Pastor Edgar Mayer;
For more sermons and other writings check out pastors homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mayeredgar
Until You Have It
(On Healing By Perseverance)
A man with leprosy came and knelt in
front of Jesus, begging to be healed:
If you are willing [ Jesus ], you can heal me and make me clean. Then the Bible records Mark 1:41-42:
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him and said: I am
willing. Be healed! Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
Now the question is: If you are sick,
how often do you expect to hear the same answer from Jesus: I am willing. Be healed. If you are praying for a sick person and
you like the man with leprosy you
also kneel in front of Jesus maybe in a hospital room or your prayer
closet begging for healing, how often
do you think that Jesus will be moved with compassion for you and then answer
you with a cure?
Going by current experience we have to
say that most of our prayers for healing remain unanswered. Even in minor
matters like head-aches or the flu we seem to have a success rate of less than
1% which is not very impressive. Then in cases like leprosy or cancer we have
close to 0% outcome. Thus, we the
western church have come to a place
where we no longer expect all that much, no longer kneel or beg but often pray
only once with the feeble disclaimer if it is your will, God[1] with the implication so a Catholic
teacher that sickness is probably Gods will, and so we should accept it[2].
How can that be when we are Christians?
How can so many of us resign themselves to suffer sickness and disease when in
the Bible Jesus never ever said no
to a single healing request.[3] Not a single rejection. Always compassion
moved him and always he said: I am willing. Be healed.
Our current experience please agree with me is not in accordance with what the Bible says and therefore we are less
and less inclined to act on Bible promises and persevere with healing prayer but
maybe just maybe we should not
lower the truth of God to the standard of our experience. As surely as Jesus
Christ is risen from the dead as surely as he conquered even death when
he emerged from his grave , so do his compassion
and power still heal today.
There are some more reasons why we do
not persevere with healing prayer and seeking Jesus. Overall our faith walk
with God may be quite shallow and therefore we dont feel ready to plunge into
the arms of God with our deepest needs. Then we fear failure. One quick prayer
is okay but perseverance in prayer demands an investment in time and runs the
risk of rising hopes which and that
is again our current experience all
too frequently get dashed with disappointment. Somehow healing has eluded us.
A missionary in
The same missionary Heidi Baker reports
another case where an entire hosptial was healed every patient, every
disease and this in the midst of a
cholera epidemic. The events were so miraculous that all of the doctors and
nurses resigned and began to work for the mission. But then Heidi continued to
say: The next week despite our prayers three orphans in our centre
died of Aids. In similar
circumstances when another two kids died with measles and malaria she wrote:
Bear in mind that the children who had died were our babies, our precious children
It was then that God said to me: Heidi, its about
love. Its not always about victory. Our whole life cannot be about victory
and glory but, it must be about
love
(Heidi & Rolland Baker: The Hungry
Always Get Fed,
This recalls words from the Bible Romans
However, how do you and I hear these
stories? For Heidi it has become normal that Jesus opens the eyes of the blind, that Jesus makes the deaf hear and the mute speak, that
Jesus heals all sorts of diseases. Heidi was not taken by surprise when Jesus
healed an entire hospital but you
and I do we
come on board with this or do we straight away focus on what happened the week after
when three orphans died a terminal
outcome which is somewhat closer to our experience possibly confirming our
lack of persevering prayer.
Can we let it sink in that Jesus said to
an entire hospital: I will. Be healed? Another
evangelist writes: There are thousands and thousands who can prove
conclusively that Jesus has healed them and that his power remains the same.
The faith that has in times past and here she quotes from the Bible Hebrews
11:33-34:
subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword
turned to flight the armies of the aliens that faith has done it again![4]
Yes, that faith has done it again and can
and will do it again even among us. The evangelist prayed for thousands and then
witnessed the healing of thousands. From such a person and maybe only from such a person we can also hear the following from the
right perspective. I quote her again:
Why
are not all healed? The only honest
answer I can give is: I do not know. And I am afraid of those who claim they do
know. For only God knows, and who can fathom the mind of God?
[5]
Once more how do you and I hear this
last quote? Are we tempted yet
again to remain stuck in a church
which fails to push and press more into the things of God? Do we hear this last
quote remember the dying orphans from before and thus say: Why are not all healed? I do not know and
therefore I better not pray better not persevere. The sick may not be healed.
Thats not what the evangelist wanted to
say. What about the thousands restored to health? What about the hospital in
So many seem to have a favourite Bible
story which seems to prove that healing is something that is not promised to us
from God. Yet, anyone surveying all of the relevant data in the Bible can only
come to one conclusion: God is a healing God and he desires the health of his
people. When God led the people of
God is a healing God and in a moment we
will pursue this further. Only now lets deal with some of the objections
those passages that are used to dampen our zeal for healing prayer. I read from
the Bible Romans 8:23:
we ourselves [the Christians], who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for
the
redemption of our bodies. Also 2
Corinthians 5:2: We groan in our present bodies, longing to put on our
heavenly bodies like new clothing. Both
passages are a useful reminder that no healing miracle now can compare to our
future in heaven when all groaning will stop. Here on earth we all face aging
and we all face dying we all long for the final redemption of our bodies
but nevertheless please take
note neither passage speaks against
Gods desire for healing.
On the contrary this Romans 8 passage
continues with positive
affirmations, saying in verse 26:
the Spirit helps us in our weakness
the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with [his own] groans that words cannot
express. And then another promise
is added in the same chapter, verse 28:
in all things God works for
the good of those who love him
in all things God works for the
good of those who love him
This
means that we are not meant to be crushed struck down with sickness
before our time. We are meant to have
good outcomes.
Another favourite faith dampener is the
story of Job whose devotion God tested by letting Satan strike his flesh and
bones. But here is how one writer deals with this story I read:
Job is sometimes
thought of as the type of a suffering holy man. Well, he may be because he
refused to submit to his boils and sought God day and night, in spite of the
scolding of his wife who advised him to curse God and die, and the smug advice
of his friends who suggested that he was not worthy of health. And he found
God. He received an overwhelming vision of the holiness of God, a vision that
transformed him from a comfortable righteous man to
a prophet with health and
prosperity.[7]
Jobs suffering made no sense to him and
often we are none the wiser. But in the end he was healed and in the end if we are open to that Job became a model for persevering prayer because he never gave up. He
demanded an answer from God with boldness Job 31:31:
let the Almighty answer me
He persisted until God showed himself and he was satisfied.
Job was completely innocent and he may
even have suffered because of that. Early on we read in the book of Job that
God was so proud of Job that he told Satan chapter 2:3: Have you considered my servant Job? There is no
one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright
But then Satan argued back:
stretch out your hand and strike
his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face. Yet, no matter how much he suffered in his
flesh and bones, Job did not curse God. He may have cried out in agony chapter
16:13-14:
Without pity, he [God] pierces me
[original: my kidney]
rushes at me like a warrior
but all the same Job remained loyal to God
and thus brought more and more glory to God.
Job was innocent as you may be innocent but God was glorified in his suffering. Then healing came and importantly
God was also glorified in his healing
as another Bible story illustrates John 9:1-3 I read from the Bible: As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind
from birth. His disciples asked him: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind? Jesus said: Neither this man nor his parents
sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his
life. Thus, here we have another
innocent man like Job who
suffered for a very long time blindness from birth but then healing came (I quote again the Bible) so that the
work of God might be displayed in his life which means that God was glorified in his healing.
Thus, when you suffer for a very long
time, do not give up, do not come under condemnation, do not accept blame, but
persevere and persist. Wait for the day when the work of God might be displayed
in your life and healing comes.
Still another Bible passage is used to
dampen our enthusiasm for healing prayer. The apostle Paul writes in the Bible 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 I read: To keep me from becoming conceited because of these
surpassing great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a
messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take
it away from me. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient to you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness.
How are we to understand this? The
apostle Paul prayed three times for the removal of a thorn in his flesh which could have been a sickness but he was not healed and therefore
so argue some neither may you be
healed of your sickness. Your healing is not likely to happen. However, is that
what we are to conclude from this Bible passage? No!
First of all, to quote a Catholic writer there has been a
long tradition of redemptive
suffering [sufferings that bring forth blessings]
This tradition is too long
to be lightly dismissed
[8] but on the other hand lets be real about
pain. When the agony is too great or continues for too long then the probable
outcome is not increasing faith but diminishing faith. Pain intense pain
makes the mind focus on the wound (on
ourselves): the soreness, the nausea, the burning sensation,
to the detriment of looking
beyond ourselves in prayer and charity. Even the Bible says Matthew 24:9-12:
Because of that [original: the increase of
wickedness], the love of most will grow cold
[9]
Sickness is not always a blessing that should be obvious and whats more, Paul himself said that his thorn in the flesh was a
messenger from Satan. Please hear this: A messenger from Satan! His suffering,
therefore, was something of the devil evil and there the Bible assures us 1 John 3:8:
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work which in normal circumstances includes sickness
and satanic thorns tormenting the flesh.[10]
In Pauls case the thorn in the flesh did
serve a purpose. I repeat what he said:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing great
revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh,
In his case God used a painful thorn to discourage
him from becoming conceited which I hate to say but conceding the point
is a rather common strategy of God
also applying to us. The Bible says
Hebrews 12:4-11:
do not lose heart
God
disciplines us for our good [through suffering] so that we may share in his
holiness
[11] But then, the Bible is also clear that this
is not forever. 1 Peter 1:6-7 I read:
for a little while you may
have had to suffer
so that your faith
may be proved genuine
Here suffering was for a little
while which coming back to
Paul would make healing conceivable even
for him. The day might come when his thorn in the flesh had served its purpose
and therefore would be pulled out by our loving Father in heaven. The day might
have come when he no longer needed a thorn to keep him humble.
This concludes our brief survey into
Bible passages which some people use to dampen our enthusiasm in healing
prayer.[12] As
we have seen, none of them support the case that sickness in itself is a good
thing. We cannot call messengers
of Satan good (despite possible
good outcomes). It is our healing that
is good and thats what Jesus came to accomplish.
We now get to the good news. Jesus
introduced his saving work with these words Luke 4:18-20: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor
to proclaim
recovery of sight
for the blind, to release the oppressed
Then Jesus put these words into action by preaching and healing the
sick. When John the Baptist sent messengers to inquire whether he was the
promised Saviour, Jesus replied Luke 7:22: Go back and report to John
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor
In other words, Jesus said: Look at
the healings and know that the Saviour has come. In one sweeping statement the saving work of Jesus was summarized in
this way Acts 10:38:
Jesus of Nazareth
went around doing good
and healing all who were under the power of the devil
Then Jesus instructed his disciples to
follow in his footsteps Luke 10:8-9:
When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal
the sick who are there and tell them, The
Then the Bible clearly connects our
healing with the saving work of Jesus on the cross. For instance, we read in
Matthew 8:16-17: When evening
came, many demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits
with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken
through the prophet Isaiah: He took up our infirmities and carried our
diseases. It was on the cross that
Jesus took up our infirmities and carried our diseases thats
where he sacrificed himself for us and
here we learn that what happened on the cross worked itself out in present-day
deliverances and healings which means that your sickness my sickness died with Jesus on the cross and therefore
healing can come to us also already now with the final healing to come in
heaven.[14]
Still more encouragement to persevere
with healing prayer comes from James 5:14-16: Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders
to pray over
him
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well
This is enough for now.[15] According to the Bible there is every
reason to expect that when we come to Jesus with a healing request, he will say:
I will. Be healed. There is
every reason to persevere with healing prayer.
Only to get more into the practical side of this the thought of persevering prayer can be rather daunting because it
sounds like hard work always trying to break through when you are sick. A woman contracted a brain virus, which
left her disabled and in constant pain. Bringing up six children from a
wheelchair was extremely tough but the worst part was knowing that God still
heals people today, yet, in spite of earnest prayers, he chose not to heal her!
She had herself taken to visit everyone with a healing ministry and she had laying on of hands so often it was a wonder that in her own words she didnt get bald! When nothing changed,
she became deeply depressed but, after months of darkness, God helped her to
realize that he wanted her to stop striving for healing and just live each day
for him. She found such peace and contentment when she stopped nagging God for
healing and started enjoying him as a friend that she wrote a book called Beyond Healing and God used that book to
bless many people.
Then she writes: I always love to tell people about the day my
eight years in a wheelchair ended so abruptly. I had been speaking at a ladies
meeting, when a new Christian prayed for me and God healed me completely. I had
stopped praying for healing but God saved up all those prayers until the time
was right. His timing is always perfect but it is very different from ours! One
rather flippant friend of mine often says that when she dies shes going to
take God the present of a clock, because his must be slow![16]
This story helps us to learn that
persevering prayer is not about stressing all of the time but remaining in the
love and friendship of Jesus and remaining open to healing prayer even after eight years even from a brandnew
Christian. This is also the advice which
another person received. A friend said: Youve been trying too hard
[with healing prayer], and its upset you. Just be still and know; He is God and His power [is for
you]
[17]
Relax and rest in God. We may even
discover that persevering prayer can be playful. The Bible records many
different methods of healing and with playful trust child-like we
may simply experiment and have a go at healing.[18]
One of the easiest ways to heal the sick
seems to be by touch. Jesus said Mark 16:15-18:
in my name they
will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. It is said about Jesus Luke 4:40:
laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Acts 28:7-9:
Paul
after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him
Sometimes healing comes when the sick take
the initiative, reach out and touch the person that is filled with the Holy
Spirit. For instance, Luke 6:19: Everyone
was trying to touch Jesus, for when they did healing power went out from him
and they were cured. Mark
Then there is the anointing with oil
Mark 6:13: The disciples
anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. James 5:14: Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders
of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil
Still another method for healing is by
command. A centurion said to Jesus Matthew 8:8:
just say the word
and my servant will be healed
and
so Jesus just said the word. Mark 7:33-35 records this:
Jesus put his fingers into the deaf mans ears. Then he spit and
touched the mans tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to
him, Ephphatha! (which
means, Be opened!). At this, the mans ears were opened, his tongue was
loosened and he began to speak plainly. Cf. Acts 3:6-7;
Many people receive healing by faith.
Again and again Jesus said to the person in front of him Matthew 9:22:
your faith has healed you
Luke 18:42:
Receive your sight;
your faith has healed you. Then
frequently a faith action was required to complete the healing. To a man with a
shriveled hand Jesus said Mark 3:5: Stretch out your hand. When the man stretched it out, his hand was
completely restored. John 9:6-7: Having said this, Jesus spit on the
ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the mans eyes. Go, he
told him, wash in the Pool of Siloam
So the man went and washed, and [healing
came through that faith action and he] came home seeing.[19] Luke 17:14:
Go, show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cleansed.[20]
This may all sound a little confusing so many methods but on the other hand why not keep this simple and persevere with some
kind of playfulness. One experienced couple writes: You need to be
persistent, too! If you lay hands on someone, and nothing happens, try the next
person! Lay hands on him or her. If nothing happens, dont give up! Sometimes
we [original: Charles and I] have ministered to the same person as many
as five different ways. We have tried commanding, laying
on of hands, casting out devils, but finally the persistence pays off and we
see the individual healed![21]
Even in the Bible there are instances
where the healing procedure required persistence. Jesus himself had an
encounter where the first attempt did not work. He needed to place his hands on
a man twice to heal the man Mark 8:22-26:
Once more Jesus put his hand on the
mans eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw
everything clearly
Cf. 1 Kings 17:17-22; 2
Kings 4:32-35.[22]
After hearing all of this can we change?
Can we become a church that is more like what Jesus wanted? Can we have church
services and do mission work by being obedient to the simple command of Jesus
when he said Matthew 10:7-10: As
you go, preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick,
raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons
At present I know that we are not there
yet and I myself am not there yet but I am committed and I hope that you are committed to trust Jesus and obey the Scriptures rather
than be limited by current human experience.
John Wesley was already ordained as a
priest and had even been on the mission field but listen to what he struggled
with. He wrote in his journal and
this entry is from April 1738: I met Peter Bohler once more. I had now no
objection to what he said of the nature of faith; namely, that it is (to use
the words of our Church) a sure trust and confidence which a person has in
God, that through the merits of Christ his sins are forgiven
Neither could I deny either the happiness or holiness
which he described, as fruits of this living faith
But I could not comprehend
what he spoke of as an instantaneous [an immediate] work. I could not understand
how this faith should be given in a moment: How a man could at once be thus
turned from darkness to light, from sin and misery to righteousness and joy in
the Holy Spirit. I searched the Scriptures again, touching this very thing,
particularly the Acts of the Apostles: But, to my utter astonishment, found
scarce any instances there of other than instantaneous [immediate] conversions
I had but one retreat left; namely, This is how God worked in the first ages
of Christianity; but the times have changed now. What reason have I to believe
he works in the same manner now?
From our vantage point this may be hard
to comprehend. John Wesley struggled with the gift of saving faith which could
come immediately at conversion. We take that for granted now but with his
church upbringing he could not believe that salvation was so easy (anyone at any stage can be transformed by simply
trusting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross) and therefore as he could not believe and trust these promises in
the Bible he had not yet received that
faith had not yet received for himself certain assurance of salvation.
What was he to do? And what are we to do
with our predicament a church
upbringing that in our case neglected healing prayer? This is the advice that John Wesley received from his mentor Peter
Bohler. He said to him: Preach faith until you have it, then, because
you have it, you will preach faith. Preach faith until you have it.
John Wesley was meant to preach and
proclaim the Bible truth not his own inadequate experience until saving faith would come even for him
until God would confirm his word and promise.
Jesus himself encouraged a similar
approach in the Bible John 15:5-8
he said:
If you remain in me and my words
remain in you [my words not your experience]
it will be given to you
you
will bear much fruit
Remain in Jesus
words preach his words (not your experience) until you have what they promise.
This is the advice that we need to hear.
In our case: Preach healing until
you have it. Preach and proclaim
the Word of God on healing and persevere with that truth until you have it
until God confirms his healing promises even among you.[23]
I close with what an Anglican priest
passed on: Several years ago a
Sunday morning meeting was in progress at a local church in
The most extraordinary thing about this story is the fact that the
little girl had died several weeks prior to this incident. She was about to be
buried in the ground when the pastor prayed that she would be raised.
Immediately she sat up, alive and well. When her pastor asked if she had seen
or heard anything during the time between dying and being raised, she replied,
Jesus, came to me and told me to give this message: Jesus saves! Jesus heals!
Jesus delivers![24]
Therefore persevere. Amen.
[1] When
Jesus prayed a similar prayer of submission about his desire to avoid
suffering, he knew that his desire was contrary to the revealed will of God and
therefore what he prayed was right at the time:
not my will, but yours be
done (Lk 22:42). However, this prayer is not appropriate when the prayer is in
accordance with the promises of God. Then a more confident prayer of faith is
called for.
[2] Francis
MacNutt: The Power To Heal, Indiana: Ave Maria Press
1977, p134-135. Cf. T.J.
McCrossan: Bodily Healing And The Atonement,
[3] Even
when Jesus initially denied a healing request, the episode ended with Jesus
healing the person (Matthew
[4] Kathryn
Kuhlmann: Never Too Late,
[5] Kathryn
Kuhlmann: Never Too Late,
[6] Cf. Psalm 105:37: He brought them
forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among
their tribes. Psalm 107:20: He sent forth his word and healed them
[7] Agnes Sanford: The Healing Light,
[8] Francis
MacNutt: Healing, Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press 1974, p86; Barbara Leahy Shlemon,
Dennis Linn & Matthew Linn: To Heal As Jesus Healed, Notre Dame: Ave Maria
Press 1978, p86: Some people
have a rare vocation to suffer redemptively and to grow in their power to love
as they endure illness
This type of suffering is redemptive to the degree
that it leads us to give and receive the Lords love. Suffering is redemptive
if it is healing.
[9] Barbara
Leahy Shlemon, Dennis Linn & Matthew Linn: To Heal As
Jesus Healed, Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press 1978, p40: Sickness and pain are usually not Jesus
will because they leave a wake of self-centredness, making it difficult to love
God, others and ourselves. Helmut Thielicke: Auf dem Weg zur Kanzel,
[10] Accordingly Paul did initially
persevere and pray for the removal of the thorn three times.
[11] Basilea
Schlink: The Blessings Of Illness, Basingstoke: Lakeland Marshall Morgan &
Stott 1973, p9-16:
written out of my own experience, after many years of
ill health
But each illness has been chosen for us personally, by our Father,
out of love for us. Jesus can transform every trial and trouble into blessing,
if only we trust in His love
It is especially through His blood that we are
offered His healing power. So, during those days of illness, it became very
important to me to receive Communion
When illness strikes us, we must accept
it with love and thanksgiving
If we do this we shall sometimes experience His
immediate healing. But because we are truly children of God, we may also
experience that the Lord disciplines him whom he loves (Heb. 12:6)
A period
of prolonged suffering will show us how little patience we have, how demanding
and touchy we really are
It makes us dependent on others and we feel
humiliated. But this is the kind of illness that is specially
able to make us humble. Also it teaches us to become dependent upon our
heavenly Father and to cling to Him in faith
The Scriptures regard suffering
as something precious
Why do we suffer illness? The Scriptures say that God
is to be glorified through our suffering. He is glorified when He performs a
miracle of healing in us. Then His name is praised. But He is glorified just as
much, perhaps even more, when someone bears an illness with patience and love
for Jesus, in complete surrender to the will of God. Many sufferers have been a
living testimony to others because, in spite of their pain, they were radiant
with joy the joy that comes from Jesus alone
[12] Cf. Basilea Schlink: The
Blessings Of Illness,
[13] Francis
MacNutt: Healing, Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press 1974, p56.
[14] Vincent Cheung: Biblical Healing,
Boston: Reformation Ministries International 2003, www.rmiweb.org, p10:
it is unnecessary to
deny that healing is provided in the atonement because to affirm that healing
is provided in the atonement does not necessarily compel one to also affirm
that perfect and complete healing is available to every believer in this life
on demand
[15]
Consider also Mark 16:18:
and they will be able to
place their hands on the sick and heal them. John
[16]
Miracles Of Healing, Trowbridge: Eagle Publishing
2004, p13-15.
[17] Agnes Sanford: The Healing Light,
[18] Vincent Cheung: Biblical Healing,
[19] John
5:8-9: Then Jesus said to him: Get up! Pick up your mat and walk. At once
the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
[20] See also Acts
[21] Charles
& Frances Hunter: How To Heal The Sick,
[22] Even though God judged David and told him that his son would die, David knew the loving character of God and nevertheless persevered with healing prayer 2 Samuel 12:15-25: David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground He answered: While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live. Another person was told by Jesus that the time was not yet right for mission work outside of the people of Israel and therefore he would not heal her daughter but she also nevertheless persevered and heard these words from Jesus Matthew 15:25: Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted
Mahesh Chavda: The Hidden Power Of Prayer & Fasting, Shippensburg: Destiny Image 1998, 59-62: During this same series of meetings, a certain woman who had been born blind was brought to the front by her grand-daughter. Each time this little lady would come to the front with her hand on her grand-daughters shoulder, and I would pray for her. Every time the anointing of God would hit her and she would fall down like I had hit her with all my strength, although I barely touched her. I knew something had happened, but each time I helped her up and asked, How are you, Grandma? she would blink her still blind eyes and say, I cant see. I could only answer, Okay. Come again. The same thing happened each service after that for seven days and nights. She would be led forward by her grand-daughter. The power of God would hit her, her body would shake, and down she would go. I knew it was the genuine power of the Lord hitting her. It was so obvious that I almost wanted the Lord to be gentle. Yet each time I helped her up again and asked, How are you? she would shake her head and say she still couldnt see. I was really struggling with this situation By the fourth day, I was getting tired of seeing Grandma coming forward for prayer On the last service of the last day of the outreach my favourite grand-mother came forward to the front once again But this time the Lord said, Help her up. So I said, Okay. I went back to help this dear lady to her feet. Once again I asked her, How are you, Grandma? She blinked her eyes and said, I can see you clearly! God had totally recreated her eyes and given her sight for the first time in her life! Outwardly I exclaimed, How wonderful! but inwardly I said, You know, Lord, you could have done this the first day!
Many months later during an
extended time of fasting and prayer
suddenly, right in front of my eyes, I
began to view scenes of the times I had prayed for that
grand-mother. It was
almost as if I was watching a full-color videotape of those prayer times
this
time I was seeing through the eyes of the Spirit. As this woman came up for
prayer in each service, the Lord showed me that there was a creature that
looked similar to an octopus with several tentacles wrapped around the womans
eyes. Every time I prayed, the anointing of God would hit her and knock off one
of the tentacles. During the second prayer, a second tentacle was
supernaturally removed. During the third prayer, a third tentacle came off.
Finally, on the last night in the last service, the woman came forward with a
single tentacle still wrapped around her eyes. It was like a spirit of
blindness, the main demon that had kept her bound in a world of darkness. When
I prayed for her the last day, the last tentacle came off and she could see
clearly. The Lord revealed to me that at times, demonic obstructions hold us or
cling to us with several arms. Every time you pray under the anointing, something happens. You can count on
that. The Lord would say to many of us, Dont get
discouraged. Keep praying through until the last tentacle comes off andyou see the healing and deliverance!
[23] Bill
Johnson: The Supernatural Power Of A Transformed Mind,
Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers 2005, p85-86: During the days of the
A
similar thing happened with worship
The revelation of healing is on a similar
trajectory. Christians are absolutely responsible for bringing divine healing
to people, proving the will of God, bringing earthly reality into line with
whats true in heaven. Healing is part of the normal Christian life. God put it
in His book; He illustrated it in the life of Jesus. He told us to emulate what
Jesus did. So why is it so easy for us to be fully convinced when we pray for someone
to be saved that our prayer will work, yet when we pray for healing we find it
difficult to believe they will be healed
[24] Mark
Stibbe: Fire And Blood,