Miracles do happen

Word Among Us, Oct 2003

At a prayer meeting dedicated to healing, one woman reluctantly came forward to receive prayer. She reasoned that many people at that prayer meeting needed healing in areas that were far larger than hers, and she was a bit embarrassed to make her request. She just wanted to ask God to take away her springtime allergies, which only lasted about a month. Some members of our team did pray with her, and, amazing as it sounds, her sneezing and other symptoms disappeared.

Jesus Wants to Heal. These are just a few examples of the ways we have seen God heal his people, and we offer them to encourage you not to rely on "good reason" so much that you take away the hope that Jesus may want to work a wonder in your life. Of course, we should always take advantage of the skills of a medical doctor, but at the same time, we should be sure to ask Jesus, the Great Physician, to pour out his healing balm on our lives.

If you are suffering from a physical illness or an inner wound, don't just assume that it's a "cross" that Jesus wants you to bear. It may be, but then again it may not. Unless you have a specific sense from God that he is asking you to share in Jesus' redemptive suffering, there's no reason why you shouldn't pray expectantly for Jesus to heal you. Far too often, we Catholics have said to ourselves, "I will embrace this cross and I will suffer through its demands." Yet Scripture tells us that the vast majority of people who came to Jesus were healed.

Can you imagine a child bringing a need to his parents, only to be told that it's not worth their time or attention? Likewise, no wound in your life is too small for God. Be like Bartimaeus and cry out to the Lord. Be like Jairus and ask for what seems impossible. Be like the centurion and intercede for your loved ones. Seek Jesus in prayer and believe that he wants to heal you because he loves you. We have found that those who ask receive; those who seek find; and those who knock are blessed to see the door of healing open.

A Fresh Outpouring. You don't have to have a pronounced and powerful gift to see healing happen. You don't have to be a perfect saint. Jesus doesn't limit his power to people named Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa, or Pope John Paul II. It can all too easily be a kind of false humility to think that we aren't worthy. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth!

Let's put aside all of our negative notions about Jesus and his unwillingness to heal. We know that Jesus has the power to heal. Now, let's ask him to convince us that he wants to use that power. As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, the past few decades have witnessed a number of signs of spiritual outpouring and renewal, including a renewal of the gift of healing. We are seeing more and more examples of God's desire to reveal his love through his healing power. May we never underestimate this power-the power of his love!