and looking for God everywhere I go. There's hasn't been a dull moment yet.
I visited with a close friend this morning and we had quite an interesting chat about healing. Both of us believe very strongly in divine healing. Truly God can and does heal today! We have both seen it up close and personal. But over the years, we've also seen some not so legit healings take place. People say they're healed and then they're not. What's with that? That kind of ticks me off because I know all too well that My Lord is...
I believe there are many types of healing.
Salvation is a
spiritual healing and perhaps the greatest of them all. When Adam sinned in the garden, a separation took place. There was a tearing apart of the
Divine Partnership between God and mankind. Salvation is the healing of that partnership. The
Divine Partnership is restored and man is made whole and complete!
Physical healing is awesome! Blind eyes are opened! Deaf ears hear! Cancer is gone! The lame walk! What amazing miracles! One day, however, every one of us will die and face eternity. Those who die disconnected from Christ, (spiritually un-healed), will not enter the Kingdom of God. Their eternity will be a Godless one. Physical healings, emotional healings, inner healings... they are all good for the here and now, but they mean nothing in light of eternity. Whereas, salvation means everything in light of eternity. If you have to choose between the two... Salvation is best!
Regarding physical, emotional and inner healing... Over the years, I've observed healing take place in several ways. I've seen some people healed completely, right on the spot. Someone lays hands on them, prays for healing in Jesus' Name, and BOOM! It's done. They are truly healed and never the same again. I've also witnessed people progressively healed. Something happens at the time of prayer and it progresses over time to a full healing. Glory to God!
But what about those
"temporary" healings when people testify they are healed on the spot, and then their ailment returns. Or why is it that some people get prayed for but aren't healed at all?
There are 5 reasons that I can think of as to why this happens.
(1) The first point to note is that
God is God. He can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants and He doesn't have to explain any of it to us. His ways are not our ways and we often don't understand what He's doing and why! Case closed.
(2)
No Faith. Jesus healed many and commented that it was their FAITH that made them whole. He also noted that he visited places where people didn't believe and thereby He was unable to accomplish much due to their unbelief.
James 5:15 leads me to believe that sometimes it's the faith of the person praying for someone that results in healing. The fact is, whether it's the faith of the person praying or the faith of the person receiving, all that's needed is
"mustard seed" faith -- a tiny amount. (Matthew 17:20) So, why is that so difficult?
I've discussed this before, our culture is so abundantly blessed. There are doctors, programs and services readily available to most people. Unfortunately, with that blessing, we're cursed in the sense that we are out of the habit of turning to God for our healing needs. We're not desperate enough! We're not hungry for healing! You better believe that effects our faith.
The Bible also states that our faith is increased by the hearing of God's Word. (Romans 10:17) Who feasts on scripture these days? Some do, but not enough. We live in a day and age where the memorization of scripture is not on people's priority lists. I once read something by Billy Graham in which he said that he threw as much scripture as possible into his sermons because it powerfully stirred and increased people's faith. Hmmmm. There's something to consider when you think the minister has been preaching too long.
(3) Sometimes,
the devil robs people of their healing. (John 10:10)
"The theif comes to steal, kill and destroy." They are healed on the spot. They run around the church, raise their hands in the air and glorify God. Then, a few days later, they are limping around, and before long, they are off their feet entirely.
We've talked frequently of the devil and his lies. So often he blasts people with negativity and words like,
"You're not really healed! -- See, it still hurts! -- You're just pretending! -- Stop being foolish! Don't walk it out. Don't throw away your cane! Don't stop taking the medicine. The doctor says different. Who are you going to believe? The doctor with all his degrees? or some church person? See, you're only half healed. It's not real. You're just fooling yourself." The list goes on and on.
That devil's talked many a healed
individual back into sickness and bondage.
(4) Sometimes people want the healing, but
they don't want Jesus. I wonder if that effects healing?
"Hey God -- Thanks for the gift! -- See ya!" One time, years ago, I was praying at the altar on a Saturday night and I saw a vision of a man coming into the church with a walker. I knew it was God's will to heal the man. The next day -- Sunday -- that exact man walked into the church with a walker and we prayed for him. He was healed. The next week, he came into the church with a cane. The following week, He was walking just holding the arm of his companion. Finally he came in walking totally on his own. Healed!!!
After several months, I didn't see the man in church anymore. I inquired of the pastor as to what happened. He told me that there were many things that the man was involved in that were not right and that the man wasn't willing to yield his life to God. He wanted the healing, but he didn't want Jesus! As He drew away from God, his body went back to the way it had been. Just something to think about.
(5)
Practice makes perfect. The Bible exhorts all of us to lay our hands on the sick and believe for healing, yet all are not healed. Why? I do not know, but I do believe that God continually gives people the opportunity to practice praying for people so that they are ready for specific appointed times of healing.
I heard a testimony recently by a minister whom God used to raise a child from the dead. Years earlier, The Lord told the man he was going to use him that way. With that calling, the man took every occasion he could to lay hands on the dead to see them raised. He would go to funeral homes and morgues, lay hands on the dead, and call life back into them. Nothing ever happened. Okay... I know that sounds totally crazy, but what would you do if God had convinced you of such a thing?
Then one day, the man was on a missions trip, I believe in Africa. Unbeknownst to him, there was a woman traveling many, many miles to get to the conference he was speaking at. On the way there, her baby died. It was a shorter distance to the conference than to return home, so she continued walking to the conference. By the time she arrived, the baby's body was already decomposing. She brought the baby to the altar and laid it at the man's feet. He picked up the body and prayed life back into it. The baby began to breathe and new skin miraculously grew on the baby's body. Yup -- there was a reason for all that practicing.
Last week, God told me in prayer that He was going to use me to heal people. Then he told me to go visit my friend Jim in the hospital. I prayed for Jim. He didn't jump out of the bed healed, but after a few days he was better and went home. That doesn't bother me. I did what God told me to do. He's the one who heals and He does it anyway he chooses and on His time frame. Perhaps I am practicing?
"I am the LORD, who heals you."
Exodus 15:26
My friend and I finished our chat and went our separate ways. We certainly didn't figure out everything there is to know about healing, but we did agree on this: We know God can and does heal. Sometimes people don't get healed. And sometimes things can look pretty strange and appear somewhat confusing. Even so... neither of us is willing to throw out the baby with the bath water.
We're going to continue to believe
that God heals whether or not we
totally understand the whole kit and kaboodle.
In RED shoes,
Gail
