Beneath the Veil no.2 1.23.13

Why Shout?

I was taking care of a friend and started to get symptoms of a cold. I couldn’t afford to have a cold, but the symptoms just kept getting worse and in my mind I was confessing, “I’ve got a cold!” I hadn’t said anything out loud yet and instantly I knew I needed to shout: “The Bible says, ‘By Jesus stripes I was healed,’ so I’m healed!” My cold symptoms were gone overnight.

Sometimes we need to shout louder than the voices in our head—drown them out with a shout of God’s word (the truth)! A shout takes us from the passive to the aggressive. More often than not, we need that.  

A great example is found in John 11 where Jesus shouted to Lazarus to come forth from the grave. He had all kinds of negative words and thoughts coming at Him. First of all the religious leaders were trying to shame Him in front of the people, so they could kill Him. Even Lazarus’ sisters were bothered by the fact that Jesus hadn’t come earlier, and they said so. It had been four days since he died and friends had gathered to grieve. What thoughts and ridicule must have been spoken when Jesus told them Lazarus was going to live?

Since the Bible tells us Jesus was tempted in every way that we’re tempted, His mind would have been bombarded by negative thoughts and words too. The cacophony of voices in the air was thick, raucous, confusing and full of discord. I’ve been in situations where I could almost audibly hear the negative thoughts people were thinking and I bet you’ve been in situations like that too.

Jesus put his faith in what God told Him and in the midst of the confusion He stood in front of the tomb and  He shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”  “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:43-44).

Jesus shouted and the life returned to Lazarus. I shouted and my good health returned to me.

Love you, Carolyn