Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired?
Sermon
SERMONS ON THE GOSPEL READINGS
Series I, Cycle A
"Heal the sick," Jesus commanded (Matthew 10:8). His orders leave our knees knocking and us feeling inadequate.
In Edward Albee's play, The Death of Bessie Smith, a character rages, "I'm sick! Sick of everything in this fly-ridden world! I am sick of waking up, I am tired of the truth, I am tired of lying about the truth, tired of my skin! I want out, I want off this world!" Now, that, my friend, is desperate sickness! And perhaps today, as you read this, you find yourself ill. My question is, "Would you like to be well?"
Have you ever wondered about sickness? Wondered what the Bible says about healing? In the text, Christ heals the infirm. And he commissions his disciples to do the same. Let's take a look at scripture and see what can be learned about healing.
In Genesis 2:7, we are told what there is about us to be sick or well. We are told God made Adam's physical body out of the clay of the ground. Then God blew his Divine Spirit into the man, and Adam became a living soul. That means he had an emotion, a will, and an intellect. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul writes to the Greek church, and he prays for their health saying, "May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." So, you see, good health is not just physical. It is also spiritual, emotional, intellectual, willful, and even relational. Such is the health the Lord wants us to enjoy.
In our text today, Jesus gives instruction to the disciples as he sends them out to do the works of compassion and the kingdom work that all believers need to do. Jesus reminds them there is always more work than there are people to do it, but that they should go out anyway.
Then Jesus instructs the twelve. Listen to the things Jesus tells them to do:
* Preach the message that the kingdom of heaven is near
* Heal the sick
* Raise the dead
* Drive out demons
* Freely you have received, freely give
That's quite a list! We could spend a long time dealing with each of these, but today we're going to focus on the command to heal the sick.
Jesus was not alone in the New Testament in calling for believers to heal the sick. James especially gives some detailed instruction for believers as they seek to bring healing through the power of God.
James asks the question, "Is any among you sick?" Scripture points out that there are several types of illnesses. There is a sickness unto sin. Psalm 107:17 says, "Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction." An illness due to sin could be something like worry and a nervous breakdown, overeating and a bad heart, sexual immorality and venereal disease, cigarette smoking and cancer, and more. You don't need me to tell you that sicknesses due to sin are epidemic today!
A doctor recently expressed. "My patients abuse themselves with food, overwork, smoking, lack of exercise, and too much booze. Then they come to me for a pill to make it all better. Their illnesses are self-inflicted. Their cure must be self-administered by right choices."
The Bible also makes it clear that there is also a sickness due to Satan. In Job 2:7 we are told, "Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Basic historic Christianity has recognized that some illnesses are traceable to demonic activity. Some are sick due to satanic oppression. The evil one has backed some people into a corner, tempted them, and the individual has fallen to that temptation so often that he is enslaved. It could be some compulsive habit that is unhealthy. It could be something that has brought on neurotic behavior. Whatever the case, the individual needs deliverance. (I might add here, that satanic oppression is not always due to sin. Job, a righteous man, was sorely oppressed by Satan. There was no particular sin in Job's life. Satan seemed to have oppressed him arbitrarily.) Scripture also affirms that there is a sickness caused by possession. Satan can not only tempt and oppress an individual, he can also possess someone. Here, exorcism is required to clear up physical and emotional maladies.
So, there is a sickness due to sin, a sickness due to Satan, and, according to scripture, there is a sickness to the glory of God. In John 9:1-3 a group of men saw a blind child and inquired of Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him." I think many of us are like the disciples. We like to trace all illnesses to Satan or some secret sin in someone's life. But this is not always the case. Jesus said that some sickness is for the glory of God. We live in a broken world. We can be born with deformities like blindness, hormonal imbalances, and mental deficiencies. Furthermore, this broken world can break us. This is seen in childhood diseases, accidents, and natural disasters. Saint Paul had his own famous "thorn" in his flesh. He suffered with it throughout his adult life. Of course, Jesus endured crucifixion. Both of them, Jesus and Paul, suffered for God's glory. They suffered with God as he worked to restore this broken, sinful world.
Are you sick? It could be a sickness unto sin or Satan or the glory of God. It could also be a sickness unto death. Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, "Thus says the Lord: 'Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover' " (Isaiah 38:1). Look at it this way; there has to sooner or later be a sickness in your life that is fatal. If there were not, how would you ever get to heaven? Can you imagine two unborn twins in their mother's womb? What if they could talk? When the time of birth comes they struggle against it. Where they are is warmth and food and security. The outside world is new to them. They are afraid to be born, and they fight it. We do that with death, too, don't we?
Here we have our loved ones, a home of sorts, and a familiarity with the way things are. When a sickness unto death comes upon us, we struggle against it like an unborn child. Yet our death is but a birth into heaven.
Your Response To Sickness
There are many different kinds of sickness and there are many ways of responding to sickness as well. James says, "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church." Here, we are told to seek spiritual assistance in our afflictions. Here, we are told to call for the church authorities. Pray for yourself, sure! But call for the elders as well.
I've noticed what people are accustomed to doing when they become ill. It's a kind of game they seem to be playing. Some creep off to the hospital very quietly. They don't want anyone to know about it. Others shut themselves up in their home and quietly put the elders to the test. "How long will it take them to miss me?" they ask. Sometimes several weeks pass and the sick person feels injured, insulted! "Why, I'm so important in this community they should have missed me the second day," they rage.
Why is it that many expect the elders to know of their illness when they haven't been notified? Perhaps it's an attempt to find something to criticize. There are some people like that, you know. Maybe it's a test to see if the elders are omnipotent. The reasoning goes like this usually, "They're elders and they should know." In case you missed it, that's like saying, "They're God and they should know everything or they're not doing their jobs."
The scripture puts an end to all this foolishness! The sick have more responsibility than just being sick, for the Bible very clearly says that when you are ill it is your responsibility to call for the elders. If your house were on fire you'd call the fire department. You wouldn't wait for them to smell smoke or by chance happen by. You'd call them right away! The same with your elders. Call them! Go by their house. Use the phone or a letter, but you personally call them! Say, "Pastor, I'm ill. Could you please come by with the elders and pray for me?"
In case you are wondering why the text stresses your calling for the elders, I'll tell you. It's an act of faith. When Jesus walked in Galilee the sick called out to him! They traveled to meet him. They were let down on beds through the roof. They cried out as lepers. "Lord, heal me!" They sought to touch the hemline of his garment. And to the many that Jesus healed, he said, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well."
What Do The Elders Do?
So far we've discerned four varieties of illness and seen how it is the responsibility of the sick to exercise faith, to take the initiative and call out for mature assistance. Now the text explains the elders' roll. It instructs, "Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
Some background here: In the Greek, the word "elder" is presbuteros. We get the word "presbyterian" from that. It literally means the "gray-bearded ones," the older, more mature spiritual men. In the Old Testament the temple priests were the original physicians. In them was what medical knowledge there was. Priests quarantined lepers, taught people to wash in running water, burned contaminated bed clothes, and prayed for Israel's general welfare and health.
When the text says elders "anoint with oil," the word "oil" could be translated as "medicine." Psalm 23 soothes, "Thou anointest my head with oil." Sheep, you see, incurred all manner of bug bites and scratches. It was easy for these to get infected. So the good shepherd made an antiseptic salve and rubbed it on his little lambs. Not only did it act as a bug repellant. It also helped heal.
Luke's Gospel, likewise, shares the parable of the Good Samaritan. When the beaten victim was left for dead, the kind stranger poured wine and oil on his wounds. Same idea. Wine was an antiseptic. Oil was a form of medicine.
Today's elders may prescribe the oil of modern medical know-how for your sickness as well. You might be asked to get a good check-up. (Did you know an abscessed tooth can cause depression?) Science, you see, is a gift of God. Modern physicians have studied the ways of God's laws and are so often able to bring relief.
"Elders," "oil," — these are weighted words that require background study to fully comprehend their meaning. Now let's consider the laying on of hands, the touching, that is a very real portion of the elder's healing ministry.
A touch makes a connection between two people. It shows concern — a nurse holding a frightened child's hand during a procedure, a grandchild kissing his grandpa as he recovers in bed. It's a way of saying, "I'm here. I care."
Research is discovering that a touch does so much more than transmit good will. There is also an intangible surge of power that flows through a touch. A woman who for many years suffered from a serious hemorrhage reached out to Jesus one day. Her thoughts were, "If I but touch the hemline of his garment, I shall be made well." Jesus, the Bible says, perceived "power went forth from him."
The largest organ in the human body is the skin. Many sick persons are so seldom touched except to administer a shot or to roll over in bed. They develop what scientists now call "skin hunger." A combination of depression, lack of stimulation, and longing for bonding. Only the kindness of touching can bring relief.
Oil, elders, touching — this is the focus of an elder's healing ministry. Now, one thing more — prayer. "Let them pray over him," the text says. This is simply when we pray asking Jesus to love the sufferer with his presence, his will, and his healing power. Two phrases qualify how our prayers should be. "In the name of the Lord." That is — in God's will. And "the prayer of faith" — of trust not doubting. This is our prayer.
What's The Result?
So far we've looked at different types of sicknesses. We've looked at your responsibility to call for the elders. We've looked at the elder's task of counseling, touching, prayer, and sometimes referral. Now, let us examine what the result of all this is. What is God's responsibility? The text says, "And the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up."
If you follow Jesus around in his New Testament ministry, you will find him healing many people of various diseases. He healed those who were sick due to some sin (Matthew 9:1-8). He healed those oppressed or possessed by Satan (Mark 5; Luke 13:1-016; Job). He healed some that were sick for the glory of God (John 9:1-33). In some cases God even healed those sick unto death (John 11:1-44; Isaiah 38).
Yes, the Lord healed many. But it is not true that Jesus healed in every time and in every place. He did not heal Saint Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12). Nor did he heal young Timothy's stomach disorder (1 Timothy 5:23). He didn't even heal his own wounds of crucifixion on the cross. And in John 5, Christ walked off leaving an entire crowd unhealed except for one.
Now, understand this, dear people: The Lord always heals, either right now or in the resurrection. He can choose to heal us, or he can choose to give us the grace to bear it until death and the resurrection when we receive a new body. God can work in many and marvelous ways. A lady named Mrs. Williams became ill with cancer. She took treatments of chemotherapy, but only got worse. Her church held a prayer meeting just for her. They laid hands on her and all prayed. When she returned to the doctor, x-rays showed no further evidence of cancer whatsoever. God can heal us still! He can heal through doctors and prayer, through many channels. He can still heal our spiritual, mental, physical, and social illnesses.
But the Lord does not always offer the easy cure. He does not always offer a way out. Sometimes he offers a way through. He offers the grace to bear the sickness for his glory.
In a church I formerly served, was Cindy. Wife, mother, busy volunteer, professional clown — she was an all-around good, lovely woman. Then Cindy got cancer. I still don't understand it, but cancer ate her alive! And Cindy prayed! Oh, how she prayed! The elders anointed her with oil. People fasted. I was absolutely certain Jesus would heal Cindy. Still she died. But, oh! How Cindy died! She died one of the most triumphant deaths I've ever seen!
Before she perished, Cindy read a poem one Sunday morning to the entire church. Here is what she wrote...
ALMOST PERFECT
Only two Chemo's left!
PRAISE GOD!!!
It's almost over
Soon I'll be back to my old self
Going to work
Selling cosmetics
Cooking for family and friends
Doing all the things I've put off doing ...
Because of the "Big C."
Yes, I'll be ALMOST PERFECT.
Then I look in the mirror at the scars
Two where my breasts were
One where my catheter was
One where my colostomy was
One where a drainage tube was inserted
One where my hysterectomy was, and last but not least...
One that runs the length of my stomach ... that's been used twice.
Quite a picture of beauty!!
I didn't realize how important a woman's body is to her until now.
I still avoid looking in too many mirrors because I still can't believe I'm seeing ME!!!
Who is that person devoid of almost all hair on her body
And those horrible red gashes all over her soft white skin?
How can this be???
What did she do to deserve this mutilation of her healthy flesh?
How could GOD let this happen to one of His own?
Then I realize these are the scars of a warrior. A warrior strong in battle.
Only warriors get battle scars.
I straighten up and proudly admire the scars in the mirror.
These are my badges of honor.
I earned every one by the grace of GOD!!!!!
I am proud to be a member of the ARMY OF GOD!
Not a day goes by that I don't think of Cindy's victorious life. Her courage, her faith, her grace is a tonic to me. For God doesn't always offer an easy way out. Sometimes he offers a way through.
In Isaiah 43:1-2 we read, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, You are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
Living The Promise!
Jesus sent the disciples out with a sense of urgency to bring about healing of soul and body alike. The harvest is still plentiful and the need for willing workers remains. Realize that God is still sending his people out to hurting people everywhere ... and that he may be sending you to a healing ministry or a preaching of the Good News in the places and with the people you know the best.
Suggested Prayer
We give thee thanks, O God, for your healing ministry. We thank you that you not only care for the health of our spirit, but for our minds and bodies as well. Help us to make it a habit to call on you and your church for all our health needs. For Christ's sake. Amen.
Stephen M. Crotts
In Edward Albee's play, The Death of Bessie Smith, a character rages, "I'm sick! Sick of everything in this fly-ridden world! I am sick of waking up, I am tired of the truth, I am tired of lying about the truth, tired of my skin! I want out, I want off this world!" Now, that, my friend, is desperate sickness! And perhaps today, as you read this, you find yourself ill. My question is, "Would you like to be well?"
Have you ever wondered about sickness? Wondered what the Bible says about healing? In the text, Christ heals the infirm. And he commissions his disciples to do the same. Let's take a look at scripture and see what can be learned about healing.
In Genesis 2:7, we are told what there is about us to be sick or well. We are told God made Adam's physical body out of the clay of the ground. Then God blew his Divine Spirit into the man, and Adam became a living soul. That means he had an emotion, a will, and an intellect. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul writes to the Greek church, and he prays for their health saying, "May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." So, you see, good health is not just physical. It is also spiritual, emotional, intellectual, willful, and even relational. Such is the health the Lord wants us to enjoy.
In our text today, Jesus gives instruction to the disciples as he sends them out to do the works of compassion and the kingdom work that all believers need to do. Jesus reminds them there is always more work than there are people to do it, but that they should go out anyway.
Then Jesus instructs the twelve. Listen to the things Jesus tells them to do:
* Preach the message that the kingdom of heaven is near
* Heal the sick
* Raise the dead
* Drive out demons
* Freely you have received, freely give
That's quite a list! We could spend a long time dealing with each of these, but today we're going to focus on the command to heal the sick.
Jesus was not alone in the New Testament in calling for believers to heal the sick. James especially gives some detailed instruction for believers as they seek to bring healing through the power of God.
James asks the question, "Is any among you sick?" Scripture points out that there are several types of illnesses. There is a sickness unto sin. Psalm 107:17 says, "Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction." An illness due to sin could be something like worry and a nervous breakdown, overeating and a bad heart, sexual immorality and venereal disease, cigarette smoking and cancer, and more. You don't need me to tell you that sicknesses due to sin are epidemic today!
A doctor recently expressed. "My patients abuse themselves with food, overwork, smoking, lack of exercise, and too much booze. Then they come to me for a pill to make it all better. Their illnesses are self-inflicted. Their cure must be self-administered by right choices."
The Bible also makes it clear that there is also a sickness due to Satan. In Job 2:7 we are told, "Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Basic historic Christianity has recognized that some illnesses are traceable to demonic activity. Some are sick due to satanic oppression. The evil one has backed some people into a corner, tempted them, and the individual has fallen to that temptation so often that he is enslaved. It could be some compulsive habit that is unhealthy. It could be something that has brought on neurotic behavior. Whatever the case, the individual needs deliverance. (I might add here, that satanic oppression is not always due to sin. Job, a righteous man, was sorely oppressed by Satan. There was no particular sin in Job's life. Satan seemed to have oppressed him arbitrarily.) Scripture also affirms that there is a sickness caused by possession. Satan can not only tempt and oppress an individual, he can also possess someone. Here, exorcism is required to clear up physical and emotional maladies.
So, there is a sickness due to sin, a sickness due to Satan, and, according to scripture, there is a sickness to the glory of God. In John 9:1-3 a group of men saw a blind child and inquired of Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him." I think many of us are like the disciples. We like to trace all illnesses to Satan or some secret sin in someone's life. But this is not always the case. Jesus said that some sickness is for the glory of God. We live in a broken world. We can be born with deformities like blindness, hormonal imbalances, and mental deficiencies. Furthermore, this broken world can break us. This is seen in childhood diseases, accidents, and natural disasters. Saint Paul had his own famous "thorn" in his flesh. He suffered with it throughout his adult life. Of course, Jesus endured crucifixion. Both of them, Jesus and Paul, suffered for God's glory. They suffered with God as he worked to restore this broken, sinful world.
Are you sick? It could be a sickness unto sin or Satan or the glory of God. It could also be a sickness unto death. Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, "Thus says the Lord: 'Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover' " (Isaiah 38:1). Look at it this way; there has to sooner or later be a sickness in your life that is fatal. If there were not, how would you ever get to heaven? Can you imagine two unborn twins in their mother's womb? What if they could talk? When the time of birth comes they struggle against it. Where they are is warmth and food and security. The outside world is new to them. They are afraid to be born, and they fight it. We do that with death, too, don't we?
Here we have our loved ones, a home of sorts, and a familiarity with the way things are. When a sickness unto death comes upon us, we struggle against it like an unborn child. Yet our death is but a birth into heaven.
Your Response To Sickness
There are many different kinds of sickness and there are many ways of responding to sickness as well. James says, "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church." Here, we are told to seek spiritual assistance in our afflictions. Here, we are told to call for the church authorities. Pray for yourself, sure! But call for the elders as well.
I've noticed what people are accustomed to doing when they become ill. It's a kind of game they seem to be playing. Some creep off to the hospital very quietly. They don't want anyone to know about it. Others shut themselves up in their home and quietly put the elders to the test. "How long will it take them to miss me?" they ask. Sometimes several weeks pass and the sick person feels injured, insulted! "Why, I'm so important in this community they should have missed me the second day," they rage.
Why is it that many expect the elders to know of their illness when they haven't been notified? Perhaps it's an attempt to find something to criticize. There are some people like that, you know. Maybe it's a test to see if the elders are omnipotent. The reasoning goes like this usually, "They're elders and they should know." In case you missed it, that's like saying, "They're God and they should know everything or they're not doing their jobs."
The scripture puts an end to all this foolishness! The sick have more responsibility than just being sick, for the Bible very clearly says that when you are ill it is your responsibility to call for the elders. If your house were on fire you'd call the fire department. You wouldn't wait for them to smell smoke or by chance happen by. You'd call them right away! The same with your elders. Call them! Go by their house. Use the phone or a letter, but you personally call them! Say, "Pastor, I'm ill. Could you please come by with the elders and pray for me?"
In case you are wondering why the text stresses your calling for the elders, I'll tell you. It's an act of faith. When Jesus walked in Galilee the sick called out to him! They traveled to meet him. They were let down on beds through the roof. They cried out as lepers. "Lord, heal me!" They sought to touch the hemline of his garment. And to the many that Jesus healed, he said, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well."
What Do The Elders Do?
So far we've discerned four varieties of illness and seen how it is the responsibility of the sick to exercise faith, to take the initiative and call out for mature assistance. Now the text explains the elders' roll. It instructs, "Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
Some background here: In the Greek, the word "elder" is presbuteros. We get the word "presbyterian" from that. It literally means the "gray-bearded ones," the older, more mature spiritual men. In the Old Testament the temple priests were the original physicians. In them was what medical knowledge there was. Priests quarantined lepers, taught people to wash in running water, burned contaminated bed clothes, and prayed for Israel's general welfare and health.
When the text says elders "anoint with oil," the word "oil" could be translated as "medicine." Psalm 23 soothes, "Thou anointest my head with oil." Sheep, you see, incurred all manner of bug bites and scratches. It was easy for these to get infected. So the good shepherd made an antiseptic salve and rubbed it on his little lambs. Not only did it act as a bug repellant. It also helped heal.
Luke's Gospel, likewise, shares the parable of the Good Samaritan. When the beaten victim was left for dead, the kind stranger poured wine and oil on his wounds. Same idea. Wine was an antiseptic. Oil was a form of medicine.
Today's elders may prescribe the oil of modern medical know-how for your sickness as well. You might be asked to get a good check-up. (Did you know an abscessed tooth can cause depression?) Science, you see, is a gift of God. Modern physicians have studied the ways of God's laws and are so often able to bring relief.
"Elders," "oil," — these are weighted words that require background study to fully comprehend their meaning. Now let's consider the laying on of hands, the touching, that is a very real portion of the elder's healing ministry.
A touch makes a connection between two people. It shows concern — a nurse holding a frightened child's hand during a procedure, a grandchild kissing his grandpa as he recovers in bed. It's a way of saying, "I'm here. I care."
Research is discovering that a touch does so much more than transmit good will. There is also an intangible surge of power that flows through a touch. A woman who for many years suffered from a serious hemorrhage reached out to Jesus one day. Her thoughts were, "If I but touch the hemline of his garment, I shall be made well." Jesus, the Bible says, perceived "power went forth from him."
The largest organ in the human body is the skin. Many sick persons are so seldom touched except to administer a shot or to roll over in bed. They develop what scientists now call "skin hunger." A combination of depression, lack of stimulation, and longing for bonding. Only the kindness of touching can bring relief.
Oil, elders, touching — this is the focus of an elder's healing ministry. Now, one thing more — prayer. "Let them pray over him," the text says. This is simply when we pray asking Jesus to love the sufferer with his presence, his will, and his healing power. Two phrases qualify how our prayers should be. "In the name of the Lord." That is — in God's will. And "the prayer of faith" — of trust not doubting. This is our prayer.
What's The Result?
So far we've looked at different types of sicknesses. We've looked at your responsibility to call for the elders. We've looked at the elder's task of counseling, touching, prayer, and sometimes referral. Now, let us examine what the result of all this is. What is God's responsibility? The text says, "And the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up."
If you follow Jesus around in his New Testament ministry, you will find him healing many people of various diseases. He healed those who were sick due to some sin (Matthew 9:1-8). He healed those oppressed or possessed by Satan (Mark 5; Luke 13:1-016; Job). He healed some that were sick for the glory of God (John 9:1-33). In some cases God even healed those sick unto death (John 11:1-44; Isaiah 38).
Yes, the Lord healed many. But it is not true that Jesus healed in every time and in every place. He did not heal Saint Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12). Nor did he heal young Timothy's stomach disorder (1 Timothy 5:23). He didn't even heal his own wounds of crucifixion on the cross. And in John 5, Christ walked off leaving an entire crowd unhealed except for one.
Now, understand this, dear people: The Lord always heals, either right now or in the resurrection. He can choose to heal us, or he can choose to give us the grace to bear it until death and the resurrection when we receive a new body. God can work in many and marvelous ways. A lady named Mrs. Williams became ill with cancer. She took treatments of chemotherapy, but only got worse. Her church held a prayer meeting just for her. They laid hands on her and all prayed. When she returned to the doctor, x-rays showed no further evidence of cancer whatsoever. God can heal us still! He can heal through doctors and prayer, through many channels. He can still heal our spiritual, mental, physical, and social illnesses.
But the Lord does not always offer the easy cure. He does not always offer a way out. Sometimes he offers a way through. He offers the grace to bear the sickness for his glory.
In a church I formerly served, was Cindy. Wife, mother, busy volunteer, professional clown — she was an all-around good, lovely woman. Then Cindy got cancer. I still don't understand it, but cancer ate her alive! And Cindy prayed! Oh, how she prayed! The elders anointed her with oil. People fasted. I was absolutely certain Jesus would heal Cindy. Still she died. But, oh! How Cindy died! She died one of the most triumphant deaths I've ever seen!
Before she perished, Cindy read a poem one Sunday morning to the entire church. Here is what she wrote...
ALMOST PERFECT
Only two Chemo's left!
PRAISE GOD!!!
It's almost over
Soon I'll be back to my old self
Going to work
Selling cosmetics
Cooking for family and friends
Doing all the things I've put off doing ...
Because of the "Big C."
Yes, I'll be ALMOST PERFECT.
Then I look in the mirror at the scars
Two where my breasts were
One where my catheter was
One where my colostomy was
One where a drainage tube was inserted
One where my hysterectomy was, and last but not least...
One that runs the length of my stomach ... that's been used twice.
Quite a picture of beauty!!
I didn't realize how important a woman's body is to her until now.
I still avoid looking in too many mirrors because I still can't believe I'm seeing ME!!!
Who is that person devoid of almost all hair on her body
And those horrible red gashes all over her soft white skin?
How can this be???
What did she do to deserve this mutilation of her healthy flesh?
How could GOD let this happen to one of His own?
Then I realize these are the scars of a warrior. A warrior strong in battle.
Only warriors get battle scars.
I straighten up and proudly admire the scars in the mirror.
These are my badges of honor.
I earned every one by the grace of GOD!!!!!
I am proud to be a member of the ARMY OF GOD!
Not a day goes by that I don't think of Cindy's victorious life. Her courage, her faith, her grace is a tonic to me. For God doesn't always offer an easy way out. Sometimes he offers a way through.
In Isaiah 43:1-2 we read, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, You are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
Living The Promise!
Jesus sent the disciples out with a sense of urgency to bring about healing of soul and body alike. The harvest is still plentiful and the need for willing workers remains. Realize that God is still sending his people out to hurting people everywhere ... and that he may be sending you to a healing ministry or a preaching of the Good News in the places and with the people you know the best.
Suggested Prayer
We give thee thanks, O God, for your healing ministry. We thank you that you not only care for the health of our spirit, but for our minds and bodies as well. Help us to make it a habit to call on you and your church for all our health needs. For Christ's sake. Amen.
Stephen M. Crotts
