Encouragement

Healing The Compassion of Jesus

by Geraldine (Jerri) Jones
07/10/17
For Sale

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Healing - The Compassion of Jesus

Scripture Reading
Luke 8:43-48
Psalm 103:1-8

Of all the kinds of healing, physical healing is perhaps the hardest for us to really believe in; it is far easier to believe that prayer can lead to repentance or can change a person psychologically.

I often get scared when I have to pray for the healing of sick family, friends, or any one else. I worry that if I say the wrong words or don't have enough faith or don't lay hands on the person that God won't heal them from their sickness. A prayer for healing the sick should be a simple thing, but I can get so terrified that I’d rather not lay hands on anyone or open my mouth.

Lately, when this happens I have to stop and ask, “When did the burden of healing fall on the one who is praying, or the person who is sick, instead of on our big, gracious God?”

Something that has helped me overcome my fear of praying for healing is a story you might remember from Sunday School. It is a Bible story about the women who had been sick for years, a woman who risked everything to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.

Now there was a woman suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, whom no one had been able to cure. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak; and the hemorrhage stopped at that instant. Jesus said, “Who touched me?” when they all denied that they had, Peter and his companions said, “Master, it is the crowds round you, pushing.” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched me. I felt that power had gone out from me.” (Luke 8:43-46) A woman to whom Jesus turned and said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

I often wonder if Jesus hadn’t stopped and sought out the women who touched his garment would she have been healed?
.
Would her faith have been enough to heal her?

Or was she only healed because Jesus turned and spoke life into her body?

If she had cried out to Jesus with a string of pretty words, would Jesus have made her well?

I can’t help thinking that maybe I’ve missed the point of this story over the years. Maybe this story is not about the woman having enough faith to reach out for Jesus, but about Jesus seeing and responding to her when she needed him. Have I made this story about the woman’s faith rather than about the compassion of Jesus to those who cry out to him when they are hurting?

God’s grace and compassion are well known and often mentioned by the writers of the Old Testament. They often appear individually but are especially effective when they occur together. Thus in Psalm 103 David portrays the Lord as one who grants forgiveness, brings healing, and executes justice and righteousness for all. He then cites the capstone of God’s eternal goodness by declaring,

The LORD is compassionate and merciful (Heb. gracious); he is patient and demonstrates great loyal love. (v. 8)

The Lord longs to crush strongholds of sicknesses by releasing faith and strength into our hearts. He will renew minds so that healings will come forth not only through spontaneous moves of healing but through the personal faith and authority of the Believer.

Many years ago I had to help my best friend battle cancer. I was willing, and thank God, able to be with her through that painful, scary battle. I had several doctors, surgeons and oncologist tell me because she was in stage 4 cancer that went untreated for a long period of time, allowed it to grow and spread to different parts of her body that they doubt if she would survive surgery. And if she did survive the surgery, she would not be able to talk or swallow. She would have to be feed all her meals through a feeding tube, and her quality of life would daily be in constant pain.

The morning of her scheduled surgery the surgeon came and spoke to me explaining what he would be trying to attempt but he was very doubtful that she would survive. I remember the words that I spoke to him and they were, “Doctor knowing what you know and feel promise me that you will still do your best to save my friend, cause God will handle the rest”.

That’s when it came to me that sometimes you just have to have faith. I sat there and came to the realization that the burden of healing sickness is never on the patient, how it is never even on a doctor, but how it is always, always, on God.

The burden of healing rests on the shoulders of my big, gracious God who turns when I touch the hem of his garment.

The burden of healing falls on my God who knows the plans he has for me even when my own hopes collapse around me.

The burden of healing lies in my God whose ways aren’t a faith formula, but a mystery.

The burden of healing doesn’t lie in saying just the right words or praying something that sounds beautiful. And I don’t know about you but that frees me up to pray a little more boldly for God to heal.

What a joy when we find that God really answers our prayers and heals the people we love! The praise of God spontaneously rises from our hearts.

The Humanity and Compassion of Christ

Here is a picture for us of the humanity of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God, the image of the invisible God. He was fully God and fully man. But, He chose to live as a man in the flesh. He gave up His power - His power and strength and direction came from the Father through the Holy Spirit as He prayed and in His humanity, Jesus is our example. There was times He was week and needed strength. He stole away to the wilderness, to a desolate place, where He would receive strength and direction from the Father.

If Jesus needed to pray, we certainly need to pray Amen! And it seems that during Jesus time in prayer He did receive renewed strength and direction from the Father. I think that this deepens our understanding of Jesus’ heart and desire to heal. This expands our awareness of how great a Savior and Healer Jesus really is. And it will help us trust Him.

The healing heart of Jesus was not as interested in physical healing as in spiritual healing. Jesus did heal people and still heals people today . . . but physical healings are temporal at best. When ever we see the miracles of Jesus we have to realize that there is always a deeper purpose and meaning. Ultimately, the healing of the human spirit is eternal. That was where Jesus heart was!

So today, because of the work of the God-man, Jesus Christ, bearing sin and sickness on the cross, we are free from all disease and harm that sin has brought upon mankind. Jesus experienced physical death which is separation from the body and spiritual death which is separation from God Himself. He did so in order that our bodies could be in true harmony with our spirit and soul and our spirit and soul could enjoy a relationship and fellowship with God Almighty. There is no such thing as healing outside the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We are made whole by His sacrifice. Healing of our spirit, soul and body can be attributed only to the redemption that we have through Christ Jesus. He alone is our Healer.

Whenever we see the miracles of Jesus we have to realize that there is always a deeper purpose and meaning. Jesus wants us to see past the physical. The heart of the healer is to heal what ails us most, our sinful hearts, our sick and dying souls.

Pray With Confidence and Thanksgiving

If we believe that God answers our prayers always (not always as we think he will, but nevertheless always), we naturally will have a heartfelt desire to thank him. We can thank him even during the prayer: “I thank you, Lord, that even now you are sending your healing love and power into the person you are praying for and are answering our prayer.” Our attitude should be that of Paul: “There is no need to worry but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6).

For a long time, there has been a kind of tradition which led most of us to end all our prayers with the phrase, “if it be your will.” The idea behind it, of course, is that we don’t know God’s will, so we don’t have the confidence that everything we ask for will be given us. This is true. Yet, this addition—”if it be your will”—can weaken our prayer if it really means “I don’t believe anything is going to happen.” This is a far cry from the words of Jesus, as stated in Mark 11:24 “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours” .

God knows about the devastating things that are happening to you, and He is going to restore you. Stop trying to control the outcome. Take your hands off the situation. There is no precedent for the miracles that the Creator is setting up for your life.

Instead, allow yourself to be divinely guided from within. Know that His grace is sufficient. Use the courage you have to step out in faith and you will be healed.

If God could close the mouth of the lions for Daniel
Part the Red Sea for Moses
Make the sun stand still for Joshua
Open the prison doors for Peter
Cure 10 lepers between Samaria and Galilee
Cure Peter’s Mother In Law sick with fever
Heal a deaf man with an speech impediment
Put a baby in the arms of Sara
Cure an Epileptic son near the town of Philippi (Mark 8:27)
Heal a woman suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years
Raise from the dead -
Jairus’s daughter (Matthew 9:18-26)
The Son of the Widow woman of Nain (Luke 7:11-17)
And Lazarus from dead for (4)four days

Then He can certainly take care of you! Nothing you are facing today is too hard for our God to Handle!

Amen

I don’t know if you need healing from a sickness or if you know a family member or friend who does but if you’re searching for words you’re welcome to borrow some of mine. Let us pray:

A Prayer for Healing Sick Family or Friends

Lord Jesus, thank you that you love [name of person who needs healing]. I know that you hate what their illness is doing to them/me. I ask, in the name of Jesus, that you would heal this disease, that you would have compassion and bring healing from all sickness.

Your word says in Psalm 107:19-20 that when we call out to you the Eternal one you will give the order, heal and rescue us from certain death. In the Bible, I have read of miraculous healings and I believe that you still heal the same way today. I believe that there is no illness you cannot heal after all the bible tells of you raising people from the dead so I ask for your healing in this situation.

I also know from my experience of life on earth that not everyone is healed and if that happens here and this is your will than keep my heart and [name of person who needs healing] soft towards you, help us to understand your plan and help us to be excited about heaven.

Lord Jesus, thank you that our hope for healing is in you. If there are doctors or treatments that you would want to use to heal this disease I pray that you would guide [name of person who needs healing] to them. I ask for wisdom and discernment about which treatments to pursue. I ask that the doctors will have wisdom and skills above and beyond the sickness or disease.

God, I thank you that [name of person who needs healing] belongs to you and that you are in control of everything that happens from our first breath to our last sigh. Oh most scared heart of Jesus, we place our trust in Thee.

Amen.

May this prayer for sick guide your thoughts and communication with the Lord! Remember that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we do not know what to say. God knows your heart!

Written By: Jerri T. Jones
6/28/2017 - 3:54 pm