Sunday, October 14, 2012

"My Hands Hurt"

Hunter has pitiful hands.




Part of the reason is that he sucks on his fingers a lot, and part of the reason is probably bug bites and other inexplicable skin issues that just come with the territory when you're in Haiti.

Every time I see his hands, I want them to be better, and I wonder if he is in pain. He doesn't seem to mind his hands being like that, but I can't tell. I feel so helpless because I don't really know what's wrong with them, and even if I did have a proper diagnosis, I wouldn't have the creams or the medicines to put on them.

• • •

I sat on a bench by the sea the other day and had a long talk with Jesus about it.

He said to me, "If Hunter looked up at you and said, 'hand hurt,' what would you do?"

I said, "I would move heaven and earth to find out what was wrong with his hands and obtain the necessary treatment for him."

He said, "What if he just looked at you with a beseeching grimace and a mute wringing of the hands to show you that they hurt?"

I said, "That would be quite enough to move me to action."

He replied, "And that's just how prayer is between you and me. You don't have to be eloquent or verbose. I understand what you mean, and I care, and I am able to move heaven and earth to answer you."

My heart swelled with gratitude, and the wonder of who the Savior is and what He does for us filled my soul with love.

• • •

He continued, "What would you do if your hands looked like that?"

I replied, "Well, I'm sure I would take action. I would make sure to be very careful and do whatever it took to help my hands to heal up."

Thoughts flooded my mind. Am I willing to do more for myself than for another, and is that revealing my selfishness? If I would do that for my hands, shouldn't I do whatever I can for Hunter's hands, instead of letting myself be paralyzed in inactivity and cluelessness? I wouldn't be quite so clueless when it came to my own hands. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?

I thought of the way one member of my body can affect all the other members. Then my mind jumped to the analogy of how believers are members of the body of Christ. Then I thought about how I have given my body to Christ, to be His body, to be used for His purposes. All this flashed through my mind in a split second, and then He spoke.

"When Hunter's hands hurt, my hands hurt."

Ah! The glory of it. Jesus cares about Hunter's hands. I can trust Jesus to take care of Hunter's hands in the same way He would take care of His own hands. He will take better care of Hunter's hands than I would take of my own hands. I might mess up, not have the right supplies, or not use the right treatment, even if I was giving myself the best care I possibly could. But Jesus will never be at a loss for wisdom or ability to take care of His hands. He loves Hunter. He might allow me to be His hands in caring for Hunter's hands. But I can trust Him to take the initiative in beginning a course of treatment.

He already has taken the initiative. He caused one little servant to notice and gave her a burden. That servant began to ask the Great Physician about treatment. As soon as she hears back, she will do whatever He tells her.

Nothing escapes His notice--not even one little abandoned boy's hands.  

See also: Hunter Update

12 comments:

  1. Ah, this post was so incredible to me! I love that Jesus cares so much about His children, that even their slightest, unnecessary pain moves Him to action. I love also that our prayers don't have to be expressed perfectly or eloquently. He hears and will respond despite us! It just makes me heart swell with gratitude and love!

    Thanks for posting! Praying for you all down there!

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    1. I'm glad it was a blessing to you! It was certainly a blessing to me to learn these lessons. God is teaching me so much by being here!

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  2. Wow, this post gave me chills- Oh how good our God is that He would listen to the faintest cry and be moved to action on behalf of the ones He loves. My heart is bursting with love for such a beautiful Savior!

    Makenna

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    1. Isn't our Savior precious? I am so privileged to be His servant and to have the opportunity to participate in His work. My heart is bursting with love for such a beautiful Savior too! :-)

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  3. Querida Reki,mis ojos se llenaron de las lagrimas y mi corazón del deseo de poder ayudar a este niño...Parece como si fuera leproso,pero aúun así Dios puede rescatarlo de esta enfermedad como la hizo en su tiempo con Job. Gracias por compartirlo con nosotros. Oraré por este niño y por la sabiduría para ti para poder ayudar a este niño.

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    1. No sé qué es, pero este niño es un ejemplo para mí de mantener un actitud contento en medio de circunstancias malas. Hunter nunca queja, no llora, sino sonrie y actua con gratitud a las personas que le cojan y le den comida, etc. El es tan dulce, a pesar de sus graves enfermedades, que me impacta mucho.

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    2. Yo anuncié en la iglesia que oren por Hunter,y yo también lo mantengo en mis oraciones.

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    3. Gracias, Irina. Eres un ejemplo para mí de oraciones fieles y constantes. Gracias por acordar de él, y por compartir su caso con la iglesia. ¡Eres una bendición!

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  4. I have recently received a burden that seems so huge to me right now. It brought tears to my eyes to be reminded that He has heard me no matter how inadequate I feel. And He cares more about this situation than I do, and is already moving things into action on behalf of someone He loves far more than I do. Oh for faith to trust Him more! Thank you Rebekah. God bless you.
    -Katie Watt-

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    1. Oh YES, He does, no matter what the situation or the person involved. He is so able, so all-sufficient, so caring! Whatever your burden is, I'm glad that this was able to speak to you and encourage you. May the Lord swiftly answer the burden on your heart and meet the need that you're praying about.

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  5. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I was so encouraged by the way you spoke about prayer, and God's heart towards His people. He is now and always our great intercessor, all we need to do is ask and seek, and we will find. To think that God cares so greatly for this little ones hands, that is truly amazing and utterly wonderful. I have so loved getting hear about your time in Haiti through this blog.

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    1. Oriana, thank you so much for reading and for reminding me that HE is our great intercessor. When I feel like I'm not big enough or sufficient enough to be an intercessor for ALL the huge burdens I see around me, what a comfort to know that He is the ultimate intercessor. I get the privilege of sharing a little part of His burden, but He carries it all!

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