A Spiritual Ultrasound

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or several weeks in the fall of 2013, I had been nursing a bum leg.  I’m not sure how I injured it but according to the doctor’s initial diagnosis it seemed I had torn a muscle, a tendon or both.  Not being able to tell from the outside what the problem was on the inside, my doctor ordered a series of tests to determine the extent of the injury and the best course of treatment. 

So I went to the hospital for an ultrasound of my right leg.  This test would reveal the soft tissue and underlying structures of my leg and would also indicate the presence of a blood clot which we hoped we wouldn’t find.  The test did show some damage to the leg but no blood clot. 

As I lay there, the technician and I chatted and she explained the procedure.  What amazed me about the ultrasound was its ability to use sounds I could not hear to reveal problem areas deep within my leg.  How it did this was beyond me but when it became apparent there was no blood clot in my leg, I was eternally grateful for what I could not hear. 

As I think about that test, the words of Romans 8:26 come immediately to mind.   Although neither the technology nor the idea for the ultrasound existed in Paul’s day, he described its function with chilling accuracy. However, Paul was not discussing physical ailments, rather, he was describing an ultrasound of the soul with the Holy Spirit as the both the technician and the physician. 

Romans 8:26 simply states, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  The concept of the ultrasound is here in all its implications.  The Holy Spirit speaks on our behalf with words and groanings that are beyond sound, which is what ultrasound means. He searches the deep areas of our hearts and our souls, locating our needs and exposing our areas of difficulty in a way that only God understands. 

Based on the results from the ultrasound, my doctor ordered more tests and we located the problem.  Deep within my knee, a torn ligament was the root of the problem.  Without that ultrasound and the problems it uncovered, I would have had no answers and no solutions. 

Today he Holy Spirit is performing ultrasound tests.  You don’t need an appointment, you just need to lie on the table and ask him to examine you.  He will locate the very source of your needs and will identify the areas of your life that need attention.  Won’t you let him examine your heart today?