Healing
God heals – it is in His nature. He declared to Moses “I am the Lord who heals”, Jesus healed all who came to him with sickness and injury. Then after His death and resurrection, Jesus’ followers pick up where Jesus left off:
- Peter and John heal a man crippled from birth (Acts 3:2-11)
- Peter heals Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years (Acts 9:34)
- Peter raises Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead (Acts 9:36).
We carry the same anointing of the Spirit to heal the sick that Jesus and those early disciples had. We live in a time when the kingdom of God is increasing, so we can expect many of those we pray for to be healed. I don’t know why God doesn’t always heal in the here and now, so I’m careful not to give a side dish of guilt alongside the main course of suffering (to quote Jim Carrey!).
There are some keys to praying for healing…
- Compassion – love and compassion is key (Matthew 9:36)
- Ask what they want God to do today (Jesus asked a blind man, Luke 18:41)
- Pray – there is no right formula – Jesus laid hands, commanded, spat, made mud pies – lots of ways. But I have noticed when we have no faith our prayers get long!
- Get them to test if they are healed yet
- Don’t be afraid to pray again (even Jesus prayed twice for one blind man Mark 8:24-25)
- Leave them knowing God loves them whatever happens.
Pray: Ask the Lord for courage to pray for healing for someone.
Recommended extra reading
Healing Today: God's Power in Everyday Life (Mark Dupont and Mark Stibbe)
