February 19th, 2026
Have you ever had a problem in your life with no natural solution? Issues can arise in life, whether they are financial, physical, or otherwise, that have no answer without God’s intervention. This week, I’ve had one particular story from the Bible on my heart with just such a situation.
Luke 13:10-17 tells the story of a woman with a “disabling” spirit. It says,
‘Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.’
This is a beautiful story on the surface alone. A woman who had suffered for almost two decades was healed in front of the whole community who had likely treated her as an outcast. She is the only woman in the Bible Jesus called a “daughter of Abraham,” which would have affirmed her identity in their society.
I have been thinking this week about how easy it was for Jesus to heal this woman. He caused great controversy with the religious leader because He healed on the Sabbath and His response is fascinating. He asks the leader of the synagogue if he would “untie” his ox or donkey on the Sabbath, which is the same Greek word He used for “loosing” or “untying” the woman who was disabled. It was as easy for Jesus to untie this woman from bondage as it would have been for the man to untie his animal and give it a drink of water. Jesus challenged the religious theology that healing was “work” that broke the Sabbath law. However, healing wasn’t work for Jesus and it still isn’t! Just the power of His touch brought healing. His presence alone caused darkness to tremble. The sound of His voice drove out demons.
We will struggle in our faith if we believe healing is as difficult for God as it would be for us. That may sound obvious, but how often do we allow things to hinder our faith that have nothing to do with God and everything to do with us? The things that hinder you don’t hinder God. Time is a good example. This woman had been bound for eighteen long years. There are countless miracles in the Word of God where a long-lasting infirmity was healed. The woman with the issue of blood had spent every penny she had for twelve years trying to be healed (Luke 8). Jesus healed a man born blind (John 9). The man healed at the Gate Beautiful had been a cripple for forty years (Acts 3). It is not easier for God to heal you if you’ve been sick for a year rather than fifty. God can set you free from fear and anxiety even if you’ve had it for a lifetime. God can heal a marriage that’s been broken for decades. He’s not bound by time, and we can’t allow our faith to be shaken by it.
Matthew 8:16-17 says,
‘That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”’
The word for illnesses there is the same Greek word for the disabling spirit that afflicted the woman for eighteen years.
Jesus bore every disabling thing, and that isn’t just physical.
Luke 11:20 says,
“But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Jesus didn’t come to struggle and fight against darkness. You never see any point in the Bible that God had a hard time healing or delivering someone. It’s so easy for God to heal, to deliver, and to provide. He has more than enough provision in heaven for every need on this earth.
When Sarah doubted that she could have a child in her old age, God didn’t explain to her how He would do it. He responded, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
The answer is no.
If you have a situation of any kind that seems impossible, you’re perfectly positioned for a miracle. God is not bound by time and it’s not harder for Him to move in more difficult situations. The answer is not in knowing how God can fix it but understanding that He can and it is His good pleasure to do it (Luke 12:32)! He is the God of all flesh and Jesus came to destroy darkness by the finger of God. Your faith must rest on the Word of God! Don’t look at your situation through the lens of your ability but through the truth of His Word. Remember that your trust does not rest in your understanding but in the character of God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, completely good, altogether faithful, and full of love and mercy! Let your hope arise for breakthrough in every area of your life, whether it’s something you’ve dealt with for two days or twenty years. God is not limited and He is waiting for us to believe Him for the impossible!
Luke 13:10-17 tells the story of a woman with a “disabling” spirit. It says,
‘Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.’
This is a beautiful story on the surface alone. A woman who had suffered for almost two decades was healed in front of the whole community who had likely treated her as an outcast. She is the only woman in the Bible Jesus called a “daughter of Abraham,” which would have affirmed her identity in their society.
I have been thinking this week about how easy it was for Jesus to heal this woman. He caused great controversy with the religious leader because He healed on the Sabbath and His response is fascinating. He asks the leader of the synagogue if he would “untie” his ox or donkey on the Sabbath, which is the same Greek word He used for “loosing” or “untying” the woman who was disabled. It was as easy for Jesus to untie this woman from bondage as it would have been for the man to untie his animal and give it a drink of water. Jesus challenged the religious theology that healing was “work” that broke the Sabbath law. However, healing wasn’t work for Jesus and it still isn’t! Just the power of His touch brought healing. His presence alone caused darkness to tremble. The sound of His voice drove out demons.
We will struggle in our faith if we believe healing is as difficult for God as it would be for us. That may sound obvious, but how often do we allow things to hinder our faith that have nothing to do with God and everything to do with us? The things that hinder you don’t hinder God. Time is a good example. This woman had been bound for eighteen long years. There are countless miracles in the Word of God where a long-lasting infirmity was healed. The woman with the issue of blood had spent every penny she had for twelve years trying to be healed (Luke 8). Jesus healed a man born blind (John 9). The man healed at the Gate Beautiful had been a cripple for forty years (Acts 3). It is not easier for God to heal you if you’ve been sick for a year rather than fifty. God can set you free from fear and anxiety even if you’ve had it for a lifetime. God can heal a marriage that’s been broken for decades. He’s not bound by time, and we can’t allow our faith to be shaken by it.
Matthew 8:16-17 says,
‘That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”’
The word for illnesses there is the same Greek word for the disabling spirit that afflicted the woman for eighteen years.
Jesus bore every disabling thing, and that isn’t just physical.
Luke 11:20 says,
“But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Jesus didn’t come to struggle and fight against darkness. You never see any point in the Bible that God had a hard time healing or delivering someone. It’s so easy for God to heal, to deliver, and to provide. He has more than enough provision in heaven for every need on this earth.
When Sarah doubted that she could have a child in her old age, God didn’t explain to her how He would do it. He responded, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
The answer is no.
If you have a situation of any kind that seems impossible, you’re perfectly positioned for a miracle. God is not bound by time and it’s not harder for Him to move in more difficult situations. The answer is not in knowing how God can fix it but understanding that He can and it is His good pleasure to do it (Luke 12:32)! He is the God of all flesh and Jesus came to destroy darkness by the finger of God. Your faith must rest on the Word of God! Don’t look at your situation through the lens of your ability but through the truth of His Word. Remember that your trust does not rest in your understanding but in the character of God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, completely good, altogether faithful, and full of love and mercy! Let your hope arise for breakthrough in every area of your life, whether it’s something you’ve dealt with for two days or twenty years. God is not limited and He is waiting for us to believe Him for the impossible!
No Comments