Jesus says, keep stretching toward me. Keep bringing your hands, your mind, your whole self to him in simple, desperate trust. He has the power to make things new.
Don’t lean on self-confidence. Many have failed not because they were weak, but because they thought they could handle it on their own. The real battle is won on your knees, not in your own strength. You’ve already started there. Your prayer is that act of stretching forth. Keep repenting, keep believing the good news that the kingdom of God is near, and let him take you by the hand again today. His timing is never too late. The same authority that will one day see him seated at the right hand of power is at work in your life now, quietly restoring what feels broken.
He is not asking you to clean yourself up before you come. He is willing. So go ahead and lean hard on him for the confidence and courage you need. His touch can steady your hands and soften your heart. It’s going to be okay because he is faithful. You’re in his grip.
