DOES DIVINE HEALING STILL WORK?
Ima Nkanta
In a world of super-medical discovery that puts a few tablets in your hand for a cure of whatever ailment is diagnosed, not many still pay attention to divine healing. Even many prominent pastors prefer listening to medical experts when it is about their health. Some publicly overplay the imperative of visiting medical facilities for help than considering praying or trusting God for healing.
There are yet others who preach divine healing out of greed, they make mountains out of it by using their healing ministry as a means to the stomach. And by so doing discourage people with a sincere yearning for divine healing to look elsewhere. Nonetheless, divine healing is very much at work in the lives of those who trust God for it. In many cases, it is only those complex health situations that medicine has no answer for that men come to their wit’s end to seek healing from God. The promotion of medicine against divine healing has almost made even believers think that trusting God for healing is a waste of time.
Divine healing is part of the gift and blessing of God for His children. Divine healing is the children’s bread, and we must acknowledge and appreciate our heavenly Father for thinking good of us in all aspects of our lives and well-being. One of the ways of appreciating God is receiving the gift of divine healing and putting it to use whenever the need arises.
Two scriptures in Mark 7:24-27 and Matthew 15:21-4 discuss the encounter of Jesus with the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was tormented in health by the devil. She sought healing from Jesus but because she was not a covenant beneficiary of the blessing she sought for, the Lord’s reply to her request was: ‘I cannot take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs.’ The gentiles were described as dogs – those outside the covenant privileges of the Jews. She was one of the dogs, being a none Jewish woman.
Yet, the woman didn’t give up on her desire for divine healing for her daughter, she said: ‘Master, you are saying the truth but even at it, the dogs do eat the crumbs from the master’s table.’ What an act of faith she showed, which immediately activated the blessing of divine healing for her daughter.
The woman got it! We too can get it regardless of our circumstances. God is still healing his children. To access this healing you must approach Him with faith and knowledge of it. The gift of God comes to us through faith; knowledge is a facilitator of faith. As a child of God, begin to appreciate what your Father has given to you and you will yet receive more of it. What you don’t appreciate will certainly depreciate. This is why many are left to the cruelties of medical sciences.
Divine healing is the heartbeat of God for his children. While medical science is good, it was not designed to replace divine healing but to complement it. But in today’s world, the reverse is the case. I call on God’s children to return to divine healing by trusting God for it. We cannot claim to be God’s children and not desire His daily bread for the good of our lives.
WHEN DO YOU NEED DIVINE HEALING?
When there’s no doctor:
Life’s many circumstances could make it difficult for God’s children to always have the services of a medical expert. But the presence of God is universal and is available for his children simultaneously. Imagine what happens in a situation where you’re so used to medications and doctor’s advice, yet you find yourself where you cannot get any; what will you do? This is why you have to acknowledge and receive divine healing as your daily bread. When you are used to eating divine healing as bread it will not be strange to you when you find yourself without medications. And times like this do sometimes come in our lifetime. How will you manage the situation and triumph of not with the children’s bread?
When it’s urgent:
What happens when you need your doctor urgently and he’s not around? What happens if his phone rings and rings and there’s no response; who will bail you out? You have to help yourself out by seeking the healing power of Jesus. He is the doctor that is ever-present with you whose name is Jehovah Shammah. There’s no emergency with him. All potential risk situations are subjected to Him in His name. There’s no emergency with God; anywhere, anytime and day you call upon Him, you will get His response.
The good thing about the Healer divine is that you don’t have to wait for any intermediary; just reach to Him for healing like the Syrophoenician woman did. Psalm 50:15 He says, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” That’s it! There’s no urgency that can catch Him off-guard. He’s ever ready and well-equipped to respond to your request.
When you have no money:
This is where many lose their lives for brief illness – lack of money. Medical services in our clime can be very expensive. Going through from formalities of registration to diagnosis before the actual treatment, costs a lot. The high cost of medical services in poor rural and urban centres has pushed most people to take the option of self-medication which is anti-productive.
What do you then do in a scenario where there’s no help? You have to turn to the Supernatural Healer; He doesn’t segregate on the basis of status as He healed both the poor and the rich. In Acts 3, He healed the poor cripple at the beautiful gate while he was begging for money; but healing was actually what he needed. In 2Kings 5, He healed Naaman the Syrian General who had all the money but couldn’t get any cure to buy for his leprosy.
Whether you have money or not, if you really desire the children’s bread, all you need is to approach Him by faith. Cry to Him for healing and He will not withhold the bread from your mouth. Why do you sit still and allow untimely death to swallow you up on the excuses of lack of money when the Divine Surgeon General is just by you? He’s a better alternative where the money is unavailable. He’s Jesus. He’s still healing!
When it’s beyond human’s ability:
Whatever type of health challenges that are beyond medical science are certainly not beyond God. In Luke 1:37, the angel said to Mary: For with God nothing shall be impossible. As sophisticated as medical science is, it still subjects to the wisdom and intelligence of God. If God withdraws knowledge from the best of surgeon, he will make stupid medical mistakes.
Cancerous diseases, liver, lungs and coronary diseases are few that still confounds the world of science. But these are not difficult with God. A woman suffering haemorrhage and had spent all she had in the course of seeking a cure to no avail, finally turned to Jesus. Matthew 9:20 -21 state: And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. She got it! What physicians could not do, she got it by faith in approaching Jesus.
No matter how complicated science describes any health problem, when you approach Jesus the Healer by faith, the healing comes as bread to you. Just as the good Father will not deny you of daily bread, He will not also deny you of healing. Divine healing is bread for the children.
When all fail:
When all efforts combined have failed, turn to God. He’s the very best to depend on. Medical science does fail. The best of doctors also need God because when they have come to their wit’s end, there’s God at the very end to hang onto. It’s only a proud medic that will exclude God in all his works because even the very anatomy of the patients he examines and administers treatment daily should let him know there’s someone else up who is far more complex and knowledgeable; who should be feared.
When all things fail, turn to God. He heals beyond the body to the soul and the spirit. Commit your moments to Him and your health security is sure.
Shalom!
