A Situation, A Spirit And A Saviour

“A Situation, A Spirit And A Savior”

H Lee Clay

The word or term “situation” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as meaning, “The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs; A critical, problematic,or striking set of circumstances.”

Everyone one of us, from the oldest to the youngest; every one of us, from the wealthiest to the poorest; every one of us, from the least educated to the most educated, has experienced a season of “problematic situation" or a given moment that we were caught up in a combination of circumstances that had ushered our souls into a regrettable state of affairs”.

The Word of God declares that “a man born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble”. And trouble is always on the prowl. You never have to look for trouble to find it because trouble will always eventually find you.

In our text we find a woman who has been afflicted by a situation that has lasted for some 18 years. For 18 years she has suffered; for 18 years she has lived under the burden of a situation that has bruised her body, battered her mind and bewildered her soul.

For 18 years she has daily been afflicted by a “A critical, problematic, and striking set of circumstances.” How many of you know that problems and trouble can hang out with you and burden you for years and burden your life to a point where the burden can bend you over and eventually break the back of your peace and your will and can mess up your mind?

This woman could be like someone that you know or have known; she could even be like you. If the truth be told every single one of us in this room has and may still be in a season of struggle that instead of getting better things are getting worse and it’s bending and breaking your peace.

You can’t eat, you can bearly sleep. You have new acquaintances that you really know aren’t good for you but you feel like you need them around to cope with your pain. You know,Jimmy Bean, Johnny Walker Red and his cousin Johnny Walker Black. Ronnie Bacardi;Mr. Vodka & Orange. Miller, Buddy Weiser.

Mic E Lobe or maybe Dr. Gin & Tonic.

Or how about Mary J Juana, Prozac, Valium and a host of other friends that help you to temporarily escape from the reality of your pain. But the problem is that when you sober up you are still broken, battered, bruised and bent over. This woman is in trouble and trouble has been a horrific and horrendous factor in her life for the last 18 years.

There are three major characters in this story. These characters are the person, the problem and the prescription. It is important to remember that for every person, there will be a problem, but our God has a prescription!

Jesus’ opening statement to the problem in this woman’s life is not a recommendation for counseling. It is instead a challenging command. We have been introduced to the person and her “situation” .

Now let’s look at “the problem”. Her problem did not begin suddenly. It had existed in her life for 18 years. There is something that she has experienced in her past that continues to haunt her in her present and according to the text released “a spirit of infirmity” that has plagued her life for all of these years.

The term “infirmity” is defined as, “A condition or disease producing weakness.” And also as, “A failing or defect in a person’s character.”

The heartache, heartbreak, depression, devastation, desperation that often leads to behavioral deviations are typically introduced into our life experience by what the text refers to as “a spirit of infirmity.

And that demon can not only affect your life but infect your mind to a point as to wear it brings with it “A condition or disease producing weakness and a failing or defect in a person’s character”.

Look at this woman. For the last 18 years of her life she’s been defeated in her purpose.She may be suffering from the low self esteem that has afflicted so many that have been afflicted by the ghost of their past psychological and emotional trauma that has damaged them. She has fallen and this spirit has convinced her that she can’t get up.

Have you ever been there? She’s the victim of past abuse and she is still hurting because the sores in her spirit have become the scabs in her soul that are a constant reminder of the regrettable treatment that she has suffered at the hand of someone that she trusted.

Perhaps she was raped by her father, or her Momma’s boyfriend or turned out by her lover or rejected by someone that she needed to be there for her. Have you ever been there when the very one that you believed would be there for you was the one that instead of blessing your heart betrayed you?