While some sort of physical healing is a need for many (even I am still working through a significant ankle sprain nearly 4 weeks ago), true healing is needed in the heart. And this is the target God has been aiming His Word at in recent weeks. It hasn't been wonderfully sweet or welcomed either. I have been feeling bombarded and overwhelmed by the light of His truth shining into the deep recesses of my own heart. It's been uncomfortable to watch unknown sins rise to the surface. It's been far more humiliating to see the ones I know full well are present hanging around and making a home. I acknowledge I am a wretched man (Romans 7:24) and the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) as I look into the idol factory that is my heart. It gets distracted by so many trivial things exalting them to places where God alone should be.
Surprisingly God has not been using directly corrective verses and/or passages to work over my heart. It's actually been stories of healing which have weighed heavily on my heart. They tell of God's goodness as well as my lacking faith to receive His healing. God has been continually bringing me back to the book of Mark.
I studied the book a few months back, and I am learning it wasn't an accident. Like most of the gospels, it is littered with stories of Christ's healing power. However, Mark seems to say a lot more about those seeking healing than the other gospels do. And these accounts are what God is using to restore me. Look at how many times the following phrases and/or concepts are spoken by/about those in need of healing:
- came to Him (1:40; 2:3; 3:8; 5:22, 27, 33; 6:55; 7:25, 32; 8:22; 9:15; 10:13, 50; 14:3)
- cried out/save/help/heal (1:40; 5:23, 33; 7:26; 8:22; 9:22, 24; 10:47, 48, 51)
- your faith has healed you/because of your faith/saw their faith/believe (2:5; 5:34, 36; 7:29; 9:23-24; 10:52)
- Bartimaeus, the blind man, in 10:46-52 is especially noteworthy. This man hears Jesus passing by, cries out, gets rebuked by the crowd, cries out even louder, sprints to Jesus, pleads for mercy and healing, receives what he desires, and is commended by Jesus for his faith.
In nearly each case of healing, the focus is on the actions of the sick and needy. They didn't sit around and wait for something to happen. They sought after, asked for, and had faith in the healing power of Christ. Their actions can easily be summed up by saying they knew who they believed in. By seeking Christ, they declared their faith in the One who could heal. By asking Christ, they declared their faith in His mercy and compassion for them. All this culminated in Christ healing them. He was glorified in their requests and even more glorified by healing them.
I tend to treat healing like surgery. I want God to put me under, do the work, and wake me up when everything is all finished. The wonderful folks in Mark demonstrate healing does not come by lying on my back, but by going and doing. I need to be seeking after God through His Word and prayer. I need to swallow my pride and ask for the healing I need instead of waiting for God to show it to me. I need to have faith that with God all things truly are possible. Clearly He is the only One who can heal, but am I willing to believe it and act upon my belief?
Hillsong sings a song called Healer which God has used as complimentary material for my healing. It declares God to be the One who heals and our need to believe in His ability to do so. I've listened to it hundreds of times, but just recently started listening to what it says.
[Chorus] I believe You're my healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You all I need
[Interlude] For nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands
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