Daily devotional, March 5, 2024 Healing truths
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heartand my portion forever."
Psalm 73:26
One of the fervent prayers of most people is for healing. Even the coldest of hearts, and even non-practising believers, would be moved to pray if only to lengthen their life or that of their family member.
In the Bible, there are stories upon stories that teach us about God’s healing power and presence to the faithful. In today’s devotional, allow me to post some of these truths about healing that could hopefully inspire you to pray more for your wellness and that of your kin.
1. God’s healing requires effort on your part. When we pray to the Lord for healing, we will also need to put in effort to better ourselves. For instance, we will need to seek medical evaluation, and go through necessary tests and check-ups. We should also try to seek financial assistance if needed. The Lord in turn will help by touching the hearts of people who can help us and at the same time provide us with strength of body, mind, and spirit.
We should muster what we can do and get pride out of the way so that we can fully get better. For instance, in the Old Testament an Army Commander of the King of Aram got leprosy. He was told that he could get better with the help of Prophet Elisha. When he sought his help, the prophet just sent him word that he should bathe in the River Jordan to get healed. But Naaman did not want to, saying there are better rivers in his hometown. However, someone advised him to just do it, and when he did, he indeed got healed.
"So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy."
2 Kings 5:14
2. You will need your family and friends to help you get better. There are also several bible stories that point out the truth that we will need our loved ones’ help as well as their faith in the Lord so that we can get better. One of the most famous passages pointing to this was that of the paralytic man, whose friends got him on the roof of the house where Jesus was. His friends tore the roof of that house and lowered him to get exactly in front of the Messiah so that they could get Jesus to heal him.
"When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 5:19-20
3. Healing will happen in God’s own time. Another powerful truth about healing is that it will happen in God’s perfect timing. Sometimes, when we or a loved one has been suffering for so long from a sickness, we tend to think that God may have forgotten about us or is not listening to our prayer. But God works in His own perfect time. As He says in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8
God has a reason for choosing the timing of our healing. Just like the lady who got healed by Jesus from her constant heavy bleeding only after 12 years. Or the paralytic man in the pool of Bethsaida who received healing after 38 years of waiting.
4. God uses other people to heal you. Another truth about healing we can find in the bible is that God will use other people to heal us. While the Lord performs miracles, especially through Jesus during His days here on Earth, present-day followers like us can still receive that miracle of healing. Our God uses other people to heal us like doctors and specialists, as well as technology, treatment, and medications that our bodies will positively react to.
His providence will lead us to the right doctor, who will know exactly how to make us better. His healing will come through the prayers of our church leaders and elders. God will hear the prayers of our heart and that of our loved ones and church family, and He will send help as He sees fit.
In his Epistle, St. James, the brother of Jesus, encouraged sick people to seek help in both prayer and healing:
"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. 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."
James 5:14-15
5. There is purpose in your pain. If you are yet to receive healing, know that there is purpose in your struggles. St. Paul the Apostle, who wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament, has testified that he has asked the Lord to remove the thorn on his side, to no avail. Biblical scholars say the “thorn” may mean a sickness. But St. Paul saw the purpose in that pain, and he encourages us too to see our unanswered prayers in the same way: that we can endure anything through God’s strength in us.
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
At the end of the day, our faith will heal us. Whether we will go back to 100% healthy or not, God will touch our souls and heal our minds to accept His will, once we fully decide to surrender everything to Him.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 2 Kings 5:1-19, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, and Luke 5:17-26 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you praying for healing? What are the truths in this devotional that inspired you and may apply to your situation?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, I fully surrender to you all my aches and pains, my worries and fears, and I fully trust that you will heal me and my family. Please send us help my Lord in your own perfect time. Amen.