God’s Healing is Instant!
You might be saying, yeah Mark, but those healings were instant because Jesus was in the midst of those who were suffering and He could take away their pain in that very moment. Or perhaps you might intellectualize those circumstances a bit further by arguing that the people Jesus healed suffered exterior wounds that required no time for recovery. Well, I could easily argue that the pain of leprosy or ritual uncleanliness runs much deeper than just exterior wounds. Or I could argue that Christ didn’t always heal those who were in his midst such as the servant of the centurion (Luke 7:1-9). Regardless whether we want to believe it or not, to accept the healing of God requires one thing and one thing only…faith. Faith is what is required if we are going to experience the healing touch of God. It was the faith embodied in the woman bleeding, the man with leprosy and the centurion that so moved the sacred heart of Jesus to heal.
So how do we begin to claim the instant healing power of God in the 21st century? Simple. We approach Jesus with our requests of Him. Understanding that God sees beyond our present needs and what is ultimately best for us and our salvation, God often allows certain prayers to not be answered the way we would like. That said, when Christ sees our persistence, much like He did with the Canaanite woman when she begged Jesus for a healing of her daughter who was possessed by a demon (Matthew 15:22), He often grants our request because of our persistent faith. So have great faith that what you wish for, if it be good for our eternal well-being, that God will be pleased to provide it. Sometimes, we see the immediate fruit of our prayer. Other times, we don’t see the instant results, but make no mistake about it, God has extended His healing to us. Often, I find that when we don’t see the healing we want, we miss the true healing that has taken place. It takes great faith to see the best answer to our prayers–God’s answer. God answers every prayer and healing is always granted to those who sincerely ask for God’s healing. The difference here is in our understanding of what true healing is. God’s healing may mean that cancer stays with one of His elect rather than being taken away. Or His healing may mean that death is the answer versus life. It requires much faith to accept these hard facts of life.
Having just completed our fifth installment of our Samson Retreat for men this past weekend, I can tell you that God’s healing touch was powerfully present and experienced by all the men in attendance. Some of the men walked away from the Discovery House in Mullica Township, NJ with a profound awakening as to why their wounds were allowed by God. Others, walked away with a smile finally restored to their face after years of sadness. Still others, went home strengthened in the knowledge that they are not alone in their journey having now been united with 21 new brothers in the Lord.
Yes, God’s healing is instant and it comes to us in ways that we often don’t recognize. Its no wonder most don’t see the many miracles that the Lord is performing in the present age. We simply lack the faith to believe and the eyes to see. The Canaanite woman did not lack faith when she responds to Jesus “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Matthew 15:27). May we have the courage to demonstrate our faith to the Lord in such ways. If we have that kind of faith, then healing will truly come. But like the centurion and the Canaanite woman who don’t see the healing they request until they return home, most of us must travel for a time before we realize the healing we seek has already taken place.
Your brother in Christ’s healing love,
Mark Houck