Ephphatha!

“Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Be opened!” Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!” (Mark 7:34-35 NLT)

Last year, my husband and I were stuck in a traffic jam for over two hours. Some sort of accident up ahead blocked everything for miles. We couldn’t even see what was happening; all we could do was wait and hope that things would clear up eventually.

Most of us have experienced professional, financial, emotional, relational, and spiritual blockages. We get stuck in situations that seem to have no outlet. We can’t see what’s ahead, and we don’t know how long we will remain in this state of stagnation. This leads to confusion, frustration, and discouragement.

We fail to remember that we have a Lord who says: ‘Ephphatha--be opened.” He opens the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind. He opens our minds so that we may understand. He unblocks the path ahead and leads the way. Jesus also said that we may ask for anything in His name and He will do it (John 14:14). Thus, whenever we face any sort of obstruction, we can boldly pray:

Ephphatha--be opened! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.