“And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luk 10:9, NKJ)
We should, by now, understand clearly that healing in its broadest sense is God’s heart for mankind. That is why Jesus, in Luke 4:18-19, began His public ministry with these words from the scroll of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Nonetheless, there are often cases where a specific person is healed, but not the rest. At the bath of Bethesda there were a large number of sick people, including the blind, the lame, and the paralysed, but Jesus only healed one man (John 5:3-11). Furthermore, even though Paul often prayed for people and they were healed, he also wrote about Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-27) and Trophimus (2 Tim 4:20) who were not healed and who he needed to leave behind sick. Pray whenever you are led to, but remember: healing is God’s prerogative.
Some sicknesses are a result of one’s own fault (bad diet, smoking, lack of exercise, etc.) and I have experienced that God often does not heal these diseases and ailments. Sometimes a sickness is unto death (John 11:4) and one must accept it as that. Often sickness is a result of unrighteousness (that occurs in families) or personal sins and must thus first be handled before healing can occur (more about this later).
The spiritual gift of healing is only used when the Holy Spirit gives it. The practice that must be followed when someone is sick is spelled out in James 5:14-15: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
Be constantly aware that God wants to stretch out His hand of healing through you to people in need and that the kingdom of God comes in this way if they are healed.
- Sela: What obstacles are there which prevent you from allowing God to use you in this gift?
- Read: Ex 1; Ps 51; Matt 21
- Memorise: Matt 21:13
Going deeper: Listen to Dr Anton Janse van Rensburg’s cd teaching: Ultimate living: a Christian approach to health.
