Good Friday is just around the corner. For those of us who have invited Christ into our lives to rescue us from our sins and give us His new life, it is a time to reflect on the gifts of the cross. As I’ve connected this to my need for healing, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that the Bible says, “. . . by his wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5). I realized that my mental image had been one of praying to a slightly distant God to “download” healing into my areas of illness. But I’ve already been given the gift of healing. When Jesus came to live within me he brought all of who he is and what he had accomplished – healing was one of those gifts. It’s a done deal. My part is simply to realize that I already have all I need for my health, healing and well-being. I simply need to let God release this gift as I open my life to his influence and control. It has changed the way I think and pray about my needs.
While my healing is assured, it doesn’t necessarily mean I will experience it fully in this earthly life: I may need to wait for heaven. But the gift of healing is a promised reality as I anchor my life hopes on eternal realities. 2 Cor. 4:7 reminds me that “we have this treasure [the good news about Jesus] in jars of clay [our earthly bodies] to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Living with illness may be one way to show that my life is happily dependent on God’s choices and power and not my own. And, Easter is coming!
Bob
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