What No One Else Can Claim

"They were utterly astonished, saying, 'He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak' " (Mark 7:37).

I am a flawed being. Born a sinner with a sinful nature, no one ever taught me to do wrong. I do that well enough on my own. Rebellion, greed, jealousy, lust, anger, lying, stealing and the like are the sinful struggles of my fallen flesh. Having been redeemed by Jesus Christ, I now have the ability to overcome these sins through the power of the Holy Spirit. But I still struggle and it is a constant reminder that I am flawed.

Recently as I spoke to middle and high school students, I stated that I believe the most difficult words for us to say are "I was wrong." Second to that would be the natural outflow of make the first admission. "I am sorry." We have a hard time with those six words. To admit the first (I was wrong), we admit that we are not perfect. We make mistakes. We don't always get it right. As a matter of fact, I may just get it wrong more than I get it right. Then to confess the second (I am sorry), we admit the impact of our failures, flaws and sinfulness. Our sin hurts, bruises, cuts and destroys. I don't know about anyone else, but I have difficulty admitting when I am wrong and then saying I am sorry for the damage or hurt I inflict when I was the one in the wrong.

But when you think about all of it, it simply reminds us again that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God views our best as filthy rags. No one can claim that he or she "does all things well." It's impossible. It's a lie to say so. But one man could claim it. He was the Son of Man.

In this passage in Mark, Jesus is again traveling through a region in which the people bring to Him the sick, the diseased and those in need. The man standing before the Son of God could not hear and spoke with an impediment. The people "implored" Jesus to lay His hand on the man. How about that? They simply wanted a touch. They simply needed a touch. I certainly pray for a touch from the Lord.

What Jesus did kind of grosses me out. He took the man aside from the crowd. Jesus was not looking to make a show. This wasn't the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He genuinely cared about this man. And when He had taken the man aside, Jesus placed His fingers in the man's ears. That doesn't gross me out. Then Jesus spit and wiped the saliva on the mute man's tongue. That sicks me out a bit. However, I then read how Jesus looked up to heaven to His Father and prayed, "Be opened!" Immediately, the man's ears were opened and the speech impediment was gone. He could hear! He could speak!

Jesus commanded the people at this point to tell no one. The more He ordered them to remain quiet about it, the more the they broad casted what had occurred. I think I would have done so as well. The people were astonished. They were not just impressed. It didn't cause them to go "Hmmm." What they witnessed that day was grounds to stand and to shout, "WOW! That's amazing!" At this site, the people said of Jesus, "He has done all things well..." That which no one else can claim, the people said of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

He can be trusted because He does all things well. We can hope in Him for He does all things well. There is no need to fear man or our enemy or our circumstances for the Lord our God does all things well. When the world looks at tragedy, trials or what appear as great injustices in the world and conclude that there must not be a God, we as believers know better. The sin of man and the effect of man's sin in the world does not reflect on the character of God. The fact that man still exists in spite of all the sin and its effects, to me, proves God exists and continues to sustain His creation. Regardless of all the ugliness of sin and its apparent free reign at times, God does all things well. He has done, continues to do and will forever do all things well.

I feel as though we were living Mark chapter 7 last week. Dr. Berman for some time has been concerned that Micah's bile ducts could be restricted and the bile unable to flow as it should. So on Thursday of last week Micah had a PTC Scan and a liver biopsy. We're still waiting for word on the biopsy results and hope for them to come today. But as for the PTC Scan, the radiologist injected contrast into the bile ducts and watched the flow through the liver and out of the liver. PRAISE THE LORD; the ducts are opened. Sometimes I am not even sure what to pray when I go into a procedure as such. So I pray for the Lord to accomplish what He desires and to use it for His glory. But I prayed there would be no restrictions in the ducts or any places closed off. I look at the results and I just cannot help but say that I believe Jesus Christ did it once again. He has allowed the ducts to remain open. Even at the place where the bile duct leading out of the liver connects to the intestines, there is no narrowing or restriction.

At this point the thought is that Micah's immune system is still too strong and therefore working against the liver. This would account for the high liver levels. The biopsy results should give a better understanding of whether an episode of rejection is taking place.

Though he was quite irritable and in pain for the rest of Thursday, Friday and part of the day on Saturday, Micah has returned to his "normal" self. He is eating well again, laughing, active and taking his place in the trio of little Buchanan boys.

Thank you for praying. Please continue to pray as we get the biopsy results. Pray God gives wisdom to doctors and continues to glorify Himself in and through us and this situation. We will return this Thursday for our weekly appointment to give blood and see the doctor. God is good and He does all things well.