The Visitor (Day 2 from Cleansing Thoughts)

     I'm not sure how the conversation changed, but somehow, the topic went to how one can find a good doctor, one they could trust and depend on. I am not a bold person, but I found myself telling them of the greatest doctor I knew and how I had complete confidence in him. Then when I was asked for his name and how they could reach him, I told them His name is Jesus and He could be reached when they were on their knees. All conversation stopped. The room got very quiet. Then one man bowed his head and began to pray. It wasn't long after that the nurse came to get my mother and me so we could see my dad.

    I believe in the scripture and praying God's word, so as we entered the unit, this passage came to mind: "He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction" (Psalm 107:20, NKJV). As we walked past each room, I could not help but say a small prayer for those we had come to know ao very briefly. In the first room we passed, I could see the frail frame of a mother and grandmother lying beneath the blankets while one person sat silently at her side. "Lord, be with this family and draw them close to you during this time. 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me' [Psalm 23;4, NKJV]." Then we walked past Bid's room. All I could hear was the sound of the machines that were keeping his lifeless body alive. The only one at his side was a nurse checking his vitals. "Father, bring restoration to their hearts once again that the guilt cannot remain. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all your benefits . . . who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction," [Psalm 103;3, NKJV]. I could not help but notice the staff, though pleasant, had an air of intense concern about them. Unlike entering the waiting room everything was so quiet, which only seemed to increase the steady sounds of the machines. My heart was heavy, and I could feel the presence of death all around me. The next room we came to was my dad's. "Lord Jesus. You promised me in Your Word that all my house shall be saved. 'And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven' [James 5;15, NKJV]."

    In the Scriptures, there are various names used for God that give us insight into his divine character as well as to His relationship with us as believers. In Exodus 15:26, He reveals Himself Himself as Jehovah-Rapha, "I am the Lord who heals you." Divine healing is again reinforced in the prophecy given by Isaiah of the coming Messiah where it states, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5, NKJV). In this text, the Hebrew word for grief and sorrow relates to our physical affliction. And we see this scripture fulfilled by Jesus in Matthew 8:16-17 (NKJV); it states, "He healed all who were sick." God, in all His mercy and love for mankind provided for our healing in the atonement made by the shed blood of Jesus not only as our Savior but as our Devine Healer as well. Healing is a gift from God, but like any other gift, you have to receive it by faith. Jesus told us, "All things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23, NKJV). Jesus commissioned His disciples to "lay hands on the sick and they shall recover" (Mark:16:18, NKJV). The New Testament church is told, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayers of faith will save the sick" (James 5:14-15, NKJV).