Healing Prayer: Availing an Opportunity

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

A while back I wrote a piece called Cancer Cure Discovered. I was reminded of the blog when the issue of ‘praying for healing’ came up in my Saturday morning men’s Bible study group. The fact that the portion of the Bible we were studying had little to do with divine healing didn’t thwart us; we plowed ahead anyway.

One of the guys shared how he prayed for a healing for his wife and believed the healing would take place that very day. It didn’t. I knew in my heart that she had in fact been healed and I told him so. All that remained was for her to catch up to her healing. That could be today, next week, or in Heaven.

He agreed, but still others in the group sensed it was a spiritual cop-out to say such a thing. “Yeah, yeah, we know,” was the attitude, “we’re all healed in Heaven when we receive our new bodies.”

But that was not my point. If that’s the mind-set we latch onto (and so many do), we might never pray for healing, particularly in the cases of the terminally ill, incurable, or for that matter, the dead (I don’t mean in the Mormon sense). What a shame that would be.

I actually heard somebody once say, “If someone came up to me and asked me to pray for their healing, I wouldn’t unless the Holy Spirit told me to.”

Really?

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Earlier in the week, and after being prompted to do so, I prayed for a healing. I had left a mid-week prayer meeting and the Lord spoke to me on the drive home.

What do you want Dave?”

I answered Him out loud, “I’m good,” (meaning I couldn’t really think of anything I needed)

I’m not sure, but I think I heard God laugh.

No really Dave, what do you want?” 

After a moment I responded, “Ok God, I know it’s selfish and vain, but I’d like you to fix my teeth.”

I then adjusted the rear view mirror to see if it worked. It didn’t. I have to tell you, I really believed for a moment my teeth were going to straighten out right before my eyes.

I continued my prayer, “Okay Lord, Since You brought it up. I know it’s a trivial matter and I know you have already provided the financial means by which I could have my teeth repaired, but you asked, so I’m just sayin. I know nothing is too big or too small a matter for you and that Your time is not an issue.”

I looked again in the mirror.

Nothing

I laughed out loud, not mockingly, but in a ‘God-why-are-you-messing-with-my-head’ kind of way.

For the remainder of my ride home, something amazing happened. My conversation with God continued and He healed me. Oh, not my teeth, but other things that needed repair. God assured me that my teeth would be restored, but He took the time to go about healing these other areas that needed attention.

Then it hit me — if I hadn’t prayed for the one matter; the other matters would not have surfaced. Needless to say, the immediate restoration of those things is of greater significance than a mouthful of broken and crooked teeth.

And that was the point.

I prayed a prayer that I otherwise would not have prayed and as a result God revealed stuff about me that I would otherwise not had known. What a shame it would have been to miss that. Our sufferings, our troubles, and our ailments, they are temporary conditions, but it’s my testimony that God tends to heal the things this side of Heaven that give Him the most glory and later on in glory our lighter afflictions.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken…The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. Psalm 34:19 + 22

What are your thoughts?

1. Do you understand that Christ took a beating prior to His crucifixion in order that we could be healed?
2. Do you believe this healing is available to all who believe?
3. Do you believe?

~~~

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