Ride this train of thought with me… (train photo by Oscar Portan of Pixaby)
We watched Episode 4, Season 3 of The Chosen recently. Our small group had some great discussions about obeying God even when we don’t understand what He’s doing or why. What we didn’t discuss, but occurred to me the next morning, was this question: Why can’t we heal and deliver people like the disciples are shown doing at the beginning of the episode? That led me down a train of thought:
-
Do we just not have enough faith? No, as even the disciples were surprised at how God sometimes came through and sometimes didn’t – in the show and in the Bible.
-
Yet Jesus does say things about healing or not healing depending on one’s faith in Him.
-
So are we missing a technique or a particular prayer? No, but continue down the track with me…
-
Maybe I should go study the Gospels to see if there was something Jesus did I’ve missed.
-
No, almost every time Jesus healed/delivered, he did it differently. Besides, I don’t think healing with spit would go over today, even if it worked.
-
Chris asked a good question along those lines that popped into my brain, then: Did the disciples ever fail. Neither Jesus nor the disciples ever seemed to have a failure when they prayed.
-
But wait, yes, three of the Gospels do tell the story of one time the disciples failed in their efforts to drive out a demon. It was while Jesus was up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John… and Elijah and Moses.
So, what will it take to see the Kingdom of God in our daily lives, Sunday gatherings, and prayer times? According to Jesus in Matthew 17:20, there is an aspect of their need for more faith in Him. However, the primary reason seems to be seen in Mark’s version: Mark 9:29 – “He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
The final track my brain took this morning was this: I need to spend even more time praying and fasting. As I do that, not only will my faith in God’s ability increase, but I’ll be more likely to hear from Him regarding who to pray for and how, and I’ll be more empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to pray for people and see them delivered and healed.
The Holy Spirit’s gift of healing doesn’t come with saying just the right words in the right way – that’s magic, not God. It’s also not a matter of being good enough or having enough faith, though a lack of faith and living in sin will certainly impact whether God will use us or not. The gift of healing – God’s empowerment to heal people through His Holy Spirit – as well as answered prayers in general come from God’s grace, our obedience, the supernatural empowerment (read: baptism) of the Holy Spirit, and whether we are spending time with Him in prayer; even in spiritual warfare.
So, I want to invite you to join me in doing the difficult, hard, and potentially painful work of seeking “first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NCV) Let’s pray more, engage in worship, and even fast to see people’s lives changed through us. Then “The Chosen” won’t be just a TV show we watch enviously; it will be our lived experience as a witness to God’s Gospel power.