Imagine how difficult it can be for a depressed person to interact with...
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"Helping to Heal"
September 17, 2017
Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.
~ Jeremiah 33:6 (ESV)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Imagine how difficult it can be for a depressed person to interact with others.
Now imagine how much worse things would be if that depressed person was suffering several illnesses which kept them isolated, alone, and feeling like an outsider. That is what Ana and María feel every day. Ana and María are a mother and daughter who are living a solitary lifestyle, with almost no friends or family.
They said, "Our isolation started when we became sick with one illness after another. Soon our only companions were doctors and nurses. It all happened so very gradually."
After some years immersed in this hermit lifestyle, Ana and María were afraid to leave their home, and with the exception of seeing physicians at the hospital, they were terrified of talking and interacting with other people.
María explained when she told us, "I was afraid people would mock me and that single thought made me anxious." Even so, when María saw the Lutheran Hour Ministries' posters promoting our brochures for depression and anxiety, she plucked up the courage to speak with us, and requested our brochures.
In our initial visits, she hardly spoke. After trust was established, she told us her story.
In order to distract them from the past and to encourage healthy social relations, our staff tried to help them and integrate them into talks, meetings with women, Christmas events, and activities. It was our hope that we would, in this way, break the hermetic circle of the solitude which had surrounded them.
Through the reading of the Word, Ana and María have been saved by the Savior who not only has forgiven their past sins, He also has blessed them with strength and encouragement.
Today, both mother and daughter are faithful volunteers at our headquarters. As they work at increasingly difficult tasks, we rejoice that the Holy Spirit has changed their eternities and their present lives. We are glad because Ana and María feel more up, thankful, and happier because they now see their lives as wonderful gifts from God.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we ask that through Your immense power, health will be given to the sick and comfort offered to the afflicted. May You, with Your immense love, remove all sin, suffering, and pain from their bodies and punishment from their souls. May they then, liberated by Your love, offer unending thanks to their Redeemer. This we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Carolina Delgado who is an English teacher and a webmaster and became involved as a volunteer with Lutheran Hour Ministries-Chile ten years ago. Today she primarily works as the social media manager at LHM-Chile.
Known in Chile as Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones-Chile, LHM has a ministry office in Santiago, from which it conducts evangelistic and outreach activities throughout the country. One strategy has been to sponsor workshops, or talleres -- which are led by volunteers -- music workshops, conferences, lectures, English classes, and even a class to learn German! This ministry center also uses brochures about social topics.
In this South American country of nearly 18 million people, LHM-Chile serves as the primary evangelism partner of the new Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chile (IELCHI). Conducting Equipping the Saints (ETS) workshops and distributing outreach literature and topical booklets in places like public health clinics, this ministry center works in conjunction with affiliated IELCHI congregations and mission starts. Additional LHM-Chile activities include youth music programs, elder care programs, holistic women's workshops, and drug abuse prevention programs.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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