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“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” —James 5:14
O
n April 21, at both our church campuses, we had services asking for the Lord’s healing. You read that correctly. We obeyed James 5:13 and invited people to come forward during the time of invitation. We anointed many with oil and prayed for healing in Jesus’ name. The response was like I had never seen. Many lined up in the aisles patiently awaiting their turn to be anointed and prayed over. It was an intense and beautiful time in the Lord. We prayed in faith, asking God to heal bodies, minds, marriages, and homes.
The need is great. People are struggling in every way you can imagine. We need churches that resemble hospitals more than hotels. Churches that have a battleship mentality and not a cruise ship approach to ministry. Satan has unleashed a violent surge of attacks all over the world. The only hope for this broken world is the body of Christ—His church—loving and ministering to others in Jesus’ name and by His power.
My text for the message that day was Exodus 15:22-27, and the title was “Jehovah Rophe—the LORD Who Heals.” The first time God reveals Himself as the LORD who heals is Exodus 15:26. It is a powerful and assuring truth in Scripture that God is the Great Physician who heals supernaturally. We may be suspicious of human healers, but not of God’s supernatural ability to heal those who are hurting and sick.
"God is sovereign and He decides who will be healed. Our responsibility is to pray and trust in Him. Just as more people are saved when we witness, more people are healed when we pray."
There are two erroneous extremes that must be avoided when dealing with the subject of healing. One, we should not say God never heals. That is a statement of unbelief. God is the God who heals, as evidenced in the Bible. Many of you, like me, have seen God do the miraculous and heal the sick.
The second extreme we must avoid is saying God always heals and that we simply must have faith. This is as equally untrue as saying God never heals. I have known people who loved God just as much as you and I and had as much faith or more and God chose not to heal. The apostle Paul, who I believe is the greatest Christian who ever lived, prayed and asked God to heal him three times and God said no (2 Corinthians 12:8).
God is sovereign and He decides who will be healed. Our responsibility is to pray and trust in Him. Just as more people are saved when we witness, more people are healed when we pray. Perhaps you are suffering and need healing from the Lord. God loves you and has the power to heal you. If He chooses not to answer in the way you think He should, rest assured, He has a plan and He is in control. Romans 8:28—offering the truth that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose–is still in the Bible.
I am praying for you that whatever your need is, be it physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, marital, or anything else, that you would go to God in prayer. Also, consider what James teaches and ask the elders of your church to anoint you with oil and pray for you.
Praise Jehovah Rophe, for He is the God who heals!
