"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing
songs of praise." (Jas 5:13, NIV2) In other words, in all things let us worship
our Heavenly Father. In trouble? Stop planning your own way out. Instead, pray!
After all, our Father has way more wisdom and power to get us through!
Are we joyful? If so, sing songs of praise with all your heart. Share this joy
with others and especially with our Father. After all, "Whatever you do, whether
in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
the Father through him." (Col 3:17, NIV2)
"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over
them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord." (Jas 5:14, NIV2) In
other words, don't depend only on yourself. Have others pray for you. You can
also go directly to God for healing; however there is something special that
happens when others pray for you. Love becomes subliminal!
Watch now the results of these prayers: "And the prayer offered in faith will
make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned,
they will be forgiven." (Jas 5:15, NIV2)
What do we generally do when we are sick? We look up our symptoms on the
Internet and look for medication, or we call the doctor, which are all good
things. Still, doctors don't always succeed in healing us, for they are only
human; and the Internet doesn't even have the title "human" going for it!
Look at the poor woman who had gone left and right, consulting with numerous
doctors. None of them were able to heal her. All her money was squandered for
nothing, and in despair, she did the impossible: "If I just touch his clothes, I
will be healed."" (Mark 5:28b, NIV2) That was faith, true faith. She was healed
on the spot. I wonder why we don't go to our Father first?
It's true that some churches do not truly believe in healing. When they pray,
they always add "If it is God's will". I have a question for them: If Jesus
healed everyone, did he ever restrict his healings? No way! After all, "Jesus
went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness." (Matt 9:35, NIV2)
Only once was he unable to heal everyone: in his own home town! They just didn't
believe: "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick
people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went
around teaching from village to village." (Mark 6:5-6, NIV2) No wonder these
churches don't experience healing. They act like the people of Jesus' home town.
How sad!
Healing can only occur in faith, no matter how tiny that faith might be; it is
given to anyone who takes the stand of faith, trusting our Heavenly Father
fully.
We have seen that Jesus was a healer. We also saw that his disciples, along with
72 other believers, were given the power of healing as well. We realize that
healing is, indeed, part of God's ministry, and He gives this same authority to
those who want to serve our Father with all their hearts. This is confirmed in
His Word: "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they
will drive out demons . . . They will place their hands on sick people, and they
will get well." (Mark 16:17-18, NIV2)
By the way, it's not us who are the healers. It's our Heavenly Father Himself on
whom we depend! "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;
the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." (Jas
5:15, NIV2)
Sometimes our transgressions separate us with God, so much so that disease will
inflict us mysteriously. If we confess our sins, however, it opens the doors of
heaven for forgiveness as well as healing. It's even better than we thought! Two
for the price of one! Truly there is no strings attached to this gift. It is
completely free. Way better than doctors' fees: "As you go, proclaim this
message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received;
freely give.'" (Matt 10:7-8, NIV2)
One night, while I was sound asleep, I awoke with terrible pain in my abdomen. I
couldn't help but put my right hand on my stomach. I used to have this problem a
few years ago. The only thing that relieved me at that time was drinking hot
herbal tea, yet despite this, the pain would continue for hours. Just as that
poor woman who, realizing that no one could help her, reached out to touch
Jesus' cloak, I decided to follow in her steps. Truly, I'd rather rely on my
Heavenly Father anyway. I was tired and needed to sleep. I had to go to work the
next day! Instead of worrying, I prayed to my Father to relieve me from this
terrible pain and help me fall asleep again. I thanked Him in advance for
hearing my pleas. Within 5 minutes, all pain subsided and I fell asleep, to
awaken the next day in perfect health. Thank you Father!
This reality can be yours as well. It all depends on whom we put our trust.
Do you have troubles? Are you sick? Have you committed things you are not proud
of?
What will you do about it?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.