Before we pray, let's first take a moment to listen to God's word and then we'll pray together. The Bible tells us something so tender, so powerful in Luke 13 10-13. One Sabbath day, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues.
There was a woman there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for 18 long years. She was completely bent over and could not stand up straight at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.
" Then he placed his hands on her and immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. The Bible says she couldn't straighten up at all. Imagine that.
For 18 years, this woman lived her days bent over. Her view limited to the dust of the earth. Her body weighed down by something far greater than just physical pain.
She could not lift her eyes to the bright blue sky. She could not meet the gaze of those she loved. She could not be embraced fully, could not be held closely.
Her whole world tilted downward. And with every passing day, hope must have felt a little more distant. 18 years.
Think about how long that is. 6,570 days, waking up with the same struggle, the same heaviness, the same reality. And yet, she still found herself in the synagogue that day, present before God.
She could have given up. She could have resigned herself to bitterness or despair, but somehow her spirit still reached out to something beyond her pain. And I believe her physical condition speaks to something deeper that so many of us experience, though it's invisible to the eye.
Maybe you're not physically bent over, but inside your soul feels crushed under a weight you can't shake off. Maybe your heart feels hunched beneath burdens you were never meant to carry. Maybe you feel like you can't lift your head to see the future with hope.
Maybe you look around and wonder if anyone even notices what you're going through. You may feel like all you need desperately is just one thing. To be embraced, to be seen, to be acknowledged, to know that you're not invisible.
But here's the part of this story that moves me most deeply. Before Jesus ever spoke a word to her, before he performed a miracle, before he called her forward, he saw her. Jesus saw her.
God saw her. True love looked straight into her hidden pain. Divine compassion leaned in close.
And in that instant before the healing, before the standing up straight, she was already seen, already loved, already chosen. And friend, today, that's the word I feel led to leave with you. Jesus sees you right where you are.
Right in the middle of the weight you're carrying. Right in the loneliness that keeps you awake at night. Right in the fears that no one else knows about.
Even when you feel invisible to the world, even when the crowd moves on and no one notices your bent over heart, Jesus sees you right where you are. Right in the middle of the weight you're carrying. Right in the loneliness that keeps you awake at night.
Right in the fears that no one else knows about. Even when you feel invisible to the world. Even when the crowd moves on and no one notices your bent over heart.
Jesus sees you. He sees the loneliness you hide behind a polite smile. He sees the burdens you carry quietly, the ones you're too exhausted to explain.
He sees the wounds that haven't healed yet, the betrayals, the disappointments, the moments you felt abandoned by the ones you trusted most. He sees the dreams that feel buried under years of waiting. He sees the moments you whisper, "God, do you see me at all?
" And the answer is, "Yes, beloved. " He sees you. Not with judgment, not with frustration, but with love, with compassion beyond anything this world can offer.
And just as he did for that woman so long ago, Jesus is ready even now to reach out his hand toward you. He's ready to call you forward. He's ready to place his hands upon your life and speak freedom into places that have been bound for far too long.
He doesn't demand that you straighten yourself up before coming to him. He doesn't wait for you to fix yourself. No, he meets you while you are still bent low.
And it is his touch, his voice, his love that does the lifting. Today, hear his call to you. Come closer.
Let him lift the burdens from your shoulders. Let him straighten what has been crooked. Let him breathe hope back into your weary spirit.
You don't have to live bowed down by fear, by sorrow, by shame, by guilt, or by hopelessness any longer. His word says in Psalm 3:3, "But you, oh Lord, are a shield around me, my glory and the lifter of my head. " Even now, even here, even in the middle of the uncertainty and the waiting, Jesus is working everything out for your good.
He is setting things in motion that you cannot yet see. He is fighting battles you don't even know are there. His eyes are never off you.
His hands are never too short to save. His heart is never too far to hear your cry. And the one who sees you will lift you up just like he lifted that woman so many years ago.
Jesus sees you and he is not finished with your story yet. Now let's take a moment to pray together. Dear Jesus, thank you for your word.
Thank you for speaking life into places inside me that I thought were forgotten. Thank you for reminding me that even when I feel invisible to the world, I am never hidden from your sight. You see me.
You notice me. You care about the smallest aches and the heaviest cries of my heart. Thank you for seeing beyond the surface.
Thank you for seeing the places I try to hide, the fears, the doubts, the loneliness, and loving me still. You don't turn away when you see my weakness. You don't withdraw when you see my struggles.
Instead, you draw closer with eyes full of compassion. Father, I join my heart with everyone listening right now. Together we cry out to you.
We need you, Lord. Please, Jesus, look upon us with your mercy. See us in our frailty.
See us in our exhaustion. See the silent battles we are too weary to explain. Hear the prayers we pray in the secret corners of our hearts.
The prayers drenched in tears. The prayers that feel too fragile to speak aloud. I praise you, Jesus, because you don't just see the surface.
You see the soul. You see the late night worries that keep us awake. You see the moments we pretend to be strong when we're breaking inside.
And you are not repelled by our mess. You are moved by it. You are drawn to the brokenhearted.
You come running to those crushed in spirit. Lord, I long for your eyes upon every part of my life. I long for your eyes to fall upon my family, upon the dreams I carry, upon the fears I wrestle with in the quiet hours.
Because when you look at me, you don't see failure. When you see me, you don't see someone too far gone. When you see me, you see your beloved child.
You see the one you chose before the foundation of the world. You see the one you called by name, the one you knit together with purpose and love. And just like you saw and lifted the woman bent over for 18 long years in Luke 13, I believe you can lift me, too.
You can lift every person kneeling under the weight of unseen battles. You can lift us out of despair, out of disappointment, out of the deep wells of loneliness and fear. You can breathe life into dry bones and joy into mourning hearts.
So today I speak the numbers 6 24- 26 over my life and over everyone praying alongside me. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Let this blessing be my daily reality. Let your face, Jesus, shine upon me in every sunrise and every sunset.
Let your kindness be the light that leads my path. Let your favor wrap around my life like a shield. And let your peace fill my mind, my home, and my heart until I overflow with hope.
Jesus, I need your gaze. I need your love that doesn't grow weary. I need your mercy that never runs dry.
I need your patience that never gives up on me. So I run, not walk, into your arms. I come as I am, broken, bruised, worn out, and I collapse into the strength of your embrace.
Just as Psalm 40:2 says, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. You are the one who lifts us out of the places where we've been stuck.
You are the one who speaks life into dead dreams. You are the one who takes trembling hearts and strengthens them with courage. And in your arms, Lord, I can finally stand again.
I stand with hope in my heart. I stand with courage in my spirit. I stand and declare, I am seen.
I am known. I am loved. Thank you, Jesus, that even when the world overlooks me, you never do.
When friends fall away, when recognition fades, when life feels lonely, you stay. When weariness makes me want to give up, you whisper fresh strength into my soul. You lift my head.
You lift my eyes. You lift my heart. Today, Lord, I lay down every heavy burden I've been dragging behind me.
I lay down the fears that keep whispering that I'm not enough. I lay down the sadness that weighs heavy in my chest. I lay down the shame that tries to steal my worth.
I surrender it all at your feet because you are more than able to carry what is too heavy for me. Your love is the healing balm for my wounded heart. Your love is the safe place where shame is washed away.
Your love is the anchor that holds me steady when everything else shakes. Your love restores what was lost, revives what was dying, and makes me whole again. And so even now, even before I see every answer, I lift my voice and praise you.
I praise you, King Jesus. You loved me fully, knowing every flaw, every sin, every weakness, and still you chose to call me yours. You chose to leave heaven to rescue me.
You chose to endure the cross so that I could live forever in your embrace. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for a love so pure, so deep, so unbreakable.
Thank you for seeing me, for knowing me, and still loving me. I bless your holy, wonderful, powerful name now and forever. In your glorious and precious name I pray.
Amen. If this prayer has touched your heart, please type amen as a sign of faith. I pray that every blessing in this prayer is now upon you in the name of Jesus.
And if you need a special prayer, feel free to let us know in the comments. We would be honored to pray for you. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
