Illness

Illness

Prescription for Healing

Exodus 15:26; Psalm 103:2,3

The setting for God’s early pronouncement to Israel about healing was somewhat unusual. The Israelites had just exited Egypt’s bondage and had grown thirsty on their trek through the Desert of Shur. Coming upon a supply of water in Marah and finding it to be bitter, they complained to Moses who, at God’s instruction, threw a piece of wood into the water and it became sweet. God then made a decree, announcing that if they would do three things He would not bring upon them any of the diseases that the Egyptians had suffered: they must listen to Him, pay attention to His commands, and keep all His decrees. God then declared:

I am the LORD, who heals you (Exodus 15:26).

God’s declaration to Israel still applies today. In order to receive His blessing of healing, we must follow His Word and will. When we do that, we open ourselves to His healing power.

Of course, we need to recognize that our bodies are vessels of clay, subject to frailty, disease, and, eventually, death. Yet divine healing is a present-day reality. God works in His own way, in His own time, and for His own purposes. Our part is to trust and obey and leave the rest to Him.

Are you in need of healing today? Trust in God, who has declared himself to be your Healer.

Why are the conditions for healing given by God so important to us today?

How is your view of God changed by the knowledge that He still heals today? How will your response to sickness in your life and the lives of others be changed by this knowledge?

Your Great Physician

Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; 1 Peter 2:24

Medical advances in recent decades have been remarkable. From delicate neurosurgery to organ transplants, doctors and other medical technicians have perfected amazing procedures to bring about healing and restoration to the physical body. Yet whether some people choose to acknowledge it or not, human accomplishments, to a great degree, are extensions of God’s healing plan. God has given humanity increased ability to understand the human body and its functions, and how to use resources from nature to produce medicines that correct deficiencies. All of this, however, in no way replaces the possibility of miraculous, divine healing.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of One who would suffer beyond imagination to bring us healing. In 53:5, he declared:

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus spent much of His earthly ministry healing people. Matthew 8:16,17, cites one of many instances when Jesus delivered the demon possessed and healed the sick as prophesied by Isaiah.Time and again people were brought to Him and by His power they were healed.

If you are struggling with illness today, know that you have a Great Physician who already has paid the price for your healing. Whether through the help of medical science or a direct touch from Him, Jesus is able to bring wholeness to your body. Trust in Him to do so today.

In what ways have you experienced divine healing in your body?

In what ways have you experienced healing through Jesus’ intervention and medical science?

Have Faith for Healing

Matthew 8:10,13; 9:29; Mark 9:23; Luke 8:48

Faith always caught Jesus’ attention during His earthly ministry, especially when it had to do with faith in His ability to heal. Matthew 8 describes a Roman centurion whose servant was paralyzed and in great suffering. When Jesus offered to go to the centurion’s house and heal his servant, the centurion replied, “I don’t deserve to have you under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed” (verse 8). Jesus was amazed that a man of great authority would express such humility, confidence, and faith. In response, He healed the servant.

In another setting, Jesus encountered two blind men who asked for healing. He asked them the all-important question: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28). When they said “yes,” Jesus declared in verse 29:

According to your faith will it be done to you.

They were healed.

Sometimes Jesus has to help us along with our faith, as He did for a father in Mark 9 whose boy had been overcome by an evil spirit and was deaf and mute. “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us,” the father cried (verse 22).

“‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes’” (verse 23). Realizing the shortfall of his faith, the father asked Jesus to help his unbelief. Jesus honored his renewed faith and the boy was healed.

Faith still catches Jesus’ attention. If you need a special touch from Him today, take Jesus at His word that He is your healer. He will honor your trust in Him.
Why is it sometimes hard to have faith for healing?

How have you seen God respond to you or others who had faith in Him for healing?

How did seeing God’s grace and power at work impact you?

Action Steps for Healing

James 5:14-16

In matters of divine healing, faith and action often go hand in hand. Although God can respond to our need for healing in any way He chooses, He often wants us to take an important step of faith. James 5:14,15 outlines some important action steps for healing:

Is any one of you sick? He should call for the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.

It’s important to understand that there is nothing supernatural about the steps James outlined. There is no healing power in the oil. However, there is something special about taking the steps; calling for the elders, being anointed with oil, and praying with faith. These steps demonstrate our
willingness to follow God’s instructions with an attitude of faith and trust in Him. He honors that.

A further step that James mentioned is one that we often prefer to skip over: “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (verse 16). Occasionally some spiritual housekeeping needs to happen before healing can come. If there are unconfessed sins in our lives, healing cannot come. Sometimes relationships between us and others need to be made right. Whatever might be standing in the way of healing, spiritually or relationally, should be dealt with. Then God can freely pour out His healing power upon us.

James concluded his instructions with the powerful promise: “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (verse 16). Trust in that promise today.

Have you ever experienced healing as you followed the instructions outlined in James 5:14-16? Explain.

What issues might need to be dealt with in your life before healing can come?

Trust in God's Timing

Mark 8:22-25; Luke 11:5-9

You probably have heard someone say, “God is always on time, but He sure misses a lot of opportunities to be early!” The fact is, we like to be in control and set our own timetable for things to be done, including answers to prayer.

You might know someone who has waited for years for an answer to prayer for healing. Maybe you are that person, and you wonder if there is any use in praying any longer.

There is. Don’t give up.

Sometimes healing comes in stages. When Jesus encountered a blind man in Mark 8:22-25, He simply “spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him” (verse 23). However, the man could see only partially. So Jesus put His hands on the man’s eyes and, suddenly, the man could see clearly. For that man, healing came in two stages. But what about healing that doesn’t come after years of praying?

In Luke 11:5-9, Jesus told a parable about someone going to a friend’s house at midnight to ask for something to feed a guest who had just arrived. His friend is understandably distressed because of the late hour and refuses initially. Jesus noted, however, that though the man is distressed, he will get up and give what’s needed, not because of friendship, but because of his friend’s persistence. Thus, Jesus instructed in verse 9:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (verse 9).

In His time and in His way, God will answer.

If you are struggling with unanswered prayer, don’t stop. Keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.

Describe how you or someone you know has felt about praying for healing over a long period of time without receiving the answer he or she is looking for.

How have you or has someone you know experienced a victory after persisting in prayer for a long time?

Spiritual and Emotional Healing

Matthew 4:23,24; Mark 9:16-29; 2 Corinthians 4:8,9

Healing doesn’t always pertain to the physical body. In fact, sometimes what hurts on the inside is more debilitating than a physical ailment. We might joke that someone’s sickness is “all in their head,” and not be far from the truth. Emotional or spiritual issues often can manifest themselves through physical ailments.

Spiritual and emotional issues cannot be isolated; often they are tightly interwoven. In some cases, however, they can be distinguished. Jesus regularly encountered people who were demon possessed. They had little or no control over their behavior due to the powerful influence of an evil spirit. Jesus would command the evil spirit to leave, after which they would be spiritually, emotionally, and sometimes physically healed. In Mark 9:17-29, we see a powerful example of both exorcism and healing. In Matthew 4:23,24, we learn that He delivered people from a full range of spiritual and physical issues: “all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed.” Verse 24 simply reads, “and he healed them.”

In 2 Corinthians 4:8,9, Paul reminded us that even when outward circumstances become overwhelming, God is able to give us victory. Triumphantly, he wrote:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

That assurance is for you today. You might think there is no way out of the crushing weight of despair you feel. Just know that Christ’s power to deliver is still available to you right now. Trust Him.

How has God helped you in times of emotional or spiritual distress?

What are some things you could do to increase your reliance on God for help in times of emotional or spiritual trouble?

Trust God for Healing

John 4:46-52

Lyrics from an old gospel hymn declare, “Tis so sweet so trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word. Just to rest upon His promise, just to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’” Verse 2 urges trust “in His cleansing blood. Just in simple faith to plunge me ‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood.” Therein is the key to receiving healing from God: trust.

This is powerfully illustrated by the story of a royal official who came to Jesus to beg Him to go and pray for his dying son. Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live” (John 4:50). Instead of insisting or arguing that Jesus come, the verse continues:

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

He simply took Jesus at His word. The result? “While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living” (verse 51). When the official asked when his son got better and was told the time, the official realized it was at the very moment Jesus said, “Your son will live.”

Perhaps you need healing today. Maybe you have prayed for healing for a long time. Know today that Jesus honors your faith and trust, and your persistence. In His sovereignty, He will accomplish His purposes. Your part is to trust that to be true.

In the days and years ahead, declare with the song writer, “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O, for grace to trust Him more.”

When has it been hardest to simply trust in God’s ability to answer your prayers for healing?

What has been the result of continued trust and reliance upon God to meet your need?