- Luke 5:12 - 28
- Psalm 65:1 - 13
Luke 5:12 - 28
Jesus continued his ministry and healing practices amongst the people. In 5:13, Jesus healed a man of leprosy and told him not to tell anyone what had happened. You would think Jesus would want the man to spread his works, but apparently the crowds that were following Jesus were humongous already. The man did not obey Jesus and more people sought him out.
Some men sought Jesus to heal a man who was paralyzed. The crowds were so overwhelming that they could not get near Jesus with the mat the man was lying on. So they took tiles off of the roof and literally lowered the man down to be healed. Jesus told the man that his sins had been forgiven 5:20 and he was healed.
The New Testament is full of examples of the healing power of Jesus. In many cases Jesus heals the person and they go on. In this case, however, Jesus told this man his sins were forgiven and he was healed. This says to me that sickness can be a result of sin. I don't believe it's only the result of sin, for there are verses where Jesus is asked whose sin caused sickness in a person, yet Jesus denied any sin had occurred (John 9:2 is an example).
Whether a person's sickness/disability/etc is a result of their sin, the sin or their ancestors, or is not related to sin at all, the bottom line is that the healing power of the Lord allows us to be healed. Just because something bad happens to a person does not mean that he or she did anything wrong to cause it befall upon them. But regardless of how or why a person is sick, the power of Jesus can and does heal people, even to this day.
I have personally been struggling with trying to harness the healing power of Jesus. Jesus has bestowed upon us the ability to heal and be healed in His name, yet there is so much involved in being able to utilize it. I have written a few posts about this topic. One of them was titled "Receiving What You Pray For".
With the power of Jesus, I have been healed from the headaches that plagued me multiple times per week. Even though I had absolute faith that the Lord's power would and had healed me, it was a struggle. I felt Satan fighting against me. The first few weeks were a struggle. Every time a headache tried to spring up, I had to fight Satan down with the power of Jesus.
I have not had a regular headache in many months now -- probably six months. I have other health conditions, but as hard as it was for my human body to fight against Satan using the power of Jesus, I have not yet attempted to be healed of any of them. I also have regular sicknesses -- I have had a fever for 20 days in a row now, but I have not been able to successfully break free of it yet. I have, however, been able to call out sickness from within my children using the power of Jesus. Why is it easier for me to do that then to fight the battle with something that is plaguing me?
I think it has to do with self doubt and self worth. I have to remind myself that the Lord wants us to be healed, He wants us to be whole, He wants us to feel good and to be able to serve Him 100%. And whether the sickness is a result of an attack from Satan or from my own sin, the result is the same. With the power of Jesus I am forgiven. With the power of Jesus I am healed. With the awesome power of Jesus Christ I am freed. Thank you, Lord! Amen.
Update: The day after I wrote this post my fever finally broke! There was no 21st day. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 65:1 - 13
This is a Psalm of praise to the Lord. David sings of how the Lord answers prayers and forgives our overwhelming sins. We are told that prayers are answered with awesome deeds. I can think of many times were I have prayed and the Lord answered those prayers more greatly than I could ever have hoped. The Lord is so awesome and so worthy of our praise. The Lord blesses us even when we have let a chasm come between us and Him. The Lord loves us, and the Lord takes care of us every step of the way. The Lord blesses us with overwhelming abundance.
This Psalm goes on to talk about how the Lord blesses the earth. With the rains the Lord softens the earth and creates rich pastures. Even "the hillsides blossom with joy" (65:12).
This Psalm is just a fantastic display of the Lord's blessings, and makes me truly grateful to have the Lord on my side, looking out for me and my family and my friends. For loving every single person on this Earth and for creating such a gorgeous and wondrous place to live and thrive. I love the Lord with all my heart, and the fact that He can love me even though I am not worthy is truly overwhelming.
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