Jesus Heals
*Note: picture not taken last night, because I was not sitting next to a window.
I was on a plane last night coming back to New Jersey, when I heard a really uplifting conversation. While my visit back to California was nice, it was also laced with a heaviness that I could not quite get rid of, and I felt that in listening to this conversation, I had a huge burden lifted from me.
Because the flight was full, I ended up sitting in the back with a couple of the flight attendants, and I was just trying to keep out of the way, looking into my next month's possible schedule. There really wasn't anything particularly special about this flight, other than the fact that passengers actually bought almost everything in our snack cart. This almost never happens, by the way. As I was just finishing up listing out my top picks for next month's schedule, a man comes up to a flight attendant to thank him. As an avid people watcher, I couldn't help but listen in on the conversation.
The man is a mechanic for the airline I work for, and he used to also be based out of Newark, New Jersey. When he met his wife, he moved and settled down in Los Angeles. He was heading back to NJ because of the passing of his brother. His sister had passed away not too long ago of an aneurysm, and the same fate had unfortunately befallen his recently late brother, and he feared that he was just awaiting his own day. (I promise this post gets much more uplifting from here). I felt a little sick to my stomach hearing this, as death had been circling through my mind for the entirety of my four day weekend.
The flight attendant let the mechanic sit down, and began telling him to pray, and that Jesus can heal. The mechanic was already a believer, but he said it was something he really needed to hear. The flight attendant gave many examples of how God heals, and not only in the bible: His Word is alive. He told the mechanic about how his uncle was pronounced dead, but shocked all doctors when he came to. His aunt was outside, pouring out her heart and soul, praying for his revival, and all of a sudden, there was a scream from the room. His uncle was brought back, and his aunt told all the doctors that it isn't something they will find through years and years of pouring through textbooks based on science and facts, but it will be found in the Holy Bible.
His story reminded me of how much prayer matters, and I was again brought to recognize how much prayer brought me to Him in the first place. How much someone must have prayed for me to finally open my eyes and recognize that I was not okay. And even more: every prayer that we have ever said, Christ intervened and prayed for us. How hard He must have prayed for me, a tiny speck in this world, to go back to Him. Because I am His beloved daughter. And in the same way, though Ben had left us in this world, we can have assurance and joy through Christ that we will meet again.
Joy is different from happiness in that we can have joy even during times of mourning. Happiness is a feeling, but joy comes from within. It is from the Holy Spirit, as He dwells in us. He gives us hope and faith in the good things, leads us from the bad things, and teaches us to share the Light.
"The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." - Psalm 118:6-8
What are some things that has been a blessing to you in your life? :) Any other eavesdropping enthusiasts? Wish you a great day!
Warmest regards,
Sharon