From Burned to Blessed
Matthew 12:1-13
There He (Jesus) saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out? A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other.
There are so many sermons that can be preached from this passage that I can’t count them all right now! What I want you to notice first is the condition of the man. His hand was paralyzed. Other translations use the word, “withered.” In either case, a withered hand is a paralyzed hand – it can’t move from damage and hinders the productivity of the person.
The Greek word for “withered” here gives the implication of something that has been burned or scorched. Many people become paralyzed in their ministry or their service for God when they have been burned, whether by someone else or by their own failure. Others have been burned by the church and or even burned-out from their service. Jesus saw a man whose hand had been burned and could not be as productive as he once was. He compared this withered, paralyzed hand to a sheep that had fallen into a pit, and His desire was to restore him to usefulness again. He cared more about the man than He did what the religious leaders would think of Him. The man was much for useful to Him restored than he was in his withered, paralyzed condition, and He desired to make the man whole again, as good as he was before he was burned.
God sees when we have fallen into a pit and need to be restored to usefulness again, and He has compassion on us. Regardless of what others might think, God’s heart is toward us. All we need to do is to stretch out our withered hands toward Him to find them fully restored and useful for His work. He can take us from burned to blessed in an instant! Hallelujah!
Notice, too, that when the man stretched out his hand, it was already healed and restored. Those that were watching did not see a withered, scorched, paralyzed hand. When he stretched it out, he found that Jesus had already healed him. When God calls us to stretch forward, don’t worry about your weakness. When you stretch forward in obedience, you will find He has already healed and restored what you thought was withered!
If you feel you have been thrown into a pit of limitations because of something that has burned you, stretch forth your hand to Jesus today. His desire is to lift you out of that pit by fully restoring you. He is much more concerned about your healing than about what others will think of Him. You are valuable to Him, and He wants you to be productive for Him. Count on healing, restoration, and a brand new start. He can certainly repair any damage the Devil may have caused you, and you will be as good as new! Hallelujah!
Have a blessed day!