Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. Jeremiah 33:6
Illustration
Dr. Will Mayo, one of the brothers who founded the world-famous Mayo Clinic, claimed to have seen patients that by all standards were dead. “We knew they could not live. But I have seen a minister come to the bedside and do something for them that I could not do, although I had done everything in my professional power, something touched some immortal spark in them, and in defiance of medical knowledge and materialistic common sense, that patient lived!” (Source Unknown).
Now more than ever, the people of God must pray for healing. We need healing from the military conflict happening on every other continent in the world. The increased hostility between nations has multiplied the level of anxiety for regular individuals and led to an upsurge in mental and physical diseases. Most people want the unnecessary bloodshed to stop so there can be healing in the world. Yet, we feel powerless in trying to stop the hostility between nations.
Believers should also pray for healing from all forms of cancer, from Covid, mental diseases, and many other types of diseases that are wreaking havoc in our world. We should look to God who is our healer and helper to come to our rescue and heal the land. Only God has the remedy for the many scourges we face.
The people of God should pray for healing in this country that has become so divided and polarized. We need healing from the racism that continues to frustrate the lives of people of color. The poor need healing from the economic destitution they face in their struggle for a living wage, affordable housing, and health care. The Church of Jesus Christ needs healing from the schisms that are plaguing many mainline denominations.
Indeed, while conflict and dysfunction are seemingly omnipresent in every aspect of life in today’s world, I look to the promises of God in His word for comfort. In Jeremiah 33:6, God promised the people of Israel in Babylonian exile that He would bring health and healing while assuring them of an abundance of prosperity and security. Such a hopeful and encouraging message is what most people need to hear today.
What do you need God to heal for you or in you? All you have to do is asked and trust Him by faith to deliver. The Lord promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” That promise is applicable to anyone from any country. It transcends time and will be fulfilled according to God’s perfect will.
I need God to heal the racism and division in this country. As I listen to the divisive rhetoric of bombastic politicians and watch bigoted personalities come on television programs to peddle their hatred to a growing audience, I am asking God to heal this nation, so we won’t go back to the days of Jim Crow. I am praying for God to heal His Church so we can “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” My prayer is for the Church of Jesus Christ to remember “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-5).
Healing only comes to those who seek it earnestly. We cannot just hope for healing in the land, we must pray it into existence. Then, we must avail ourselves to become agents of that healing by cultivating a life of holiness, justice, peace, love, and unity.
Questions for Personal Reflection
What healing do you need from God?
How has today’s devotional helped your perspective about the healing you need?
Prayer- Blessed Lord, I thank you for your promise of healing in your word. I confess my feebleness in facing the many challenges of life. Please help me to be steadfast in my faith in you as I struggle to make sense of the conflicts that are proliferating in the world and in your Church. May I become an agent of healing and an ambassador of hope for those who are struggling to cope with the challenges in their lives!
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