Have you ever been sick, prayed for, and then seen an amazing recovery? (I haven’t.) Have you ever prayed for someone else who’s sick, and seen them recover? (I have.) But there are hundreds, nay thousands, of reports from around the globe of people praying for all kinds of conditions, from paralysis, cancer, blindness, even death itself, and witnessing recovery! Many Muslims are turning to Christ after being prayed for and healed. (Watch on YouTube.) (One such report can be seen in John Mellor’s excellent KEYS TO HEALING.)
As I mentioned last week, 54% of American doctors report on healings they cannot explain.
The sad thing is that American medicine, and to some degree Filipino, is so enthralled to the corrupt Pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration, and the “Consumer Protection Agency”, and have so bribed U. S. legislators and former President George W. Bush through massive campaign contributions, that they have effectively outlawed natural cures which really work. Instead they push nothing but drugs which do not cure, but have awful side effects, which in turn need some other drugs. Their dishonesty and greed are appalling! (This is well documented in print and online publications by whistle-blowers like Kevin Trudeau, in books like Natural Cures They Don’t Want You to Know About.)
In other words, the very institution—medicine—which is supposed to have been developed to bring healing to all, and a gift of God, has itself been infected with a disease—sin, greed, and millions of sick people have died instead of being healed.
(Personal disclosure: for years I was treated by a physician at Kaiser Permanente in Fresno, California, for peripheral neuropathy with Temazepam which stops pain but kills nerve cells. He told me, “There are no side effects,” even though he knew the drug made me feel like a zombie! Now recently I’ve had 3 series of antibiotics for pneumonia, to no avail, so I have turned to a homeopathic doctor for help, using all natural substances and foods which promise a cure. If you want information about him and other possible remedies, please contact me at FB messenger, Pete Kuiper, or email me at hpkuiper81@gmail.com.)
These reflections have prompted me to think and write about healing in the Bible, starting with my favorite psalm, and that of my mother and grandmother
Psalm 103 (NIV)
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; and all that is within me, praise His holy name.
2. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits–
3.. who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases.
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Note the parallelisms. (A parallelism is two or more lines which say basically the same thing, but with different verbiage. It’s a dominant feature of Old Testament poetry.)
- My soul is parallel to all my inmost being. Likewise, The Lord is parallel to his holy name.
- The parallelism in verse 2 suggests that when we praise the Lord, we should thank him for all the good that he’s done for us. Likewise, as you go through the psalm, you can discover rich meanings as you look at the parallelisms. Note especially the language of Divine forgiveness, in verses 8-12. If you ever doubt the truth of these words, jump to the New Testament, and remember the Cross, and the words of Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
For the purpose of this column, take a look at verses 3 and 4: 3. who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases.4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.
Notice how forgiveness of sins and healing are connected. This is often true throughout the Bible. Notice Isaiah 53: 4 and 5: Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Jesus, when he healed people, often proclaimed, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Now in all honesty I have to admit, I have a hard time with this. I’ve had pneumonia for 4 months, and it might take another 4 with my homeopathic doctor, but I can’t trace my non-healing to any particular sin, and I have prayed for healing. (The Holy Spirit has given me some fresh ideas about all this, however.) On the other hand, doctors today report that upwards of 70% of office and hospital visits have at their root some emotional issue, perhaps resentment and unforgiveness, which are sinful.
So, if you are in need of healing, I would say, Pray, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sinful feelings or attitudes. If you have bad memories of someone hurting you, for instance, and you’re having trouble forgiving them, bring those memories to the Cross, or ask Jesus to come into them, and help you forgive. You’ll be amazed at how much peace this can bring to your soul, and then even healing to your body!