Unshackled Moments ~ July 14 ~ Healing

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

~Mark 1:29-31

Healing, is an act of mercy and grace. Even natural healing is a miracle of the Creator's love for His creation, a great design that allows the broken to repair itself. Sometimes that doesn't or can't happen though, or sometimes that natural miracle will take too long. And sometimes during those times, miraculous healings outside the realm of the natural method occur when we receive a special touch from God. These are exciting and make great testimony of the love and power of God. They also make life easier. But there is a purpose to them. We have the difficulties of our illness and shortcomings removed so that the removal of them may bear witness of our God's great love, power and way of life and so that we can be of service. Healing is not God's way of feeding our addiction to instant gratification. He is not caving to the tantrums of a spiritual toddler demanding to feel better now. If our going through the slower and more natural method of healing will make us better able to respond to Him and find our strength and hope in Him, or for that matter if simply finding the grace to go on without being healed at all and learning to turn to Him in the midst of and despite our pain, then that may be what happens.

God uses what we are going through to bring us to Him and make us able to be a light and of service to others. We might always feel and believe that the most miraculous and comfortable alternative would serve that purpose best, but God knows better. He knows when taking away our sickness instantly will lead to immediate service, and when it won't. He also knows when years of being bed ridden will lead to lives that produce lives like Eliza Hewitt , who wrote the words "Sing the wondrous love of Jesus; sing his mercy and his grace. In the mansions bright and blessed he'll prepare for us a place. So no matter what we are going through, and whether we find miraculous relief or not , let us turn to God and not away. Let us remember His love is enough and what matters, even if the healing doesn't come (and even if it does).