She Knelt In Silence

She knelt in silence, and sorrow, in a solitary pose. Quietly still, with her head bowed, face solemn, and eyes closed, she prayed the prayer of a hundred years. The ground was not plush, nor was it soft. Beneath her knees stones were sharp, misshapen pebbles, cutting deep, like a knife. Each one a wound needing to be healed. A hurt, a past harm, a part of her life that brought her to this very place.

The crowd looked on. Day after day, they watched as she knelt in silence and solitude. Any other time they would have insisted she be moved, but this time they felt it. Something was different. Each tried to help in their own way, urging her to rise and take a chair. They pleaded with her, but still, she knelt in silence, eyes closed, whispering to herself.

Others tried to bring her water. ‘Come, please drink. You need to drink.’ Try as they might, she would not budge. They were at a loss of what to do so they carried on with their business.

She heard the whispers and felt their stares. They thought she had lost her mind. In truth, she found it, embedded in her sorrowful heart, a heart which led her here.

She tried hard not to move and cause the stones to embed themselves further in her flesh. She was long past surface pain. Her legs were beyond sore, numb and weak. She knew they meant her well, yet she must remain and pray, lest evil find her and sow another seed.

Day after day, they found her in the same place. Always kneeling, with eyes closed, on the sharp stony ground. No one knew what it was that she waited for or why she knelt there. Eventually, they gave up and let her be.

He came in the morning, and all gathered around, wanting something, for nothing as she knelt on the ground. They ignored her now, almost forgetting, but He did not, could not. She was the reason He came.

He hardly noticed the bystanders and walked straight to her, the woman who knelt with knees bleeding. So strong and so sure, and yet, so sad. It touched His heart deeply, and He smiled.

‘Child, open your eyes and rise.’ She did as He requested, but her legs would no longer support her. Stumbling, she fell, reaching out for His hand. He held it and lowered her gently to the ground.

Looking around, He spied a youngster. ‘Fetch her a chair, hurry.’ He then motioned to another, ‘Bring a cloth and warm water.’ The people crowded around to see what was happening, but He ignored them.

He proceeded to lift her and help her to sit. He then quietly knelt

and softly, with love, cleansed her wounds. The crowd did not understand. ‘Why do you tend her so? Are you her brother?’ He did not reply and continued tending her.

The crowd continued to stand and watch as He carefully washed

the pain and hurt away, scars and gashes fading, making skin like new. It was beyond what they could understand. Murmurs floated through the air as He continued to cleanse the wounds and heal the flesh.

She tried to stop Him, ‘I am not worthy, please don’t.’ She began to cry. ‘Weep not, my child. Your faith has redeemed you. Though you were in pain, you continued to pray and wait for me.’

‘I am a sinner, not worthy of you to wash and tend me. All I ask is forgiveness, yet you give that and so much more. Thank you, thank you.’ Leaning over, she hugged Him, and He gladly and freely returned the embrace.

Turning to the crowd, He said, ‘This woman is healed because she believed, not that I would take care of her surface wounds, but rather the ones inside her heart and soul. Take notice, for hers is an example of great faith and penance.

When He was done, He stood and bade her to do the same. Raising His voice so the crowd could hear, he said, ‘You are forgiven. Go in peace and sin no more, my child.’

She hugged and thanked Him again and then turned. The crowd watched her go for only a second, but when they turned, the healer was gone, vanished without a trace. This left many puzzling who he was, this man who performed miracles and forgave sin. They’d all heard and read the stories of how Jesus healed His people, but that time was long gone. Wasn’t it?

A voice floated through the air, ‘I am always with you, for I am the way when you are lost, the truth that reveals the lies, and the light in a dark world. Come, follow me.’

Get ready. Messages from above are coming.