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Are You Vulnerable to Healing?

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He goes.  Our friend.  To a service.  Where Acts is not just another book.  Sitting dormant in the Big Black Book.  Taking space.  Upon the shelf.

Not a history lesson. Or pages in the New Testament.  Great for, religious sounding theological discussions.

But, a blueprint.  For the church.  In action.  Instruction.  For those Redeemed, needing a Savior. 

And I gather.  To be in the presence.  Of faith-filled believers.  Who don’t stumble over idiosyncrasies.  Loosing faith because the Sunday morning play list….doesn’t go the way they planned.

And as pastor prays.  He says, “Someone has a pain in their side.  God wants to heal you from this.”  

Friend goes up front. So uninhibited.  Non-nonchalant.  Getting prayer.  Without any lightening bold or demonstration that God even saw….let alone heard…..his prayer.

Pastor continues, “When you go to the doctor, they will wonder why you are coming.  He will find nothing.”  Friend sits back down.  Wondering if anything happened.

Next a.m. Dr. appointment.  Earlier scheduled.  (Pastor didn’t know it)  And it’s as it was said.  Healed.  Though two surgeries earlier.  Required.  As he struggled from the same condition.

Yet, this time.  Prayers.  Not vapors of empty hope.  Thrown out for the sake of dutiful religion.

But powerful.  Active.  Like a double edge sword.  Cutting away the growth.  And pain, of a prior diagnosis of a hernia. 

Husband calls this morning.  We talk….

Why are some healed?  And some not?  And though Job in the Bible suffered a lot.  And Paul walked around with a thorn in his flesh.  And prayed for it to be removed.  God left it there.  Keeping him humble.  Telling him….

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

I open the word and find….

Vulnerability.  
To stand open.  Hiding nothing.  Refusing to defend oneself. 

And I think of the adulterous woman.   Naked.  Abused.  Speechless.

Not holy.  Or good.  Or religious….Yet, Jesus found her.  Comforted her.  Called her to rise and go about her business.  Delivering her from death and the stoning from the religious.
And often we think.  If we attend church.  Do enough good works.  Or play the right part like a puppeted inviolate….

God will love us enough to heal us. 
Then, we come to Him.  Expecting.  Demanding. Or even insisting….That we somehow have earned or deserve our own redemption.  
But more often than not….that is when Jesus does not heal us. 
Or…..

We learn to wear our infirmities.  Like old wine skin.  Bursting at the weight of some personal trials.  Or condemnation.  Carrying the pain of the shadows of our shame….
In the way a live one drags around a dead body of pain.
And yet…even if Jesus came….and wanted to heal us…..we would not want to let it go.  It is comfortable.  It is our pain.  Our infliction   Keeping our infirmities close, like a friend that we can cling to.  

Instead of clinging to Jesus.  
Doubting the power of the resurrected God.  Allowing suffering…..
To become who we are.  Instead of leaving it all. At the cross.  And focusing on God.
Even if the Bible says, Jesus bore our stripped.  We are healed.  Not because of our goodness….but as we come to Him vulnerable.
Where is the “refusing to defend” in vulnerable?  If we justify good works with what we have done or where we have been.  Or try to pick up pain and carry it.  Making excuses and giving explanations for why we are sick?

How can we believe in the power of redemption? Salvation?  If we believe in only a weak God that is not strong enough to heal us?  Which is harder.  To heal?  Or to redeem?  

Cannot a doctor heal….but only a Savior Redeem?

And I think….it is less about our healing and more about where we are looking.
Thinking about the Garden of Gethsemane.  The Earless One.  The soldier Peter cut.  With his blade of fear.  Peter’s lust to be the Savior.  Of The Chosen One.

And how Peter.  The one closest to God.  Became the offender.  While, the soldier.  The one without faith…..ready to arrest Jesus.  Was healed.
I mean…..why would Jesus even want to heal him?  This armed one….taking Jesus to be beaten?
After all……He was far from perfect.  He didn’t attend a hundred revival meetings.  He didn’t purify himself or do a thousand Bible Studies.  He didn’t strive to earn his own salvation. 
Or maybe that is the point!
Jesus healed him anyway.  His enemy.  In order that he might believe.
Jesus being….No respecter of persons.  No God who comes and chooses favorites.   
And why is it we live like the Bible is a book we must study….but truly don’t believe in….

Isn’t He enough?  

Isn’t it time we….

  • Stir up faith.  
  • Believe in a good God.  
  • Trust He is for us…not against us.  
  • Know….He works all things only for our benefit.  
  • And He looks down….not because of our self striving, duty bound, built up religion….or because we are martyrdom victims trying to trudge our way to eternity.

But, because He loves….
The contrite.  The humble in heart.  Those vulnerable.  Set apart.  Those knowing, without a doubt, there is no way they could be worthy or do it on their own.
Yes, isn’t it to those He brings salvation?
To live out the blueprint, walk in the same power….of the early church.  Branded with the conviction…”Christ is enough” that marks His sincere, vulnerable children, with…..   

Freedom.  Paid for by the blood of our precious Jesus.  Given only by the grace of His generous Spirit….
Whether healed or not.

Update:  After over a month since this happened, our friend is still healed.  Fully. Completely.  No more pain. No more discomfort.  Not the slightest sign of his years of issues.

Yes….if I had not witnessed it myself, I might not have believed it too.  But it is true…..

Jesus does still heal.

Are you vulnerable to healing?

Linking with Emily, Jen @ Finding Heaven, Shanda, Women Living Well)

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12 Comments

  1. Hi stopping by from Shandra’s link up! this is a beautiful post! Yes Jesus still heals… you are so right HE heals not of our works… willing and vulnerable to receive it 🙂 blessings to you

    Reply

  4. Danise – First, I LOVE how you spell your name! So glad you we are both on the same page! Thanks for coming for a visit. Hope to see more of you!

    Denise – Always love the bowing knees I see when I read your comment. Keeps me grounded & am reminded that when we are low…He is most high & exalted!

    Ro – Oh yes….fully yielded to His love…

    Reply

  5. Wow…this is a beautiful post! His love is unmoving…he never gives up on us, even when we give up on ourselves. Visiting from On Your Heart Tuesdays.

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  6. Mitzi – Thanks for the visit~! Yes, He is faithful…even when we are faithless! Amen & ever so thankful for that, my new friend! 🙂

    Reply

  7. Asking for healing truly is a vulnerable act. Thanks for sharing this story of hope and healing, Jen. You make many interesting points and always encourage!

    Reply

  8. Beth – It is….isn’t it!? What if we ask & aren’t healed? What if we come before God & others & show our scars. What then? Such a great point Beth! Thanks for your insight!

    Reply

  10. So much thought went into this post; I can tell. Healing (and the lack of) is a subject in which I have a lot of interest; I have a loved one (and fellow believer) who has suffered for many years w/o relief. Please pray for him; his name is Carl.

    Reply

  11. Di- God has used you powerfully with this message of SOZO.
    Today I was teaching a work colleague from a traditional church about spiritual warfare as the boy he works with, son of wonderful Christian parents- is possessed- even our non- believing boss says so. And here you are giving me the exact scriptures I need to give Jack. Thanks!
    When we render this spirit in this boy inoperative in our presence- he behaves beautifully.
    Praying for you Di- any news following from our last conversation?
    Many blessings and love, Mary.

    Reply

  12. Emily – Oh that we might grasp the length & the width & the depth of our Father’s love!

    Brandee – Praying for Carl. That the blood of our glorious King might cover Him & make Him whole.

    Mary – Praise God that His timing is perfect! Yes, we do not war against flesh and blood, but powers, principalities, & rulers of this dark world. I will have to check my face book & get back to you about where we left off. Thanks for caring. Thanks for praying. Thanks for asking, friend.

    Reply

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