S – As he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, ¹¹ a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit^, for over eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free of your disability.”

 Luke 13:10–12 CSB

O – “Saw” – ŏptŏmai:  to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable

 James Strong, The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

A – In freeing the woman of the disabling spirit, Jesus saw the woman.  How did he do that when she was bent over in the crowd?  She wouldn’t be with the men on the floor.  She would be in the balcony with the women.  The answer is Jesus was looking for her with intentionality.  He wanted to see her.  He sees us too.  In all of our good and bad, he is intently looking at us and the condition we are in spiritually and physically.  Since we know this, we should invite his presence instead of hiding from it.

R – Heavenly Father, you are omnipresent.  Thank you for being with us at all times.  Give us the resolve not to hide from you.  Instead, come to you in transparency and invite you to remove anything that would hinder our relationship with you.