This heart cry question popped up this week, several times and in several ways.   I will try to share the scriptures and verses I quoted.

For those of us who pray for the sick, we often have heart wounds.  The losses can feel almost so devastating that we are tempted to quit or can feel racked with guilt and sorrow.

This is what I understand at the moment.  Please be Berean and see what you can see for your self.  For those who heard me share this this week, please let me know if this comes across clearly in writing.

First question:  If your loved one had been taken to Jesus during His earthly ministry, would they have been healed?

YES!!!  Scripture tells us that we wil o the same works He did, what we are filled with the Holy Spirit who is greater than He who is in the World, that all believers can lay hands on the sick and they will recover.

James 1:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)” 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or [a]shifting shadow.”

Hebrews 13:8 King James Version (KJV) “8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

John 16:7-8 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE) “. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 [a]And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:”

John 14:12 King James Version (KJV) “² Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

1 John 4:3-6 King James Version (KJV) “3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.  4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

 

There is no scripture to quote that gives even one example in scripture of Jesus refusing to heal anyone who was brought or who came to Him. (see the 2 posts about Paul’s thorn if you believe this was the one exception).    The only criteria is that somehow or other they showed up, either seeking healing for themselves, or for someone else or even just because they wanted to hear Him speak.   We are not told the individual motives, sin issues, medical issues, faith levels etc of the crowd/mulititude/many that He healed.      We are told only once that He could do no mighty works due to their unbelief.. but even then He healed a few sick ones by the laying on of hands.  See if you can spot the trend in the next few verses from the KJV.

Acts 3:6 “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

1 John 4:18-19 ¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹We love him, because he first loved us.

Acts 1:4-8 ⁴And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. ⁵For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. ⁶When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, LORD, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? ⁷And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ⁸But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

In each verse, they had to first receive and then give what they received.

2 Corinthians 8(NLT) ” ‘10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.”

Luke 12 Berean Study Bible “7That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded. 49I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”

Generally, we can only give in proportion to what we have received.  Peter says plainly, “such as I have give I thee”.  He knew he had it and therefore was totally confident about giving it to another.  I must stress that it is not Jesus who has failed to give, but us who are still in the process of fully receiving what He has done for us.

John 6:29 New Living Translation (NLT)  “29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

This same Peter was among those who fled when Jesus was arrested and who denied Christ.  He was likely there when they failed to heal the boy with seizures.    Something changed, something shifted,

2nd question:  If we prayed better, would they have been healed?  No.

I love my daughter.   She is a wonderful toddler.   She does things in perfect toddler fashion.  She acts her age.   She is precious and lovely and exactly doing what she is suppose to be doing, often with gusto.     I do not expect her to behave like my 10 year old.   I do not expect her to write words or to climb trees etc.  Because is 2 and not 10.   I do require this of my ten year old and will not let him act like my 2 year old when it comes to his responsibilities.  I expect to act and do according to his ability.

Those who are praying for the sick are often highly dedicated in their prayers, in their seeking of God, in their reading of the Word, in their serving of the community.    I have prayed for many, some have been healed, some have not and a few have passed away in spite of our best efforts.  I believe that when we give are all and apply all that we know and are capable of, that we hear those blessed words of the Lord.   “My Good and faithful servant”.

The parable of the talents is one that comes to mind often when I think about my own experiences.   The owner came back and commended those who used the talents he gave them.  He gave the same commendation to both who had put what they gave him to use.   The only one he rebuked was the one that buried it in fear. (see Matthew 5:14-30)

A personal story to illustrate this.   We had been praying earnestly for a young child who was suffering from seizures and later diagnosed with a benign brain tumor.    We rejoice when all seizures stopped for a window of months..  and were profoundly challenged when they resumed and surgery and months of recovery and years of follow up with doctors followed.   Praise God, she is well today and thriving and a very blessed child.   At the time though, I felt like the worst kind of failure and like a total hypocrit.   I could see what I could see in scripture and hope for her healing, but I struggled inwardly with fear, doubt and unbelief.    The couple brought their precious child to a meeting where a more experienced and knowledgeable healing teacher was speaking.   I invited them to come and and silently prayed and begged God that this would be the night the child was healed.   I prayed earnestly that the speaker would bless this devoted mama with words of encouragement and power and that this family’s struggle would end that night in victory.    As I prayed, the speaker did speak to this dear sister…   And I wept quietly rejoicing to hear words I longed to speak and share with her that I had know window or ability to utter.    I was feeling utterly low and crushed personally but still rejoicing in the Goodness of our God.   I was utterly shocked and beyond blessed when the speaker than spoke to me…..  Words that blessed me beyond anything I can share here.    He told me that the Father wanted me to know that I was a good and faithful servant.  I was stunned, shocked, and humbled and blessed and healed and renewed and in awe of the Father’s goodness to me in that hour.      From that day on, it has slowly sunk in, that these words are for every child of God who faithfully day by day lives out to the best of their present knowledge and ability, regardless of the outcome that we are hoping for as we go about the Father’s business.

Satan likes to accuse us and tell us how terribly we have failed and bombard us with thoughts of “if only I…”    But the reaility is, if we have prayed with our whole heart, sought Him earnestly and done all that we know to do with passion….   Then we have not failed.  We have done all and given all that we have.    The Lord is well pleased with those who are faithful in this way.    Going back to the parable of the talents.    The Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him and He will multiply and supernaturally advance those who faithfully use and invest in what He has given them.      We will continue to grow in our talents and abilities as we faithfully use and yes, we will grow in increase in our kingdom capacities.   This is a reason for great hope and rejoicing..

The reality is that sometimes, what we have presently been able to believe and receive of God’s truth, is not sufficient for the emergency or issue at hand in some cases.  But we have glorified God in giving all.   God is not angry with us for failing to be like Elijah.  He is not comparing us to anyone but ourselves and to Christ. He is calling us to grow up, to crucify our flesh and to spend time with Him and be in His Word    If we are growing and learning, doing what His Word says completely and seeking Him and maturing, we are doing all that He asks of us.

Scripture tells us, Paul and many others leaders of religious law had made it their life’s work to study the scriptures and even lead their communities accordingly.    But somehow even though their lives were dedicated, somehow they were missing some key elements in their knowledge.

I can truly accept the “My good and faithful servant” from the Lord AND rest in knowing that all the while He is equipping me for even greater works as I rest in Him.

But I do remain on guard against error and complacency…   Going back to that same parable, do you see either one of these in the servant the master rebuked?     With even the great men falling prey to these two things, I believe it is wise to be mindful of these things.

The Bible records that they were suffering due to a sort of spiritual blindness and deafness.  This is why we must be Berean in all that we hear.   All of us have gaps in our understanding and errors in our theology.   Some of these are keeping us from experiencing the fullness of what the Word of God has promised us.

Thankfully, we can ask Him for eyes to see and ears to hear and the ability to understand. We can ask Him to expose any error in our thinking etc and He is so faithful in answering these prayers.

Scripture also reveals that hearing from and being filled with the Holy Spirit are essential to truly understanding God’s Word.  1 Corinthians 2 especially in the The Passion Translation, speaks to this very powerfully.   So we can also ask God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and help us to hear His voice in ever increasing measure.

Mark 7:11-13 New American Standard Bible (NASB) ¹¹ but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, [a]given to God),’ ¹² you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

Isaiah 6:9-10 English Standard Version (ESV)9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:  “‘Keep on hearing,[a] but do not understand;  keep on seeing,[b] but do not perceive.’  10 Make the heart of this people dull,[c]  and their ears heavy,  and blind their eyes;  lest they see with their eyes,  and hear with their ears,  and understand with their hearts,  and turn and be healed.”

Matthew 15:12-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) 12 Then the disciples came up and told Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard this statement?”  13 He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone! They are blind guides.[a] And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Today is the perfect day to start.  Just pray a simple prayer like, “Lord, please forgive me.  I have been passive, I have been complacent in my walk.  I have not been seeking you with zeal and have gotten comfortable feeding on spiritual milk.   I want to grow up starting now.  Help me to seek you passionately and do what I see in your word so that I can do greater and greater things for your Kingdom and glory.  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”

We can do nothing in our human effort.   But we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us.

John 6:63 New Living Translation (NLT)
63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Galatians 3:3 New Living Translation (NLT)
3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

Isaiah 53 tells us Jesus bore our condemnation.    Proverbs 24:16 tells us the righteousman falls 7 times but gets back up.     Dear ones, let us continue to boldly get back up and let Him strengthen us and equip us for war.

Psalm 144:1 Berean Study Bible “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. 2He is my loving devotion and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.…”

Ephesians 4:11-13 King James Version (KJV)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Ephesians 4:14-16 King James Version (KJV)
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Dear Ones, we are where we are today in Christ.   We are limited by several biblical factors.   A healthy flesh that has not been crucified will keep us from fully entering and acting as a Kingdom Ambassador.   I only started to begin to really understand this in the last year.   Acting on this truth has radically changed my ability to hear and obey God with boldness.   Fear and doubt will shackle us.  These are things that the love of God and Word of God will drive out of us.   Truly we can only  act on what we know and what we presently have received and believed.

But we have an Advocate, a Counselor, a Comforter and Teacher who is committed to helping us grow up in Christ and learn to do the things He did in greater and greater measure.  We should no sooner condemn ourselves for being limited by our age and understanding, than we should rebuke a toddler for being limited to the abilities of a toddler.    We can in fact learn to rejoice and rest in knowing that we have done all that we know to do and commit the rest to our faithful and VERY GOOD Father. Truly as we behold His glory, His truth, we are being transformed into his image by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 New King James Version (NKJV)  “17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord.”

As we seek Him first,  read His Word, pray and fast,  as we meet together and are equipped by the various people in the body of Christ, as we learn to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, we will grow and bear abundant fruit for His Kingdom.

We have two paths before us.  The road of the passive and the complacent, to rely on others to feed us milk and carry us, OR we can choose  to deny ourselves, pick our cross and follow Jesus, letting Him grow us up into the fullness of His purpose and calling on our lives.

Let us rejoice knowing that He who has promised is faithful and will finish the work He began in our lives.

Isn’t our Heavenly Father Good?  All through scripture, we see that He used one or a few Spirit lead ones, submitted ones  and faithful ones to act as elders and intercessors for the whole Body of Christ.  We see this in Moses, in Joshua, of course in Jesus and the apostle.

If David hadn’t showed up on the scene with His faith in God firmly established, Goliath would have one the day by intimidation.   James 5 tells us that this was God’s intention for our churches today.    So let’s also keep praying that God would raise up the biblical elders to oversee, heal and stand guard over our flocks, all the while equipping them and preparing them for the work of the ministry.