February 7 ~ Ecclesiastes 3:2
A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
”You are in my prayers.” This was the message recently in an e-mail from a friend. However, this person went on to say, “… I have a little doubt about prayer these days, as my uncle seems to keep getting sent back to ‘GO’.” I replied and encouraged this person to NEVER, NEVER EVER give up on prayer, and then I opened my study to Ecclesiastes 3:2, and I knew the rest of the answer.
Do you remember Numbers 12:13 from a few days ago when Moses asked God to heal his sister Miriam? God answered… but He waited several days. It wasn’t time… it wasn’t GOD’s time! You see, God hears our prayers, but Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds us that there IS a time for everything God does… and that includes healing. He will heal us… in His time. It will also be according to His will, which meant that while even the Apostle Paul was able to serve God, he continued to suffer from what was may have been diabetes. Some people receive their healing and wholeness in heaven. Others are miraculously cured on this earth of what should have most certainly been a fatal disease or injury. It’s all part of God’s plan… and it happens… in His time.
So the lesson is to call on God and then relax and be patient and give Him time to work. Remember… God’s timing and plans are always perfect… and always better than ours!
©2008 Debbie Robus
---------------------------------------------------------------
February 6 ~ Proverbs 15:4
Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Every one of us has been on the receiving end of cutting words, so we all know how badly they hurt. Often that pain and damage lasts a long time. I’ve heard it said that “words are like toothpaste – once it’s out of the tube, you can’t put it back!” And even if someone says, “I’m sorry,” or “I didn’t mean that!” the words may linger and hurt. It is one thing to forgive, but quite another to forget! Sadly, there are those who feel the way to build themselves up is by tearing down others – often with cutting words… criticism, hateful remarks, gossip, or even an unkind tone to the voice.
Kind words; however, do heal and help. Think of a time when you have been in a difficult situation or hurting or in need and someone said something very kind to you. It helped, didn’t it? You might have even said, “thanks… I needed that!” Remember how it felt to be treated kindly… how soothing and encouraging even the person’s tone of voice felt.I hope this scripture will remind us all to speak kind words… to look for opportunities to say something kind (and healing and helpful) to another. I also hope we will remember the damage cutting words can cause. It is my prayer that we will think before we speak and be “healers” rather than those who wound others.
©2008 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
February 5 ~ 2 Kings 20:4, 8
Isaiah, leaving, was not halfway across the courtyard when the word of God stopped him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, prince of my people, 'God's word, Hezekiah! From the God of your ancestor David: I've listened to your prayer and I've observed your tears. I'm going to heal you. In three days you will walk on your own legs into The Temple of God. I've just added fifteen years to your life; I'm saving you from the king of Assyria, and I'm covering this city with my shield—for my sake and my servant David's sake.'"
Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "How do I know whether this is of God and not just the fig plaster? What confirming sign is there that God is healing me and that in three days I'll walk into The Temple of God on my own legs?"
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Hezekiah poses an interesting question. How DO we know that God heals us instead of the medicine? First, one could argue that God provided the medicine, so in essence He was responsible for the healing either way. And that would be a fair assumption. Of course, some could argue that “I didn’t pray, and I was healed anyway, so it MUST have been the medicine!” But that would suggest that God only helps us when we pray, and we know He helps us many times in spite of our unfaithfulness… that God rescues us over and over again when we have done nothing to merit His attention or mercy.
So, what IS the message in these two verses? I believe the answer to Hezekiah’s question – and maybe ours – is in the first part of Verse 4 where God says he has seen Hezekiah’s tears and heard his prayers. To me, this says that God knows our heart and our situation – He KNOWS! Even when we don’t tell Him our troubles, He knows. And God loves us enough to have mercy on us and to bring healing, whether we ask Him directly or not. Yes, He wants to hear from us. Yes, He wants us to look to Him and lift ALL of our burdens to Him. But even when we wallow in self-pity and try all sorts of “home remedies” and “self-medicate,” God sends His “fig plaster” to heal us and set us on the right course again.
This is good news for me. This is peace and comfort in knowing that my Savior has my back. “God’s word!” – let it heal you today!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
February 4 ~ 1 Kings 13:6
The king pleaded with the holy man, "Help me! Pray to your God for the healing of my arm." The holy man prayed for him and the king's arm was healed—as good as new!
2 Kings 2:21 ~ He then went to the spring, sprinkled the salt into it, and proclaimed, "God's word: I've healed this water. It will no longer kill you or poison your land." And sure enough, the water was healed—and remains so to this day, just as Elisha said.
2 Kings 5:10, 14 ~ Elisha sent out a servant to meet him with this message: "Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you'll be as good as new."So he did it. He went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, following the orders of the Holy Man. His skin was healed; it was like the skin of a little baby. He was as good as new.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
You really owe it to yourself to go and read the first few verses of 1 Kings 13 to get the whole picture of this scripture. It’s really pretty cool. God sends a holy man to the altar as King Jeroboam is about to make an offering. The holy man prophesies that what the king is doing is wrong and that the altar will split in two and the “offerings” will fall to the ground. The king doesn’t like this, and he reaches out to the holy man, and when he does, his arm immediately breaks and goes limp, and the altar splits, just as the holy man prophesied. All of a sudden, the king is begging the holy man to pray to God for his arm to be healed. And the holy man does just this.
I’m telling you, this is a really interesting story, and I hope you will read it for yourself. See, after the holy man heals the king, the king invites him for a meal, and God has told the holy man NOT to eat a crumb with these people. So he refuses. But then one of the king’s sons tracks down the holy man and invites him to dinner and says “God told me to do this” and the holy man falls for it and shares a meal. God is not amused. Read the rest for yourself. And while you are at it, pay attention to the other passages today from 2 Kings.
The point is this… we can’t go around willy-nilly asking God to heal us and our friends and acquaintances and then doing whatever we please. More importantly, when God DOES heal us or our friends and acquaintances, this is NOT the time to drop the ball, get comfortable, and wander off attending to our own agenda! We must stay focused on God. We must pay attention to Him and to His direction for our lives. We must continually ask, “What next, Lord?”
When God works and answers our prayers – when He heals us – it is so easy to settle in and get complacent and start to take Him and His power for granted. We cannot do this! Read these scriptures in 1st and 2nd Kings, and you will see what a slippery slope this can be! Stay focused, stay close to God, and be well!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------------
February 3 ~ Deuteronomy 32:39
"Do you see it now? Do you see that I'm the one? Do you see that there's no other god beside me? I bring death and I give life, I wound and I heal - there is no getting away from or around me! I raise my hand in solemn oath; I say, 'I'm always around. By that very life I promise: When I sharpen my lightning sword and execute judgment, I take vengeance on my enemies and pay back those who hate me. I'll make my arrows drunk with blood, my sword will gorge itself on flesh, Feasting on slain and captive alike, the proud and vain enemy corpses.'"
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I am not a big fan of fear as a motivator. But we can’t have a true discussion about the Bible and God’s teaching without recognizing His power not only to heal, but also to punish and even destroy. If I told you about a soldier in battle who was facing almost certain death at the hands of a vicious, cruel, and truly a vile enemy, and God intervened and took out that enemy, you would say that was right and just, wouldn’t you? Let’s say that you know someone who drinks, does drugs, and drives, and they are constantly doing things that are destructive for themselves and others. God knows that this person is going to continue down this road, and ultimately, others will be hurt – maybe even killed – because of his/her behavior. In order to protect and save innocent people, God “takes this person out,” so to speak, through an accident or illness. Hopefully the person was a Christian and is taken to heaven.
My point is this. What we sometimes see as hard-nosed, stern punishment by God may in many ways be a double-edge sword -- that is, punishment for some while being protection and “healing” for others at the same time. If God takes one to save many, we must trust that His judgment is right and all-knowing. And He will “take out” those who are subverting His plans for His children – maybe not literally by death, but God has the power to subdue His enemies and those who serve the devil.
So while it is a whole lot more pleasant to think of God as the loving, gentle, grace-filled Father that He is, we must also remember that He has the power to right wrongs and discipline His children, also. I am motivated to serve God because I want to please Him and experience His love, grace and mercy for me. But I am also respectfully mindful of His power to correct me if I get out of line and do whatever it takes to get me back on the right path. Are you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 2 ~ Numbers 12:13
And Moses prayed to God: Please, God, heal her, please heal her.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
In order to get the full impact of this scripture, we must explore the background. Moses had married a Cushite woman – someone not of his tribe. His brother Aaron and his sister Miriam were openly critical of this decision AND of God for talking directly to someone who would marry “outside of his race,” so to speak. God loved Moses. While God spoke to others in visions and dreams, He spoke to Moses directly. God was really angry that Aaron and Miriam would be so critical of His chosen servant Moses, so He struck Miriam with leprosy. If you have ever seen pictures of someone with leprosy, you know that it is a horrible, disgusting condition that blisters and disfigures, and I’m sure it is very painful. When Moses saw his sister suffering, he pleaded with God to heal her. And God did just that – after a period of “quarantine” for about seven days.
It would be great if you could go to Numbers 12 and read the whole story yourself. But there are two things I want us to take away from this devo:
1) Moses prayed for healing for someone who had mistreated him. It didn’t matter to him that his own sister had been terribly cruel and critical of his choice for a wife. She was in need; she was suffering; and Moses begged God to fix it! We must learn to be that loving and faithful toward those who have offended or abused us in some way.
2) God loved Moses and his faithfulness, and He rewarded him for being such a diligent servant by healing his sister. BUT… he did not do it right away. He allowed Miriam to suffer for a period of time before the healing. I’m sure she learned a valuable lesson. And I suspect Moses strengthened in patience, too.
Sometimes we want God to help us – and we want it NOW! We have to learn that God is not in the business of bowing to our demands! We must remember that He loves us and wants what is best for us, and He can and will answer our prayers – even heal us and our loved ones. But we must respect His authority and autonomy – and His decisions regarding where, when and how this takes place.
©2008 Debbie Robus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 1 ~ Exodus 15:26
God said, "If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won't strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
When I was a young adult, the term “healing” brought to mind images of men like Oral Roberts and other evangelists who claimed to be able to “lay hands” on the sick and heal them in God’s name. It was just one of those words we didn’t use… and if we did, we used it sarcastically – “Hallelujah! He/she has been healed!” In those days before video and personal computers, we listened to a lot of radio, and I remember one of the jokes was to “put your hands on the radio (while listing to Oral Roberts or another preacher) and be healed!”
As my relationship with the Holy Spirit has deepened… and even more recently as I have followed the story of Job McCully, I have come to fully embrace and believe in the power of God to heal us… of any and all afflictions. So now, when I have a cold, God is my healer. When there is conflict between two people, I call on God to heal the situation. When someone loses a loved one and is brokenhearted, I ask God to heal them and restore their joy. When someone is struggling with depression, anxiety, or mental confusion, I pray that God will give them mental clarity.
NOTHING is too big for God to handle. NOTHING is beyond His capacity to heal. I am not saying God has given Oral Roberts or others the power to heal in His name. But the Bible tells me God did this in Acts – empowering His disciples to heal others - so why couldn’t He empower 21st Century disciples? “Faith-healer” or not, I do believe that God hears the prayers of faithful servants who call on Him for healing – of any and all afflictions. In the coming weeks, we will explore God’s capacity to heal us… and our faithfulness to receive it. It is my prayer that you will open your heart and mind and allow God to work in all areas of your life, and that you will be well in Christ!
©2008 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment