Hey everybody, welcome to the podcast, I’m Nick and it’s an honor to be here with you today.
Today is August 28.
Each day, we follow a simple rhythm: Slow Down, Read, Notice, Reread, Meditate, Respond, and Exercise.
Let’s begin.

Slow Down

Jesus is here.
He’s sitting in your favorite spot, waiting for you to join Him.
You have a million things on your mind that need your attention, but right now it’s time to be with Jesus.
Set those things aside, relax, and calm your body.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, then slowly release it.
As you inhale, whisper: “Jesus, I don’t want to miss the healing.”
As you exhale, pray: “I am available any day of the week.”
Do this three times, then rest in His presence.

Read

One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!
But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”
This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.
(Luke 13:10–17, NLT)

Notice

What stands out to you in this passage?
Is there a word or phrase that catches your attention?
Hold it in your heart for a moment.

Reread

Hear this passage again — and notice how Jesus sees the woman before anyone else does.

Meditate

Eighteen years.
She had been bent double for eighteen years. Unable to stand straight. Unable to look up. Carrying this burden every single day — in the synagogue, in the marketplace, in her home. Eighteen years of limitation. Eighteen years of pain.
And Jesus sees her.
Not the synagogue leader. Not the crowd. Jesus. He calls her over. He speaks directly to her — "Dear woman." Not a case study. Not an interruption to His teaching. A person. A daughter of Abraham. Someone He knows by name.
And He heals her. Instantly. Completely.
And she stands up straight and praises God.
But the synagogue leader is indignant. Not moved. Not amazed. Indignant. Because it happened on the wrong day.
He turns to the crowd — not even to Jesus — and lectures them about the six days available for healing. As if this woman's eighteen years of suffering should have waited one more day for the sake of a rule.
Jesus calls it what it is: hypocrisy. You untie your animals on the Sabbath to give them water. But this woman — a daughter of Abraham, bound by Satan for eighteen years — she should wait?
The synagogue leader had a system. A schedule. A set of rules that told him when God was allowed to work. And when God showed up outside those boundaries, he couldn't see the miracle for the rule violation.
Here's the question this passage raises: Are we doing the same thing? Have we built systems and expectations around how and when God is allowed to move — and then missed the miracle because it didn't fit our schedule?
God doesn't ask permission. He doesn't check our calendar. He shows up when He shows up. And the only question is whether we'll be open enough to receive what He's doing — or so locked into our expectations that we miss it entirely.
Take a few moments to sit with this question:
Where have I been putting God in a box — telling Him when and how He's allowed to work in my life?

Respond

Jesus, I don't want to miss what You're doing because it doesn't fit my expectations. Help me to stay open — available any day, any hour, any way You choose to move. And help me to see the people around me the way You saw that woman — not as interruptions, but as people worth stopping for.

Exercise

The rush of life will meet you again when you leave this sacred place—but you can carry this moment into your day by forming new habits.
Habit: Stay Open
Today's habit is an act of holy availability: identify one way you've been putting God in a box and release it today.
Write it down. Be specific.
Then ask yourself: Have I been more like the synagogue leader — focused on the rules and the schedule — or more like the woman who simply received what Jesus offered?
Bring it to Jesus and pray: "Jesus, I've been putting You in a box. I've been expecting You to work through _________________, on _________________, in the way I've decided makes sense. But You healed a woman on the Sabbath. You work outside my expectations. Help me to stay open. Help me to be available — any day, any hour, any way You choose. I don't want to miss the miracle because I was looking for something else."

I have two asks of you before you go, could you please share this podcast with one person today and check out the review of this podcast on Elevate Society?
That’s your two minutes with Jesus for today.
Now, take what you’ve heard…share it and live it.
Until next time, keep slowing down, keep listening, and keep walking with Jesus.