A Concept or a Promise?

After spending most of the day at the hospital with plenty of time to think, I came away with a question. Am I believing in a concept or a promise? You see...my father-in-law had an episode yesterday that caused me to think about God and healing. The good news for my father-in-law is that he is doing much better and is on his way home. The good news for me is that I have been encouraged to keep believing God and His Word.

Allow me to explain. I have always believed in God's ability. I don't know of a time where I ever doubted that He was able to heal someone. What I doubted was my part of the equation. I read the book of James in the New Testament and he tells the church very plainly that if there are any sick among us that they should call on the elders of the church, be anointed with oil, and the prayer of faith will bring healing. In my opinion, it's very plain what James is leading the church to do and the results that will come about because of the prayer of faith. What I didn't realize is the hornet's nest that can get stirred up when you begin talking about healing.

The fact is that most of us have known someone who has died because of sickness. Many of those people even had folks who prayed over them. They have followed the prescribed method but nothing changed. And the statement that usually follows is that it must not have been God's will. But am I believing in a concept or a promise? Concepts will fail. Well laid out plans don't always achieve the goal. God's promises never fail!

Believe me when I say that I am not questioning the amount of faith of any individual nor their sincerity. I am one of those people who believed God for a healing and didn't see it come to pass. I am one of those who have asked God "Why?". But I am also one of those people who refuses to value a concept or idea above an experience with results. I didn't stop praying. I haven't stopped believing that God still works miracles. In fact, the lack of "results" has led me to go even deeper. I long for understanding.

I came across a quote that stirred this fire inside of me even more: "Any revelation from God's Word that does not lead us to an encounter with God only serves to make us more religious. The church cannot afford 'form without power' for it creates Christians without purpose." ~ Bill Johnson. It doesn't matter how well I know or understand a concept. My ability to understand and communicate God's Word doesn't change anything. However, if I experience God's Word then something happens that no one can stop!

When we experience the promises of God in our lives it doesn't matter what the world says. If God says someone will be healed, it has nothing to do with a concept of healing but everything to do with God's intervention. When God says that we should call upon the elders of the church for prayer, the healing isn't in the concept but actually flows through our obedience to the thing that God spoke. Our obedience is a display of our faith and faith is the key to unlocking the kingdom of God. But the faith isn't focused on the concept. Let me give you an example. When my brother-in-law was very young he developed a fever that could not be broken. Medication wouldn't even touch it. Ice baths couldn't get the fever to come down. My wife's grandfather (a preacher) drove to the hospital. When he came in to pray he said, "Lord, I don't have any oil but by faith I place my hands on Kevin and ask you to remove this fever." With that he licked his thumb and placed it on Kevin's head. The fever broke. If our faith is in the concept then the concept was flawed. There was no oil used in this approach. But when our faith is in the Healer - He is never flawed!

Let us remember that the Spirit of God never contradicts the Word of God but He is very comfortable in contradicting our understanding of it. We may say that God only works in certain situations but the Spirit of God can quickly change all of that. We may say that certain gifts aren't available for today but the Spirit of God can change our theology. He is the One who will guide us into all truth. All understanding of truth and all application of truth. We must never forget this fact.

As I prayed for my father-in-law yesterday, I literally watched his circumstances change. I watched him begin to recover. There is no doubt in my mind that God touched him. And it is a lesson that I will never forget. What I saw in the hospital was a man laying in a bed. What I heard from doctors and nurses was an evaluation of his situation. What the Spirit of God told me to do was to move beside the bed and pray. I obeyed - God responded - and He gets the glory!

Although I cannot explain the times when I did not witness the healing hand of God; I also cannot explain the times when I have. Healing is God's sovereign work. I have simply abandoned myself to be obedient. And as I walk with God on this journey, I'm praying for God's "will to be done on earth as it is in heaven." I'm looking for an invasion of heaven here and now. I have decided that it will not be my job to explain away the power of God. Instead...I want to be like the Apostle Paul and say that I didn't come to you with persuasive words of man's wisdom but with a demonstration of the power of God! Anyone care to join me?