"Be Healed!"

Healing is a controversial topic among Christians today. I often wonder why there is so much division over the subject of Biblical healing.  I suppose that it would be wonderful if God just healed everyone... but then I wonder what it would really accomplish? If everyone were healed we would lose one of the most powerful opportunities we have to grow in our dependence on Him.

True Biblical healing was never to rid the world of the pain of sickness, disease or dispare.  Biblical healing always took place to identify the healer with the source of healing who is God.  Jesus healed to confirm that He was truly the Messiah.  In John 9:1-5 Jesus was asked by His disciples "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." This healing drew attention to the Savior. 

There were many who were healed by Jesus and many who were not healed.  In Acts 3:1-10 we find a man who was lame since birth and had to be taken to a place outside the Beautiful Gate of the Temple each day where he begged for money.  How many times did Jesus walk by this lame man and not heal him? How many times did Peter and John walk by him and not heal him.  It wasn't until the man called to Peter and John and asked for money that the opportunity for healing too place.  It was through the healing that the man's attention and praise was lifted up toward the Lord and the opportunity for Peter to bring another message to the religious leaders was set up. We also learn that physical healing is not as important as spiritual healing, healing of the sin sickness we all have that separates us from our Creator.  It is through faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood that we are healed of the consequences of our sin sickness and brought into a right relationship with the Father. Physical sickness is temporary, spiritual sin sickness is eternal and can only be cured through faith in the Great Physician Jesus Christ.

Does God heal today... certainly! God heals in His time, in His way for His purpose and not at the whim or command of His children who have a tendency to totally miss the fact that sickness and illness can be the very thing that draws someone to Jesus.

I have known many strong believers in Christ who had been tremendous witnesses for Jesus while undergoing treatments for things like MS and cancer. Their strong faith touched the lives of many doctors and nurses and health care workers who literally saw God's hand at work in their patients to bring healing as well as peaceful death. They witnessed the power of God through the witness of His children who continued to be His witnesses even to the end.

God does have a purpose in sickness and disease; He does have a plan in both healing and in suffering.  It's really all about Him isn't it?

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

May the Lord bless you,

PJ