The God Who Heals

(May 12, 2013) There are things we never receive because we don’t pray believing. Jesus said that, and encouraged his followers to speak to “mountains,” those big things that appear immovable (Mark 11:22-24). Sickness and disease should qualify.

Jesus spent much of his ministry healing the sick. Then he passed the baton to his disciples—not just the twelve. But that particular baton seems to have been dropped, or at least whittled down to a twig over the centuries.

I’m not a poster child for bold faith. And prayer isn’t always my first response when a family member falls ill. I sometimes run to Google for wisdom before running to God.

Many of us have a tendency to try to fix things ourselves. But besides that, we might doubt God’s willingness to heal us. After all, we know godly people who need healing. If they aren’t healed, who are we to go asking?

Best-selling author Cecil Murphey doesn’t deny that many who seek healing don’t receive it. But that hasn’t kept him from writing about the times God has healed. The octogenarian and his publishing assistant, Twila Belk, have compiled a new book, I Believe in Healing: Real Stories from the Bible, History and Today (Regal Books; 300 pages).

The authors previously sought writers to submit healing stories—their own or others—for possible inclusion in the book. I jumped at the chance to write the kind of story I don’t typically publish. I think people mostly keep healing testimonies to themselves, perhaps not wanting to be doubted or thought to exaggerate. But this opportunity pushed me past those concerns. Then I had to decide which healing story to share.

I thought of writing about my first migraine headache, which struck me at age 21—as hard and fast as a baseball pitch. Panicked, I lay down unable to speak or pray beyond a whispered “Jesus.” Then I heard inaudible words: Stand up. I did that, and my headache was instantly and completely gone, as if I’d never had it. And I never suffered another migraine again.

Or maybe I would write about our daughter’s blood-filled front tooth. A swing-set accident marred her sweet three-year-old smile. I had little faith to pray about her blackened tooth, especially after the dentist sent us home with his regrets. “Don’t expect any improvement beyond a possible slow fade to gray,” he said. She’d get a new tooth in a few years. But I had to pray about it anyway at bedtime that night, after she asked if Jesus could make it better. Our little girl woke up the next morning with a perfectly white tooth that stayed that way.

But the authors requested vetted stories, with testimonies, explanations, witnesses or anything to validate them. So I chose to write about my left ear—the bane of my young existence. I described my childhood ear infections, a swimming accident and an errant firecracker explosion. Any of those events might have contributed to my hearing loss and dysfunction in one ear. I recounted how my ear was restored in a moment when a visiting preacher prayed for me—decades ago.

Now I’ve enjoyed reading I Believe in Healing, with over a hundred personal stories, including mine. Part Two of the book answers roadblock questions like, “Does Healing Happen Today?” The authors provided historical accounts of healings recorded through the ages of Christendom. These and a biblical examination of healing give the book sufficient legs to stand on.

I didn’t need convincing that God’s power and compassion is the same today as yesterday. But reading this book has encouraged me. I hope it will remind me to look first and always to God for healing.

Blue Ribbon News special contributor Patti Richter of Heath is a journalist who writes news and feature stories, book reviews and more for Christian publications.