Great Is Your FaithfulnessSample

Faithful to Heal

**Today's entry is a little longer than the rest, so if you need an extra day to unpack it, that's okay! The featured testimony will be worth your time.**

I remember hearing a preacher say from the pulpit one time, "I'd rather be here than the best hospital in town!" And while I was only a child, I vividly recall being puzzled by that statement. Aside from the joys that come with a baby being delivered to a loving family, hospitals can feel heavy and draining. Why? Because sickness is found there.

Sickness is among the many negative results of sin's entrance to this planet. Saying such a thing does not mean that a person who is sick has caused that sickness by sinning. But it does mean that, when God formed Adam and Eve from the dust of the earth and placed them in His beautiful Garden of Eden, no sin, no sickness, no evil were present. Sickness was never in God's plan. But it came into this world with the entrance of sin.

God immediately put into motion a divine plan to send His Son Jesus Christ to earth to break off the strongholds of sin, self, and sickness. Isaiah wrote of Christ's sacrifice hundreds and hundreds of years before His arrival on earth and highlighted the healing benefits of His sacrifice in chapter 53, verse 5: "...and by His wounds we are healed."

God still faithfully heals today. Here's a powerful testimony of healing from my friend Mark to pump fresh faith into your heart and mind today:

"It's very humbling today to realize that I am living proof of the faithfulness of our God. When I was 19 years old, I knew that God had called me into the ministry, but I was resisting and was disobeying by doing something totally opposite. But what I love about the faithfulness of God is that, even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful because that's who He is and that's what He does.

When I was diagnosed with lymphoma and given 3 to 6 months to live, I did not feel worthy of a miracle, but yet a miracle came through the touch of God on my body. I called the prayer warrior of our family, my grandmother, the night before two very aggressive surgeries were to be performed since radiation and chemotherapy were off the table. The doctor said that the cancer was too far advanced for those treatments. As Mamaw was walking through her house, having her normal prayer time concerning my need, the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart and said, "stand on My Word". She wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but as she continued to pray, she realized that the Holy Spirit was instructing her to literally stand on the Word of God. So, around 11pm, Mamaw took the family Bible off of the coffee table nearby, put it on the floor and stood on top of it! When she finished, she realized it was 6 o'clock in the morning. She had literally stood on God's Word for seven hours, interceding for me.

The faithfulness of God knows no boundaries. While my grandmother was having this unusual encounter, the presence of the Lord filled my hospital room and the Lord lovingly dealt with me about the call on my life for full-time ministry. I quickly repented of my disobedience. Then, I felt a hand lay upon my chest. When I opened my eyes to see what hospital staff member had slipped into the room, there was no one in the room, but yet I still felt the imprint of a Person's right hand, pressing upon me. It was very warm to the touch, and only lasted a few seconds. But it was enough for me to know Who had touched me. Jeremiah declares that God watches over His Word to perform it. God was actually looking for an opportunity to show His faithfulness to me, in spite of my unfaithfulness to Him.

That morning, in the first of two scheduled surgeries, it was revealed that all of the cancerous mass that had filled my chest cavity, as well as the masses of cancer attacking my vital organs of heart and lungs, had totally disappeared due to the touch of God. The doctors canceled the second surgery and I was no longer headed to intensive care. Instead, after I awakened, swollen from the surgery, I whispered, "Praise God", and I could feel the hot tears running down my cheeks. God had truly shown His faithfulness to me. I remain cancer-free, now 44 years later. Great is His faithfulness to heal!"

Dig a Little Deeper

Take some time this week to learn more about Jesus's healing ministry while on earth. Ask Him to fill your heart with faith to believe that He can still heal today. Confess your doubts and pray with fresh fervency for sickness to be healed in your life, and in the lives of those you love.