God Our Healer
Last night, I found myself needing to calm down before trying to go to bed. I knew very deep within my heart the next morning God was showing up in a mighty way. Call it a gift of faith, but I knew that I knew. It was the same when I woke up and peering beyond my notes at the Christmas tree while I sipped on coffee I was settled in my heart that people were being healed and set free today.
It was a quick ride to church and as I brought some stuff in to get items set up, I blasted the worship music and prayed over the building. It was particularly good today during set up as a new member of our tech team, Brian, was learning the ins and outs of everything. I love how we are growing in our team of volunteers and the heart they have to serve God.
Something else I’ve noticed the past couple of weeks is the hands on support to help get the children’s room set up. It’s become the hang out spot to catch up and get the room set up. The call from Santi on the mic for prayer brought everyone from different areas and corners of the building and outside to unify in our focus and adoration of God. It was an intentional seeking of His glory and presence and we’ve come to make this a habit. It is incredibly necessary and essential as God deserves it all and our hearts and minds must be captured by His presence. Nothing else matters.
After some hanging out and greetings, accompanied of course by coffee and treats, we congregated to the main room and again set our hearts to seek His presence. Shouts of Jesus filled the room during the first song of worship, with hands high in proclaimation of our great and mighty King. Then it was time to dive into the Word. Today, I had something inside of me that was bursting to come out. It was a burden that weighed in me, down to my core, and I knew that faith would be a result of our hearing of the Word of God.
Ultimately, we are not sure why we don’t experience healing of certain things, or in the timing we want. As we went through the accounts of Jesus calming the storm, delivering demon-possessed men, the healing of a woman and raising to life of a young girl, we were met with a resounding and true building of our faith that nothing is impossible for God. For certain reasons we may not see healing, you can scroll below. To listen to the sermon, click here.
After partaking in communion, we bowed in reverence to God in worship. The atmosphere was charged with faith and voices were loud and sincere in praise and worship of God. We turned our attention to presenting the needs we have - heart, mind, body, soul - to God and petitioned for our healing. Not only did we witness healing, but we saw the prayers of young children going up and being ministered to, we witnessed the saints interceding for each other, and in a beautiful way, we saw deliverance take place. All of these wonderful things brought and continue to bring glory to God. That’s our aim. We were blessed with His kindness and goodness today.
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Mark 5:21-43
Mark 6:1-6
James 5:13-16
Psalm 32:1-5
Galatians 6:7
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1. Lack of Reverence and Honor. Unbelief can sometimes hinder what God desires to do. Example: Nazareth's Unbelief - Mark 6:1-6
2. Unrepentant Sin. Persistent sin or unwillingness to repent may block healing. Example: A Call to Repentance Before Healing. James 5:16
3. God’s Sovereign Purposes. Sometimes God uses physical challenges for His greater purpose. Example: Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
4. Testing of Faith. God can use suffering to refine faith and reveal His glory. Example: Job’s Afflictions - Book of Job
5. Spiritual Warfare. Sometimes healing is delayed because of spiritual warfare we cannot see. Example: Daniel’s Delayed Answer - Daniel 10:12-13
6. God’s Discipline or Correction. God sometimes uses illness as discipline to draw His children back to Him. Example: The Corinthians and the Lord’s Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:29-30
7. Failure to Ask for Healing. We miss out on blessings because we fail to ask or ask with the wrong motives. Example: “You Do Not Have Because You Do Not Ask” - James 4:2-3
8. God’s Timing. Healing may not happen immediately because God has a perfect time and purpose. Example: The Man Born Blind - John 9:1-3
9. Insufficient Prayer and Fasting. Some breakthroughs require deeper commitment to prayer and fasting. Example: The Disciples Unable to Cast Out a Demon - Matthew 17:14-21
10. Refusing to Seek God’s Help. Seeking man’s answer and not God’s. Example: King Asa’s Reliance on Physicians, Not God - 2 Chronicles 16:12
11. God Is Glorified in Weakness. Healing may not occur immediately because God has a greater demonstration of His glory planned. Example: Lazarus’s Death and Resurrection - John 11:4
12. A Larger Purpose Beyond This Life. God may not always deliver from physical affliction when eternal purposes are involved. Example: Stephen’s Martyrdom - Acts 7
13. Lack of Unity in Prayer or Community. Disunity among believers can hinder the work of God, including healing. Example: Praying Together in Unity - Matthew 18:19-20
14. Natural Consequences of Choices. Poor health may be a result of decisions like neglect, unhealthy habits, or disobedience. Example: Physical Consequences of Sinful Lifestyles - Galatians 6:7
15. The Reality of Living in a Fallen World. All creation groans under the weight of sin and death, awaiting redemption. Example: General Suffering in Creation - Romans 8:20-23
