In several recent posts I have been discussing the subject of divine healing. I wrote about how healing is a foretaste of the resurrection to come. I also showed you how the Holy Spirit is involved in the healing process. The role of faith was also considered. Now I would like to share with you how you can receive healing from the Lord.
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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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:14 – 15
Most people are familiar with the above Scripture. While it is certainly not the only way a person can receive healing from the Lord, it does (in my mind at least) help simplify the healing process. In this post I want to take a good look at the characters involved.
The Sick
While it is rather obvious the sick are involved, we need to know who is being referred to in this passage of Scripture. Is it only those with major illnesses? Does it refer to those who have exhausted every other resource? Or does it only refer to those with minor ailments?
Actually, the Greek word that is used refers to anyone who is labouring under any kind of diseased condition. It covers everything from disease, to weakness, to the feeble, to one who is impotent (such as someone who is paralyzed). In other words, the sick refers to anyone suffering with anything from cancer to an ingrown toenail. To confirm this, all we have to do is look at the ministry of Jesus.
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. Matthew 4:23 – 24
Every disease and ever affliction pretty much covers it all, doesn’t it? It didn’t seem like there was any condition too critical or too trivial for the Lord to attend to. It is important that we know this. Too often people feel that unless their disease is life threatening they really shouldn’t “bother the Lord” with it. As if He is ever “bothered!” The One who takes the time to number the hairs on our head is most certainly concerned with even the finest details of our lives. If you are sick in any way, shape, or form, you qualify!
The Elders
The Elders are those who are charged with the care of the local church (1st Peter 5:1 – 4). They are those who have a history with the Lord (1st Timothy 3:6). In our modern context, this can refer to the minister at your local church. It may even refer to the governing board of you church. In the absence of such formal positions, it could also refer to someone you consider to be an older brother or sister in the Lord.
The Lord
Of course this refers to the Eternal Creator of Heaven and earth Who has revealed Himself as the Healer of His people in both the Old and the New Testaments.
There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” Exodus 15:25b – 26
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases… Psalm 103:1 – 3When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14
Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. Luke 4:40
These are just a small fragment of the Scriptures we could share. Even a cursory glance through the Bible, however, will reveal that the Lord is definitely in the healing business.
In the Next Post
In my next post on the subject, I will look at the responsibilities of each of the characters involved in the healing process. I am going to take the time to carefully unpack this for you. It is my sincere desire to help you get into position to receive healing from the Lord. It is definitely one of the benefits of living in the Reign.
M
If you are interested in learning more about this subject, you might consider purchasing my book titled Divine Healing Simplified. You can purchase it from the following outlets:
The Kindle version
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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