Not In a Corner I
Divine Healing always is always a controversial topic in both Christian and secular circles. It was commanded as an essential ministry by Jesus and was intimately tied to the proclaiming of the Gospel. It has been faithfully sought after in prayer by the Christian Church through the ages to the present. “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; and the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he shall be forgiven.” (James 5:13-14) Prayers for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing had always been …show more content…
How did it all begin?
I always prayed for health, protection, and wisdom for myself and others as part of daily devotions as long as I can remember. In college, we studied the liturgy for healing ministry even though I had never seen it practiced in the worship life of the Church. Shortly after arriving in my first pastoral assignment in northern Manitoba, our family acquired a beautiful Elkhound dog which turned out to be a wonderful companion to me personally. In fact, he probably saved my life as together we fought off a pack of wolves that had been stalking us on a remote road late one evening as we returned home from a call. He was my friend, confessor, and stress releaser. One summer back in the early seventies when we came south for a visit with our families, he took sick. We took him to the Vet who after careful examination reported that he had had a heart attack and was existing on extremely little heart function. There was nothing we could do except keep him comfortable and give him companionship. We had hoped for a better report about such a robust northern dog. The family had prior plans that were difficulty to postpone so I spread a blanket out in the shade behind the house and sat down …show more content…
It was a first time visit, and at the conclusion of the service, the Evangelist said, “My spirit tells me there is another pastor in the congregation.” I looked around, and no one else moved. After waiting for a moment to test the call, I came forward, and the Evangelist said, “Come alongside me, and you will see God work in a way that will change your ministry.” We had travelled to this meeting with another couple and a nurse and were strangers to everybody present. The Evangelist called out my friend’s name and said, “Neil, God desires to heal you, come up for prayer.” As my sceptical friend approached us, the Evangelist extended his hand toward him and said, “You have (naming the clinical term for his serious back condition). Neil’s eyes opened wide, and he burst into tears saying, “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus.” Neil said the moment the condition was named a sense of heat like a hot zipper moved up his back, and he knew he was healed! Returning to work at the nickel mine the next day, Neil asked to return to his old manual job moving concentrate bags since he had been put on light duty working in security. His supervisor was amazed to see the strength he had and the change in Neil’s personality and attitude toward life. God gave him a total overhaul! The healing of the whole person body, soul, and spirit is the greatest healing miracle of all! Nothing was done in a corner.
Divine Healing always is always a controversial topic in both Christian and secular circles. It was commanded as an essential ministry by Jesus and was intimately tied to the proclaiming of the Gospel. It has been faithfully sought after in prayer by the Christian Church through the ages to the present. “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; and the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he shall be forgiven.” (James 5:13-14) Prayers for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing had always been …show more content…
How did it all begin?
I always prayed for health, protection, and wisdom for myself and others as part of daily devotions as long as I can remember. In college, we studied the liturgy for healing ministry even though I had never seen it practiced in the worship life of the Church. Shortly after arriving in my first pastoral assignment in northern Manitoba, our family acquired a beautiful Elkhound dog which turned out to be a wonderful companion to me personally. In fact, he probably saved my life as together we fought off a pack of wolves that had been stalking us on a remote road late one evening as we returned home from a call. He was my friend, confessor, and stress releaser. One summer back in the early seventies when we came south for a visit with our families, he took sick. We took him to the Vet who after careful examination reported that he had had a heart attack and was existing on extremely little heart function. There was nothing we could do except keep him comfortable and give him companionship. We had hoped for a better report about such a robust northern dog. The family had prior plans that were difficulty to postpone so I spread a blanket out in the shade behind the house and sat down …show more content…
It was a first time visit, and at the conclusion of the service, the Evangelist said, “My spirit tells me there is another pastor in the congregation.” I looked around, and no one else moved. After waiting for a moment to test the call, I came forward, and the Evangelist said, “Come alongside me, and you will see God work in a way that will change your ministry.” We had travelled to this meeting with another couple and a nurse and were strangers to everybody present. The Evangelist called out my friend’s name and said, “Neil, God desires to heal you, come up for prayer.” As my sceptical friend approached us, the Evangelist extended his hand toward him and said, “You have (naming the clinical term for his serious back condition). Neil’s eyes opened wide, and he burst into tears saying, “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus.” Neil said the moment the condition was named a sense of heat like a hot zipper moved up his back, and he knew he was healed! Returning to work at the nickel mine the next day, Neil asked to return to his old manual job moving concentrate bags since he had been put on light duty working in security. His supervisor was amazed to see the strength he had and the change in Neil’s personality and attitude toward life. God gave him a total overhaul! The healing of the whole person body, soul, and spirit is the greatest healing miracle of all! Nothing was done in a corner.