The Bible says: ‘There was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity”’ (vv. 11-12 NKJV). Notice four things in this story: the person, the problem, the Great Physician, and the prescription. For every person, including you, there will be a problem. But more importantly, for every problem, including yours, the Great Physician has a prescription. Jesus’ opening statement to the problem in this woman’s life is not a recommendation for counselling – it’s a challenging command: ‘You are loosed!’ Christian counsellors are a gift from God, but often more is involved in maintaining deliverance than just discussing past trauma. Jesus didn’t counsel what should have been commanded. After you have analysed the condition and understood its origin, it will take the authority of God’s Word to put the past under your feet! This woman was suffering as the result of something that had attacked her eighteen years earlier, yet her trauma was as fresh that day as it was the day it occurred. But while her problem was rooted in the past, her prescription could only be found in a present word from God. Jesus, who is the Living Word, is ‘the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). That is to say, the word you are hearing today is able to heal your yesterday! Jesus said, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ Why didn’t Jesus call her by name? Because His promise applies to all of us.
