Restored

Healing in the Scripture never ceases to amaze me with the depth and breadth of its meaning.  Jesus, as s man expects healing says "Your sins are forgiven." Job is healed in body, spirit and materially as all he has lost is restored.  But we, as the simple humans we are, seem to associate the healing (even in the Bible) with the person doing the healing (though God's word tells us otherwise).  So I prefer to think of Biblical healing as three things ... supernatural,  unidirectional and restorational.

In Acts Peter and Paul and the body of Christ (the Church) are involved in numerous healings.  some of these raise the dead. People are impressed as they always seem to be when they see 'signs and wonders.'  I have seen these in my day and we often walk away impressed but are soon puzzled when the next person we love dearly is not healed in the way we desire.  We are surely impressed, but we are quick to question God and even get angry and hurt.  We forget that part of God's supernatural nature includes our inability to understand Him.

We also forget healing happens to point in one direction.   Jesus said that direction was God.  The presence, caring, involvement and engagement of God in the world is shouted when these healings take place.  Paul and Peter talk of God's power.  Jesus said he healed a blind man so God's glory would be experienced by people.  Healing, like all miracles, points to God.

But healing also happens to bring restoration in the midst of human pain.  Rich Mullins says that we meet the real God in our frailty, our brokenness, our darkness and our exasperation.  He recounted that if God had not brought him to the edge he would have never seen or thought he needed God's restoration.  And, of course, that is a need we all have.

Thanks,  God, for your power, your direction, and your meeting us inside our brokenness.  For without that need we might never see you.  Randy