Vision: A Simple Instruction
21st February 2014
I saw a collage of housing estates, offices, public places from around the world. The inhabitants were going about their daily lives. Every group I saw lived in different time zones.
As they spent their day doing many of the meaningless routines that they had accumulated through the course of their religious lives, the people heard a Voice.
“Roll up your sleeves”.
Barely had that simple instruction been given, that these people world over were in an uproar. I heard protests rise from every direction.
I saw a woman, shuffling her feet as she moved stiffly about her home. “I haven’t told you this, but Lord, much has changed since I last spoke to you five years ago. Both my elbows are stiff and I cannot move them. Sorry, no can do…… can’t roll up my sleeves”.
“Lord, I've aged since we last talked years ago. I’m too old to be rolling up my sleeves. That’s for youngsters”, muttered a pajama-clad man.
Though these people were in different parts of the world, in varied circumstances, all had one disability in common, none could lift their arms. A few were more severely handicapped than others.
When they heard the instruction, “roll up your sleeves”, they all laughed bitterly.
They launched a tirade against God.
All around people with limp arms were asking the same questions.
“Lord, where were You when my arms went limp? Why could you not prevent it? Where were You when……………….how…. …….why…………………and now You've given this instruction for the third time……..why?
Suddenly, the people heard themselves speaking. It was as if a tape recorder were playing back their rants.
After these people heard their own outrage and excuses, they bowed their heads. There was utter silence.
They understood that their tongues had spoken from what was abundant in their hearts.
Their hearts had been revealed.
They recalled what had happened; their arms were not hanging limp because of their faith in God, but because a long time ago they had given in to fear and panic and that had near paralyzed their limbs.
With their hearts brimming with mounting dread, they feared to go anywhere, do anything, or even speak to anyone new. Fear and suspicion had laid siege to their lives.
The enemy, who had tricked them into such dread, knew that armless, these people were harmless! The near paralysis of their arms had caused these folks to become so demoralized that they had allowed the rest of their able-bodies to slip into inactivity.
The enemy was pleased as long as their hands did not lift to do anything they were called to do, and without visible fetters, they remained tied to his will.
Feelings of mistrust, misgivings, doubt, fear, terror, fright, and all things dark and dismal had blockaded their lives. They drank from the wells of bitterness, and anger, frustration, resentment; fear and panic, had cordoned them off from the rest of mankind. They blamed people; they blamed everything and everyone. And most of all they blamed God.
As the people heard their own voices, as a tape-recorder, repeating back what they had said to the Lord, they could not hold back their tears.
They heard their own bitter resentment. They could see that their condition was self-inflicted, self-perpetuated.
A simple instruction had caused their hearts to be revealed.
Now that they could see, their minds were changed, and faith rose in their hearts.
After years of inactivity, these arms moved miraculously as the people obeyed the simple instruction and rolled up their sleeves; immediately thereafter their arms lifted and waved in praise of their King, and then they were stretched on the ground, as they lay prostrate on the floor, in awe of all that the Lord had done.
Micah 7:15
According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.
Bombay-India
Swarna Jha
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