She was utterly unable to straighten herself or to look upward. The sickness that she suffered caused her body to be bent double so that her natural view was to the ground. Her deformity was in fact grotesque and known to all who saw her.

The story continues…….  Luke 13 10-17

Verse 10 & 16a

9       And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all

15    “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years…

A woman was there in the place of worship that day.  There must have been lots of women and men as well.  We do not know her name but we know a few things about her.

Jesus describes her as a daughter of Abraham.  She was one to whom Jesus was sent.  He came first to the lost sheep of Israel (Matt. 15:24) and few gentiles were the recipients of His ministry while he lived on earth.

She was a least 18 years old and had a sickness that was caused by a spirit.  Jesus said, Satan has bound her for 18 long years.  The word bound is used elsewhere to describe one who is chained, as a prisoner by bands that constrain and limit freedom of movement.

She was utterly unable to straighten herself or to look upward.  The sickness that she suffered caused her body to be bent double so that her natural view was to the ground.  Her deformity was in fact grotesque and known to all who saw her.

I do not like the idea that Satan can be the author of such a debilitating condition.  The idea that he could be allowed the freedom to inflict such misery is understood from the Bible in other passages.  The book of Job is the prime example.  It is interesting to note that her heritage and her attendance at worship did not insulate her from being the target of the evil one.

Some of us have troubling difficulties in our lives that are long standing problems…..  Situations that we are utterly unable to change.  Some things will not go away and in some cases we have decided that the only thing to do is ‘learn to live with it.’    Dare I suggest that the evil one has something to do with the duration of the problem that has bound you, giving you a downward view of everything in your life.  Some things we have to live with, make looking upward impossible.  Sometimes we cannot straighten out the situation or our involvement in the problem, and the feeling that we are bound like a prisoner is warranted by the reality of our lives.

Lord,  You know exactly what Satan has done to bind my life, causing me to see and understand everything around me from a downward perspective.  I am only able to see what I see and to live within the realities of my own circumstances.
But I will continue to place myself among the people of God, in the Church of Jesus Christ, as Your precious daughter.  I will be ready, when you choose to notice me among the crowd and single me out for a special work of healing.
I affirm Your preeminence over all the powers of Satan and over every manifestation of his work among us.  You came to destroy his works, even those works that have caused long standing, very real difficulty in the lives of Your own people who are called by Your name.
I wait upon You, master designer of my life, for the freedom that is coming from Your words and Your touch.   Amen