236. Walking in the Word, Receiving Jesus' Healing

In the Bible, many came to Jesus for healing. And today, we still need Jesus’ healing in our lives – physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. What can we learn from the biblical stories of those who were healed that we can put into practice in our lives? Julie Jenkins explores this question in today’s Walking in the Word as, together, we study Matthew 9:27-31 and 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, and Luke 18:35-43.

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TRANSCRIPT

As we walk through the Word together, we are currently studying the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronologically. Today’s episode is bit different as I want to focus on Jesus’ healing in the lives of those who were His physical contemporaries when he walked this earth as fully man. Many people need healing in their lives – whether that be physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. In fact, we ALL need healing at some point, and we all often have many people on our prayer list who need healing. As I read through the scripture for today, it was so clear that through His many healings, Jesus gave us a blueprint for how WE can approach and receive God’s healing touch in our lives today. As we uncover this “guide,” we will be studying Matthew 9:27-31 and 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, and Luke 18:35:43.

Before we begin, let’s pray…

Dear Most Holy God – you are Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals all our diseases. God, you knit us together in our mother’s womb, knowing what each day of our lives held in store. You knew our ups and downs, our joys and trials to come. God, we thank you that you not only prepared us for each event but that you continually walk with us as we journey. You tell us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made – and God, we believe you! Teach us today, and help us remember this teaching as we walk through any valley craving your healing touch.

If you have been with us for our recent episodes of this podcast, you will recall that we have learned of God’s sovereignty through Jesus’ control over nature, demons, disease, and even death. And yes, God is sovereign, but that means far more than we can even imagine as we walk this earth. We are each but a speck, a grain of sand in all of eternity, and we serve a God who is in control of it all! But not only is God sovereign beyond our imaginations, He is also personal beyond our imaginations. The God of the universe and all creation cares enough about you to number the hairs on your head!

As we read about Jesus’ healing the multitudes in the Bible we should certainly be in awe, but we should also take it personally. Because just as Jesus saw each individual in the Bible and provided exactly what he or she needed, He also sees and provides for each of us individually. And while he heals and provides for us, His reasoning for this care goes far beyond the fact that He wants us to be comfortable in this life. Jesus healed many as He walked on this earth and made certain that the stories were recorded knowing that His actions would point many – you and me included – to the greatness of God. You see…God, who works all things together for the good of those who love Him, orchestrates everything perfectly so that we will end up in His arms for eternity. Our perfect God is able to use pain, illness, and strife to complete His perfect plan.

So what does He want US to do? Our natural inclination when we are sick is to want to get better. And as Christians, our hearts yearn for the comfort, peace, and healing for those we see suffering. How can we follow God’s blueprint for us as we walk through difficult times in need of His healing touch?

Let’s begin with Luke 18:35-37 from the New Living Translation…

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene[a] was going by.

Did you notice that the man who was in need of healing and was hanging out on the side of the road couldn’t even see Jesus passing by? And yet, he was acutely aware that something was out of the ordinary.

The first point is that God wants to be aware of His presence. If you are in need of healing, comfort, provision, guidance, or the loving touch of God, the first thing you must do is be aware that God is always with you.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He ascended into heaven. Many were grief-stricken to see Him go, but Jesus forewarned of His departure and taught that it was not without purpose, for when He left, He would leave behind the Holy Spirit – fully God – who would come to indwell all those who follow Christ. As Jesus walked this earth, the crowds flocked to Him – they dug through roofs and pushed through crowds to be near Him. All you and I have to do is invite Him into our hearts – and then recognize His presence. If you have already prayed for Jesus to be in your life, you can trust that His presence is always with you – you simply need to be aware of Him. If you haven’t yet accepted Jesus into your life, it is as simple as breathing a prayer of invitation…”Jesus…I give my life to you…and I ask you to come into my heart.”

That’s it! In order to receive Jesus’ healing, we must invite Him in, and then we have the privilege of being aware of His presence.

Step two, after being aware of Jesus’ presence, we must ask for His healing…

Matthew tells us of two blind men shouting to Jesus as recorded in Matthew 20:32-33…

32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!”

Not only does Jesus want us to recognize His presence, He wants us to recognize His power. God wants us to name our need, and come to Him in humility, trusting in His power. See, when we pray for our own healing or the healing of someone else, and God heals, we get to be a part of the miracle! And we then have a testimony! Through our prayer and God’s response, we are given a story to share with others to point THEM to God!

If you are seeking God’s healing power, remember His constant presence, and ask for His healing.

When you do this, however, scripture warns that the world will come against you…and God teaches us Point #3 to put ourselves in a posture for receiving God’s healing – Stand strong against the world. Mark gives us this teaching when he tells the story of blind Bartimeaus who called out for healing and was greeted with an unfriendly crowd…Mark 10:48 in the NIV records…

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Can I just say – Go Bartimeaus! As followers of Christ, we can be assured that the world WILL come against us when we reach for God. Because what people don’t understand, they write off as “weird.” But as Christ-followers, we can stand on the fact that God is with us and we can go to Him requesting healing despite what the world says, thinks, or does.

The amazing thing is that as the world sees God working in tandem with your prayers, others WILL come to you and ask you to cry out for THEM. When that happens, do it! Because Jesus point in healing is always to point ALL to God.

Thankfully, even when the world comes against us, we don’t have to stand alone…which leads us to point 4 – When we seek God’s healing, we must recognize His presence, ask Him for that which we seek, tune out the nay-sayers of the world, and allow other Christians to hold us up.

Just after Bartimeaus was chastised by some, Mark continues in verse 49…

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”

We are all put on this earth together to support each other and lead each other to Jesus. We have the privilege and joy of standing together! If you do not have a prayer group in your life – I would encourage you to join one. It is an honor and privilege to seek God’s healing on behalf of others, and it is a gift to have others lift us up. If you don’t have a prayer group, reach out to us at [email protected] so we can connect you. Or, spend time daily on our prayer wall at www.womenworldleaders.com.

The fifth step in receiving God’s healing to believe that God can heal!

Matthew records a conversation that Jesus had before healing two men…Matthew 9:28-30 from the New Living Translation…

28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! 

To be healed by God, we must be aware of His presence, ask for His healing, tune out the world while relishing in the support of other Christians, and we must BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN HEAL US.

Remember…Jesus’ purpose in healing is to point all to God the Father. Our belief, in this lifetime, generally grows bit by bit. God understands that we sometimes doubt, but He will take that belief we do have, and grow it by His faithfulness to us. One prayer I pray often is “Lord, help my unbelief.” And do you know what? He always does! Sometimes I have to be patient, and sometimes His answer comes in unexpected ways. Sometimes God will grow my belief by putting me through the whole process again… by giving me a need that only He can fill … perhaps a healing that can only be accomplished by Him … reminding me to be aware of His presence, to go to Him with my request, to tune out the world, to rely on other Christians and prayer partners, and to believe that He can meet my need.

As you are healed in this life – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually – remember there is a final step…

Luke 18:43 from The Passion Translation tells of the aftermath of a blind man who regained his sight…

Instantly he could see again. His eyes popped opened, and he saw Jesus. He shouted loud praises to God and he followed Jesus. And when the crowd saw what happened, they too erupted with shouts of praise to God.

What a beautiful picture that is!

We will all need healing…and God WILL heal us if we go to Him. Because He loves us SO much! We may not completely understand the healing process, but we CAN trust it. Sometimes, it will seem like the cancer or another disease has won as it takes the life of our loved one. But we can trust that God always wins…because there is an eternity beyond this life where we, as lovers of God, will rest forever in His presence. And THAT is ultimate healing. THAT, from the beginning, was Jesus’ whole point in healing the blind, the sick, and the lame. So we must never forget that after each healing, big or small, we are to give God the glory – we are given permission to erupt with shouts of praise to our God who is always present, who wants us to come to Him with our needs, who guards us from the nay-sayers of the world and surrounds us with those who will lift us up into his presence, and who gives us reason after reason to believe Him. We CAN believe for healing! We can stake our entire lives on the fact that our God will never leave us nor forsake us, and who, if we let Him, will usher us into an eternity where healing will never need to take place again. Let’s pray!

Dear Most gracious and loving God! We thank you and praise you! We give you all the glory, knowing that you WILL heal us, right into eternity. Thank you for continually guiding us, even when that guidance hurts, thank you for giving us exactly what we need in this life that we may be a beacon of light for all, pointing the way to you. As your followers, that is our ultimate goal, because we know that it is your ultimate goal. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.