|
|
|
God is Our Healer
By Emmanuel Donkor
The word healing often brings up images of sickness, depression, diseases, hopelessness, and the like, which have been associated with humanity for years. Words and phrases that illustrate this fact are found in the Collins English Dictionary. Phrases such as “to restore” or “be restored to health” are among the various definitions associated with the word healing. A further look at a thesaurus throws up words such as mend, regenerate, patch-up, settle, reconcile, and put right among others.
The general idea these words generate is of something or an object that is whole at its creation but is “broken” and therefore needs to be returned to its original form. It presents an image of something that has depreciated from its original form due to one reason or the other and that this object needs to be restored or “reconciled.”
While pondering the essence of healing, I am reminded of a very significant landmark event that occurred in England in the early nineteenth century. March 1807 has been remembered as a period in which the courage and persistence of visionaries such as William Wilberforce helped in restoring the dignity and sanctity of human beings who, for the color of their skin, had been considered something other than human. This led to the British Parliament passing the anti-slavery Act, which made it illegal for human beings to be treated in such a humiliating manner. It was, in effect, the restoration of mankind being brought back to his original state. The release of the movie, Amazing Grace, demonstrates the way God sees all of mankind.
Our world today is in dire need of healing, healing from its past. It is therefore not surprising the world, as was originally created by God, is in a broken state. Christians are in a broken state and in need of God’s healing.
The broken state of the world today is represented by famine, disease, moral degeneration, apathy, and strife that we see all around us on a daily basis. Surprisingly, Christians are sometimes caught up in this endless web with no way out.
God, in His infinite wisdom and love created the world to be a place of peace where man would live a life that He had purposed before the beginning of creation. And even though the state of our lives and the world is the direct result of our disobedience, God continues to extend His hand of reconciliation to us. He is a merciful God who wants the world to be what He first created it to be.
This is the reason why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, born into humanity, to heal the world of its “sicknesses” and brokenness. Similarly, God wants His children to live purposeful, healthy lives, fulfilling what He had created us to do. He has always intended that his ultimate desire for us was to prosper and be in good health as our soul prospers (3 John 2).
However, we need to be co-initiators with God in the process of healing. This means we have to meet the needed criteria in order to receive our healing and restoration back to the way He originally intended us to live.
The Power Of Choice
Our healing, whether physical, mental, or emotional depends on our genuine willingness to be healed. This is one power God has entrusted to us. Even though He desires to heal us of our “infirmities” and thus restore us to our original state, God does not impose this on us. Rather, He most often requires commitment from us; the choice of whether we want to be healed or otherwise.
Indeed, throughout God’s dealings with mankind, He often leaves the final decision of healing to us. That is God’s nature. He is our Creator and we are His “created” beings, yet He has never imposed His will on us. He placed within man’s genetic make-up the power of choice or free will. This often means that when God proposes a measure, which is aimed at our wellbeing, He often leaves the decision as to whether we choose to obey Him or not entirely to us with its resulting consequences.
In the book of Deuteronomy, we see a demonstration of choice in God’s relationship with His “chosen” people, the Israelites. In His promise to the Israelites after their ordeal in Egypt, He gave them the choice as to whether to accept the promises He had made to their forefather, Abraham. In Deuteronomy 11:26-28, God clearly declares:
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the command of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods which you have known.”
God wanted peace, prosperity, and security for the Israelites but left the final decision of its fulfillment to them. They were, on this occasion, in a position of authority.
In Jesus’ earthly ministry He often gave the final decision of healing to those who were in need of it. This, in effect, meant that the oppressed, the broken hearted, and the demon-possessed had to recognize their need for restoration for healing to take place. Jesus often asked questions such as “what do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41).
Even though Christ was in a position of power, He gave those in need of healing the “upper hand” during the process. Similarly, in Luke 5:17-20 the paralytic demonstrated the character that should be a feature of a person in need of Jesus’ healing:
- He acknowledged God’s power to heal his infirmity through Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus was in a position of power.
- He also knew he was meant originally to live a life free from diseases and infirmities. Thus, he recognized the need to be “mended,” “restored,” “reconciled” and “patched-up.”
- He knew through the miraculous works of Jesus He had the power to heal him. However, he needed to also accept his need for healing. This was the other side of the bargain Jesus needed him to fulfill.
This is what drove him and his friends to defy all the odds against them and to have him healed as the “power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick” (Luke 5:17). It’s not surprising that Jesus pronounced him healed on the grounds of his faith and the desire in His ability to heal him.
We could pray for an individual to be healed. However, the individual must also be prepared to exercise his faith in God’s power to heal him. Without the cooperating faith of the individual, the process of healing is often stalled. Sometimes, people do not get healed. This could be because they do not have the faith to trust in God’s redemptive power to heal their diseases or it could be because God has a better plan for them.
Prayer Of Intercession
There are instances when the prayer of the brethren speeds up the process of healing in a person’s life. James 5:14-15 reiterates the importance of the prayers of other Christians in the healing of an individual:
“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayers offered in faith will make the sick person well…”
This is referred to as prayer of intercession, where a group of devoted Christians serve as “intermediaries” for a person who desires God’s healing.
These intercessors exercise faith in God on behalf of the individual for His intervention. In a way every Christian is an intercessor praying for the restoration of our broken world. We can intercede for our friends, families, and loved ones for God’s healing power.
As God’s chosen people, people He created in His image and likeness, we need restoration when we break away from the way God wants our lives to be lived. But as a loving father would always love his children, so has He loved us. His redemptive work on Calvary is still active today. He wants us to believe in His power to heal us of our diseases and more importantly cleanse us from the source of brokenness.
Jehovah Rapha! God is indeed our healer but the decision is ours! i
i
|
|
|
|
 |
|
