We are Healers

Healing is something we all want and need, but don’t experience as often as we might wish. I guess there are many reasons why and I wont try to speculate on all of them. But here is one…

I think we underestimate our role as HEALERS and instead tell God to do what he asked us to do. We ARE healers. I was reflecting on this as I preached at a local church a few weeks ago and told the church that they are ALL healers and asked them who they plan to heal this week. We carry in us the love, life and power of Jesus and our actions, our words and our compassion can heal people of all kinds of pain and brokenness. Henri Nouwen calls us "wounded healers." 

In fact, it troubles me that there is only ONE place in the bible where we are told to pray for the sick (James 5) and even more strange that in the Gospels and Acts no one did so! Jesus did not tell us to pray for the sick. He told us to heal them. I actually think that healing is just one of the many, many roles that we have bounced back to God instead of BEING Him like He asked us to be. Missions for starters.

I would guess that most people do not firmly believe they are a healer. If that was decidedly a part of your sense of identity, I wonder how it would change your interactions today. Who would you heal if you thought you could? And just to be clear, I am talking about a lot more than just physical healing. It is my conviction that emotional sickness from lack of love plagues far more people than does physical sickness for lack of health.

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!" Matthew 10:8