God who heals
Psa
30:2,3 O LORD my God, I called
to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from
the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.
If
there is one thing that unites people in a common desire, it is the
desire to be well. How many people do you know who enjoy having a
headache, enjoy having tooth ache, enjoy having arthritis, enjoy having
a sprained wrist? No we take pain killers, and go to the doctors.
We want to get rid of these afflictions. When I was younger I thought
how good it must be to be in a hospital bed, having time to think
and to meditate on God's word. How unreal!
When
you are ill, God feels a million miles away and you definitely don't
feel spiritual. perhaps that's why Jesus seemed to do more healing
work than anything else:
“News
about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all
who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain,
the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and
he healed them”
(Mt 4:24).
“When
evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and
he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.”
(Mt 8:16).
“Many
followed him, and he healed all their sick”
(Mt 12:15)
“Great
crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the
mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed
them.” (Mt
15:30)
“The
blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.”
(Mt 21:14).
Do
you see this? Matthew could hardly stop writing it! It was what, in
later periods of church history, we call ‘revival', God unleashed!
Yes,
it does seem that at certain times in church history in certain places
and through certain individuals, God pours out His healing power.
There do seem other times when it is not so frequent and indeed, seems
sporadic – but God does heal! David knew that. From what he says we
see that he had obviously just been through a crisis where he thought
he would not survive. It seems he had been in a place of pride (v.6)
but then the Lord had allowed him to do into a place of despair (v.7-10).
From there he cried out to the Lord and the Lord healed him. Then
there was joy (v.11,12)
Yes,
it does seem as if sometimes the Lord allows affliction to come upon
us to humble us when pride threatens us. How soon we feel weak and
frail and inadequate! How soon we cry out to the Lord to come close
in a new way. Yes, sickness can have a chastening effect. But is also
seems that there are times when for no apparent reason, affliction
comes (see Job) and our only recourse is to cry out to the Lord, but
even in those times there is purpose – testing!
How
will be respond to sickness? Will we remain true, will we remain faithful.
Job knew this. The enemy through his wife sought to get him to respond
less than righteously and cried, “Curse God
and die!” (Job 2:9). That's what the enemy tries to get us
to do when we're down in sickness. But Jesus never rebuked anyone
for coming to him to seek healing. If anything he rebuked people for
coming with little faith. He seemed to want them to come boldly and
expectantly. He taught us to pray and keep on praying. Yes it is right
to hold a gracious attitude while we are waiting for healing, and
in some the Lord wants them to come to a place of surrender that even
accepts the sickness before He brings the healing – but He does heal!
It's never something we can force out of Him. It is always a gracious
gift, not earned, just freely given by ‘the Great Physician'. He heals.