08/03/2019
Do we feel confident enough in the healing power of Jesus to touch the fringe of His garment and be healed? Have we been praying for healing but are now growing weary waiting for Him to come to us? Well maybe it is time in our desperation to try a new tactic... to ask His will, and touch whatever part of Him is close with the full expectation of being healed in that instant.
“But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me."”
Luke 8:46 ESV
There was a little girl in my church who was deathly ill. She had been to numerous doctors, had endured several operations, and yet her condition was growing worse, and in fact she was becoming weaker... weaker to the point that death was near.
My pastor had visited and prayed with this little girl and her parents on several occasions, but one morning he was summonsed to come... death was approaching. As he was weeping and praying before arriving at the hospital he told the Lord that he didn’t know what to do or how to pray. The Lord answered him that day by saying “Give her communion and pray.” So he went to her bedside, prayed over her, and performed communion. The little girl was healed, and once she gathered her strength she left the hospital to return home.
Was it that one more desperate prayer that healed her? The pastor will tell you no. Was it the pastor’s presence and touch at her bedside? The pastor will again tell you no. The healing came from his obedience to God’s will by bringing this little girl into contact with the blood and body of Jesus Christ. She had touched Him, just as the woman healed of bloody discharge had touched the fringe of Jesus’s garment... and both were healed.
Sometimes Jesus does heal simply by our prayers, and with His word, and this continues to happen today in miraculous fashion. We can ask Jesus to heal us from afar and our faith will be enough, as it was in the case of the centurion’s servant...
“Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.”
Luke 7:7-10 ESV
Yet most of His healings in the Bible came by touch, and more often than not by His touching the one who He wishes to heal. There are so many examples of this in scripture, but here is one occurrence of Jesus healing a leper... someone no one wanted to touch...
“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Matthew 8:2-3 ESV
Then, there are those who touched Jesus. You see, crowds formed wherever He went and the sick would gather hoping that His touch, just being in His presence, having Him pronounce them healed, touching Him, or best of all... having Him touch them, would heal them. And all of these occurred, but the most prevalent of His healings came by touch.
The woman with a bloody discharge was healed by the slightest touch of His garment, and so were many others who touched Him...
“And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God."”
Mark 3:9-11 ESV
And just like the leper, He personally touched so many more and healed them likewise...
“Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.”
John 9:6-7 ESV
So it is with us; sometimes we are healed by prayer from afar, but quite often it requires a touch. In some cases it is the touch of saints by the laying on of hands...
“It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him.”
Acts 28:8 ESV
In some cases by using a Holy ointment in conjunction with our prayers...
“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.”
James 5:14 ESV
Then again it can be by our reaching out and touching something of that is associated in some way with Jesus just as the woman with a discharge did, or the crowds who also touched his clothing.
But of course it can be by His physically touching us with His body... as it occurred with the little girl who was healed by taking communion.
Do any of these things guarantee us healing?
There is no secret potion related to healing. The only two ingredients common to each of these instances are the will of God, and faith in Jesus... the expectation of being healed without these is without merit, but with them nothing can stand in its way. So we first must ask God what His will is, and then have faith it will be done. Sure, there is always the possibility that we might stumble into the will of God by happenstance, but we can hardly happen upon faith.
I have seen people pray for healing out of their own desire or personal sorrow, and had it occur, but I have also seen similar situations in which prayers were offered by those of great faith, and yet healing did not come... be assured that God uses healing, sickness, and even death, to achieve His ultimate good. His light and good shines forth out of the darkness... even the bad. So ask the Lord to reveal His will to you as you pray... whether for healing, or for the other things. It is in this way that we can see the ultimate good in sorrowful, or hard things, and praise Him in our storms. Sometimes it is His voice that heals, sometimes our touching Him, and at other times it is His touching us, but even when healing doesn’t occur as we would wish it to, He is there, and good is done because this is His promise, and His will.
“And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:27-28 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for all the miraculous healing that you do through prayer, Word, and touch. I thank you for being true to your Word and answering our prayers of faith as they join with your will and work good in our lives. Help us Father to reach out to Jesus and touch Him, and allowing Him to touch us. Give us faith Holy Father, and let us obey your will... even when it is hard for us, and threatens to break our hearts. Strengthen us in your Truth which is your Word, and speak to us as you did Elijah... not in the midst of the great wind, the moment of torn rocks, the earthquake, or the raging fire, but in the calm aftermath of calamity when we can hear your low whisper, and speak softly with you. Show us your will Lord, ask us to confirm to your will, and heal us in that moment of our greatest faith. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who heals the sick, and those who mourn. Great are you who’s will it is that all things work for good in the lives of your children. Praised be your name as the storms pass by our caves, and we tremble in your presence. Here our worship, as we are healed, and even as we cover the graves of our loved ones... for your glory shines forth in both, and your forgiveness and grace will raise the dead at the end of days, just as it does the sick. Precious is your mercy, give us peace Merciful Father, and comfort in your will. You are our God now, and forevermore.
“And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"”
1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV
Rich Forbes