How are details recorded and shared?
Thirty- one years ago today, my Matthew and I became husband and wife. We stood in a church in front of God along with family and friends and exchanged vows to love each other in sickness and health, for richer or for poorer until death do us part. Our wedding day has been something that we celebrate every year on this date since our marriage on October 23, 1993.
This date is an important reminder of this very special day in our lives. The day that we committed to loving each other throughout our entire lives. These vows which we recited that day 31 years ago, have been honored. Our wedding took place in at St. Raphaels Catholic church in Raleigh, NC. The ceremony was performed by my now husband's Uncle Charles, who was a Carmalite priest, who resided in Massachusetts, but made the journey down to Raleigh to marry us. The church was large and octagonal in shape with ceilings so high that I could not make an accurate guess on how high. Let's just say several stories high.
On that day in our twenties we had no idea what our lives journey would unfold to reveal. To us on that day we were invincable. This was our position on our wedding day, not knowing the gift of good health nor the burden of living with an aging body. We did not know the struggles of trying to pay our bills as a young couple, or that we would be blessed with miracles that spared our children's lives several times over. We also had no idea the love that our hearts could hold with the addition of three children to make up our family. Some of our struggles and blessings throughout our marriage we have written down or shared via stories with our children and family and friends.
Like this well- known story recorded in the Bible, about a miracle that Jesus performed. He healed a lame man in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate. In this location is a pool, in Hebrew is called Bethesda, which has five porches. This was a place where the sick, lame, blind and paralyzed would gather and wait for an angel to come down and stir the waters of the pool. The first one to enter the pool after the waters stirred would be "made well of whatever disease he had" John 5:4. On this particular Sabbath day Jesus stopped off at the pool. Jesus approached a man who was lying on the ground and had suffered from an infirmity for 38 years. Jesus asked the man, "Do you want to be made well?"
"The sick man answered Him, ' Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.' -John 5: 6- 7
This man was stuck in his own self pity. He didn't even know if he wanted to be made well at this point, which is apparent in his answer to Jesus. He had no hope and had lost faith. So often we can get locked into our circumstances and lose faith. We don't make the effort to change and get stuck in our own ways. We lack faith and fail to turn to the source of faith, God.
Jesus did not hold this man's response against him. Instead "Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.' And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.'" John 5: 8- 9
This is a miracle that was recorded in the Bible. It is also recorded that it was, "For this reason that the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath."
- John 5: 16
While studying this story of Jesus healing at the Sheep Gate pool, I looked up Nehemiah 3:1 that was recorded in the Old Testament. The book of Nehemiah was written and recorded over a period of 13 years in 446 B.C., and 554 years prior to Jesus' birth. Nehemiah 3:1 reads: "Then Eiashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and build the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors." This reference is of this same Sheep Gate pool in Jerusalem where the story of Jesus healing the lame man took place.
Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king and resided in the palace of the Persian King Artaxerxes. He was not complacent with the luxuries of the palace, but placed greater importance on the promises of God. He was granted permission to return to Jerusalem, after boldly asking permission from the king to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
Stories are recorded and passed down through the centuries for a purpose. Stories we record or share give validation to our lives and the lives of those who came before us. Ultimately every story can be linked back to the start of creation by God our Father that has been recorded in the Bible.
The purpose of those stories recorded in the Bible are to give us faith to believe in God. The walk of faith is a balanced blend of prayer and action. God longs for us to share love and goodness with one another in this life. He also longs for us to share love with one another in eternal life. And this was His purpose for sending Jesus to us. God knew that we would need a Savior because He knew that we were selfish and that we would sin.
Isaiah 53: 12
"Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong.
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the
transgressors."
Found in the Prologue of Isaiah: which means ("Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh is salvation") it is recorded that "Isaiah preached God's message to the southern kingdom of Judah during the latter half of the eighth century B.C. Isaiah was the son of Amoz not to be confused with the eighth century B.C. prophet Amos. Isaiah married a woman called "the prothetess," who bore him two sons."
Thankful for those who took the time to record these significant stories and their important details. Thankful for a faithful man to walk alongside in this lifetime. Thankful that God chose me to be strong enough to believe and have faith in Him.
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