Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Looking to the Cross: Healing through faith

Bible Reading:  Numbers 21:4-9

Key verse: “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then, when anyone was bitten by
a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” Numbers 21:9

DEVOTION

As the Israelites traveled through the wilderness, they grew impatient and began to speak against God and Moses, frustrated that they had been brought out of Egypt.  The Lord then sent venomous snakes that bit them, and when they repented to Moses, they pleaded that the Lord take away the snakes. In response, God didn’t remove the snakes, but instead, instructed Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole such that anyone who is bitten and looks at it will live. God has such a profoundly simple ask of the Israelites—He spares them not based on their own actions, merit, or offerings, but by simply looking up in faith.
In today’s world, we are constantly bitten by serpents in our world that leave us anxious, hurt, and in despair. Thankfully, God’s invitation remains. In John 3:14, Jesus says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Through the pain and sting of the world, we are called to look up to the Son of Man. Importantly, our Father doesn’t promise to take the snakes away, but He uses our trials to bring us closer to Him and to experience his loving mercy. True healing doesn’t come from our own striving, but from surrendering and lifting our eyes to the One who was lifted up for us. When we turn to Him in faith, we find grace, wholeness, and life that death cannot touch.

PRAYER

Lord, we thank you for the trials that bring us closer to you and remind us to rely on you in every aspect of our lives. We are so grateful that through the hardest of times and the deepest sins, you invite us to healing and repentance just by looking to the cross. Give us the strength, humility, and most importantly, the faith to turn to you whenever we are scared, confused, upset, impatient, or in pain. Thank you for the Most Perfect Gift of the Son of Man to be our ultimate healer.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

God may not remove the pain in our lives as quickly as we want, but He always offers us a way to be healed. The cross is a constant invitation to strive less and trust Him more. Today, instead of asking “Why is this still happening?”, ask, “Where is Jesus in this?”. Lift your eyes to Him, confident that healing begins not when the pain disappears, but when faith dares to look up.


Mariyam Simon
Carmel Mar Thoma Church, Boston

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