A Deeper Kind of Healing
Hi, I’m Joni and welcome to “Joni and Friends.”
It happens to me all the time. I’m at a conference somewhere and invariably a brother or sister in Christ, well meaning, will approach and ask if they could please pray for me. Well, of course I welcome people’s prayers; I’d never be one to refuse intercession on my behalf. But occasionally those prayers are not for safety or strength; these people want me to be miraculously healed by Jesus. These dear Christians, bless their hearts, would love to see me rise up out of my wheelchair, get back use of my hands. But like I said, I never refuse such prayers. I would love to be on my feet…but!
Thousands of people have prayed for my healing like that, but for some reason God has not chosen to raise me up out of this wheelchair. So after 50 years, what does God’s Word have to say about this? What about people like me who are spinal-cord injured for a long time or people with muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis? Well, on very rare occasions, I have seen people with these conditions experience a miracle. I believe it’s like a sneak preview of the coming attractions in heaven when all those who are lame will leap for joy. But as a rule of thumb, it’s obvious that God is concerned with a deeper kind of healing, and He often uses affliction or disease or disability to bring about that healing. What kind of healing could be better than walking?
My friend Linda Cybul is in a wheelchair, and she has severe rheumatoid arthritis, including a lot of other conditions. She deals with so much pain, but I think her story answers this question in a beautiful and powerful way. Recently someone approached Linda and asked, “May I pray for your healing, Linda?” She thought for a moment and said, “Sure, but may I tell you my number one healing request? I really need prayer for my selfishness; would you pray away my doubts and fears? And please pray that I won’t be crippled by any bitterness or resentments.” Bingo! My sentiments exactly. We Christians should be more concerned about getting rid of sin in our lives, or selfishness, or laziness of heart or pride. Would to God that we were as concerned about these diseases from which we all need to be healed, as we are about arthritis pain or paralysis or, yes, even cancer. I mean right now, my husband Ken and I are praying for 6 people we know who are struggling with cancer. And yes, we ask God to place His hand of healing upon them; we pray for their cancer to be gone, but we also—sometimes even more so—ask the Lord to strengthen their hearts, draw them closer to the Savior, help them to identify with his sufferings, strengthen their faith, get their church involved in their lives, deepen their prayer life, unite their families, guide them deeper and further into His Word. Oh friend, this is the deeper healing that God is always aiming for because God has redeemed us not to make us healthy, but to make us holy—and that always begins with leaving sin behind and drawing closer to Christ. That is better than any amount of walking.
Yep, Linda Cybul is right. It’s not that God isn’t concerned about her rheumatoid arthritis or my quadriplegia. It’s just He’s concerned about something deeper. And that’s making us more like His Son, Jesus: more pure, more compassionate, more holy. I say more about this in my booklet “God’s Word on Disability,” and I would love to send you a free copy. Just go to joniandfriends.org/radio and ask for “God’s Word on Disability”. It’s yours for the asking at joniandfriends.org/radio where we celebrate the deeper healing. When you have a chance today, drop by joniandfriends.org.
© Joni and Friends
