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I enjoy telling this story because when it happened that night in early November, it seemed so natural. But in the morning, my feeling was, "that's awesome." The Bible speaks of laying on of hands, of prayer and anointing with oil along with the prayer of faith. Although these are the prescribed routes, God, as we should expect, isn't restricted, because reading the healing scriptures discloses several ways. I've heard stories from people I trust to be truthful that may be too far off the wall to report for general consumption. But here is one of my personal experiences. It reminds me a little of the woman who approached Jesus, I suppose from the back, who knew if she could just touch the hem of his garment she would be healed. She did; and she was-instantly. No one laid hands on her or prayed for her or anointed her. In fact there is no record that she prayed. Instead, she thought, If I can just touch the hem of his garment . . . It was a thought of faith that carried me BACKWARD THROUGH TIME Like her I hadn't followed any standard method. I was in bed, laying comfortably on my back, just getting groggy enough to sleep. Time to plump the pillow and turn on a side, I thought, to spare my wife from my snores. I turned, pulled the covers a little higher and tried to relax. As soon as my muscles went limp, I experienced a sharp pain in my abdomen. It really hurt, but I decided to stay put, thinking it would go away as soon as I went to sleep. But it didn't get any better and I could only wish for sleep . . . which of course, I couldn't. And my mind turned to Jesus. I thought of stories about the people bringing all their sick folk from as far away as Syria to Galilee to Jesus. And he healed every one of them! My expectation was that he touched each person individually, that a line formed and there was a lot of excitement all the way along. And although I didn't think of it then, I would now imagine the people still waiting would have heard the laughter and screams of rapture, watching some leaping and others running and many hugging their families. It would have been a scene of immense joy. But in my imagination I only experienced the expectation, knowing that when he touched me, I'd be healed. As I got closer, my expectation grew keener. But I wasn't excited. (Remember that I was daydreaming. All of these thoughts were deliberate imagination.) Then it came my turn. I stood before Jesus. I didn't speak and neither did he. He just touched me. And the pain in my gut began to fade and was completely gone within about five seconds. It didn't return and I promptly fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I realized that there was still no pain. It was, I think, as if I had been there 2,000 years ago. I had actually received His touch through that expanse of time. I thought it was imagination. But He made it real. Think about the timelessness of the scripture spoken hundreds of years before Jesus came. From the New King James: Isaiah 53:5 "by his stripes we are healed-in present tense! The lesson here is the same as it was 2,000 years ago, for the woman who touched his hem. Like me, she invented the idea. In both cases what was done was an act of faith, not a formula. Although many others were healed by touching. I never cease to be amazed by the variety of ways God heals. And I'd be willing to bet this was a new idea for you as well. But there is still one common denominator. It's faith. The faith comes from reading the Bible and knowing His will for us all. You are included. |
