Impressed by some scriptures in devotion this morning. Holy Spirit has been building a case FOR me…I thought I would attempt to articulate some semblance of what I hear.

Jeremiah 31:9a They shall come with weeping and with supplications I will lead them.

Sometimes the greatest need in your life is the hand by which God leads you.

Mark 3:3 And Jesus said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step Forward,” vs5 “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Supplication speaks of the prayer for mercy, for grace, for assistance and intervention. To entreat for mercy and be shown compassion as the object of pity and favor. Often, we would prefer to not to be in lack, but God does something amazing when weakness and need is identified in your life. He meets you right there and becomes God to you. Reminds me of the expression I’ve held on to when finding myself continually revisiting certain failures in my life.  The expression says that in each of us God has designed a God-sized whole that ONLY HE can fulfill.  There is a place in us that may never quite be satisfied throughout our life except God remain in the seat of our heart.

A couple of observations from the story of the man with the withered hand who is being led by God with his deformity (supplication). The first thing, my friend, is to step forward. Get rid of the shame and stop hiding behind the criticism and commentary of people who put your healing on some religious calendar and routine. Don’t take the back seat, step forward at the leading and voice of Christ. Don’t shrink back. In response to the Shulamite woman (symbolically the church) who bids her lover to “not look upon me, because I am dark, because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me…”The Beloved (symbolically Christ) replies to her (Song of Solomon 1:6;2:14)

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, let me hear your voice (#indicator to worship). For your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.(Praise beautifies us–>Psalm 33:1)

Second thing, my friend, is to STRETCH out your hand. No, not the strong one. Stretch out on the weak one. Stretch your faith, exercise your faith in the hard places, in the face of embarrassing failures and observable shortcomings . Let yourself be exposed and revealed in the safety of His presence. What you hide (from God) cannot be healed… Stretch out that withered hand and let God lead you to the place of restoration by the very thing everyone said was reason to despise and reject you! Stretch out on the very thing you think is reason for shame. And finally, notice what I did not say: Don’t try to improve it. Just stretch it out in front of all the Pharisees and let God lead you.