Posted by: John Schaenzer in All About Prayer on Feb 28, 2010
Faith and healing generally walk hand in hand. It can seem as simple as believing that a couple of aspirin will relieve headache pain to the perception that it is a much larger degree of difficulty for God to relieve the pain of a larger malady. The planning has begun for a special corporate prayer time dealing specifically with prayer for those who are seeking a healing from God. Whether it is the headache or something much larger, all healing power flows from God.
This series of articles will deal with faith and healing. I am careful to say faith and healing, rather than faith healing, because I want to make sure to put the focus of both faith and healing in proper perspective.
While faith is necessary in many cases, the object of the faith is critical more so than the “amount” of faith. I suspect that most who are reading this have heard stories of people not being healed with the implication that they lacked a sufficient amount of faith. I believe that this happens when the so called “faith healers”, be they famous or everyday religious folk, fail to see an immediate healing. Rather than have their reputation sullied, the failure is deflected to the one seeking the healing. Now in addition to the original issue, failure and guilt are added to the person. The sense of inadequacy drives the person toward depression and self devaluation. This activity does not build faith nor does it edify a brother or sister in Christ.
Healing can come in many forms. Trusting in the sovereignty of God is of key importance. When seeking God for relief, or anything for that matter, is it really smart to dictate how that relief should come to us? The body can heal many things with time and the source of that ability is God. Surgeons can fix many things and the source of their talent is God. Doctors can prescribe the correct course of action and the source of their knowledge and wisdom is God. Deliverance can come immediately and the source of that power is God. Sovereignty means that God can use whatever method and in whatever timing He deems appropriate for the situation. He may even determine that our endurance is what glorifies Him.
We are allowed to experience many trials throughout our lifetime. It is the successful navigation of the rough times that enable us to minister with faith to one another. It is the experience of lingering ailments and the healing that came that enables me to now lead others through the process. Be cautioned, however, that there is not a formula for success 100% of the time. The success is that we went to God and that He answered. Success is not that we received exactly what we wanted in exactly the way we wanted it. We have our role to play in the process, after which we learn the response from a sovereign and holy God. Then our reaction comes down to one simple question, “How much do I trust God?”
The will of God is a tough thing to get a handle on for this type of issue. The will of God is very explicit for our morality and our call to follow Him. Whether deliverance is at hand or endurance and perseverance is His desire is a much more difficult thing to grasp. Every instance is different as we seek Him to do His will and to glorify Him. Again, we have our role or responsibilities and that is all that we have control of in the matter. It is up to us to fulfill our duties and then to trust in Him for what is to follow. We need to receive the answer, whatever it may be, with thanksgiving.
In the upcoming articles we will explore what Scripture has to say about faith, healing and the role we play. We will not put limits on what God is “supposed” to do nor make any promises of such. We will endeavor to build faith and trust in God that He knows what He wants to achieve through our situation.
In the mean time, here is some further reading to help prepare us for this journey. Remember that this is the starting point and there is much ahead of us to be learned. We need to begin by transforming our thought process from seeking a formula to achieve our will, to seeking God and His will for what is happening in our lives.
Read and study, The Epistle of James, especially the last half of chapter 5. Do not miss the lessons of humility in the book because humility is the key to the Christian life. As you read through the last part of chapter 5, be honest in evaluating how seriously we as a church, and each of us individually, have followed this instruction.
To know where I am deriving my experience on the matter in addition to scripture, you can read of my blessings of having been healed. They are not always the dramatic events we build up in our mind or that the faith healers would have us believe.
Read Pray With Expectation in this blog where I recite a healing that God gave to me concerning myofascial pain syndrome.
Read through the section of my forum called, 2008 Road To Recovery. It tells the tale of God working through the complete situation. You may gain some perspective by reading, “Whose Trials Are These?” in the Lessons section.
At the time of this healing, I remember telling people and reciting it on Face Book. I cannot find it now so I will repeat it here. On a Saturday morning late in 2009, I was laying in bed contemplating my day. I raised my right knee pulling my foot up the bed. I instantly felt the tightness of a strained hamstring. I had pulled it earlier in the summer while playing softball and it had never fully healed. The injury was constantly aggravated due to my truck driving job and where the injury was in relation to my truck seat. As I lay in bed trying to gently stretch it out, I thought of all the times I had prayed and asked God for healing. I then asked God, “When is this ever going to heal? Just asking.” Almost immediately I felt the pain melting away. Envision a stick of butter on a plate that is melting. The hard butter is in the middle and the melted butter begins spreading out across the plate away from the stick. That is how the back of my leg felt. In a few minutes the tightness was completely eradicated. I did some stretching to make sure and I did a few chores that I knew had aggravated the injury in the past. The issue was gone. I’ve been thanking and praising God ever since that morning.
Begin seeking God and His will for your situation. Pray with passion. Pray with expectation. Ask Him to show you what He wants to accomplish in you and through you with the situation. Ask yourself if you truly trust Him and if you really believe Romans 8:28.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”