Many of us have made a move towards God in recovery only to struggle and relapse. We wonder if we really can be straight and live well. We wonder if there actually is hope for us to have a successful life?
For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:9 NLT)
For the past couple of days, we’ve been encouraged by the example of a woman who went to Jesus and was healed, even though she’d been crippled by an evil spirit for 18 years and was unable to straighten up. (see Luke 13:10-13) How was that possible? This woman allowed hope to grow in her and accepted Jesus’ invitation to come to Him. She made herself available for Him to touch her and receive His power to do in her what she could not do for herself.
If we are going to successfully live life in recovery, we need to “surrender our will and our life over to the care of God”. That’s what the founders of AA realized when they made that condition Step 3 of the 12 Step program. That’s what God had in mind when He told us to trust in Him and not rely on our own understanding.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)
The woman left her everyday activities and went to spend time with Jesus. Do we? Jesus spoke to the woman and told her to come to Him. She went. Are we willing to take steps that Jesus will direct us to take? The woman allowed Jesus to touch her. Are we willing to make our hearts and our past history available to God for healing and straightening out, or will we hang on to the pain and familiar resentments and self-pity that keep us living crooked?
God wants us to stand straight with dignity and strength and purpose today. Only His touch can give us what we need. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:10 NLT)
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