To Die is Gain

To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

PHILLIPIANS 1:21, NIV

Most of us know what it means to be stunned by the sudden passing of a dedicated friend, a godly pastor, a devout missionary, or a saintly mother. We have stood at the open grave with hot tears running down our cheeks and have asked in utter bewilderment, “Why, O God, why?” We know the impact these people made, and we can’t help but think of the good they might have continued to do, had they lived longer.

The death of the righteous is no accident. Do you think that God – whose watchful vigil notes the sparrow’s fall and who knows the number of hairs on our heads – would turn His back on one of His children in the hour of peril? With Him there are no accidents, no tragedies, and no catastrophes as far as His children are concerned.

It was Sir Walter Scott who asked, “Is death the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.” That is true for every believer in Christ. Even when grief overwhelms us or confusion assails us, we still can trust God’s all-knowing love.

Billy Graham

Living Stones

You also, as living stones,

Are being built up a spiritual house.

1 Peter 2:5

 

          I have a friend who lost his job, a fortune, his wife, and his home. But he tenaciously held to his faith in Christ – the only thing he had left. Like Job in the Old Testament, he would not abandon God, no matter what happened. And yet like Job, he couldn’t help but wonder why.

One day he stopped to watch some men doing stonework on a huge church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of stone.

“What are you going to do with that?” asked my friend.

The workman said, “See that little opening away up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this down here so it will fit in up there.”

Tears filled my friend’s eyes as he walked away, for it seemed that God had spoken through the workman to explain the ordeal through which he was passing, “I’m shaping you down here so you’ll fit in up there.”

Billy Graham

Our Journey to God

He is able to keep what I have

Committed to Him until that Day.

2 Timothy 1:12

 

The Bible speaks of death as a departure. When Paul approached the valley of the shadow of death he did not shudder with fear; rather he announced with a note of triumph, “The time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6).

The word departure in Paul’s time literally meant to pull up anchor and set sail. Everything that happens prior to death is a preparation for the journey. Just as a ship would be loaded with provisions and the voyage carefully mapped before its departure, so our time on this earth should be spent carefully preparing for our journey into eternity.

Many times I have said farewell to my wife and children as I have departed for a distant destination. Separation always brings a tinge of sadness, but there is the high hope that we shall meet again.

Such is the hope of every believing Christian as we stand at the grave of a loved one who has departed to be with the Lord. We say “Goodbye,” but only until that new day dawns and we are together with the Lord.

Billy Graham

 

Letter from Heaven

 

To my dearest family, some things I’d like to say.

But first of all, to let you know, that I arrived okay.

I’m writing this from heaven. Here I dwell with God

above. Here, there’s no more tears of sadness; Here is just eternal love.

Please do not be unhappy just because I’m out of sight.

Remember that I am with you every morning, noon and night.

That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was

through. God picked me up and hugged me and He said, “I welcome you.

It’s good to have you back again, you were missed while

you were gone. As for your dearest family, They’ll be here later on.

There’s so much that we have to do, to help our mortal man.”

God gave me a list of things, that he wished for me to

And foremost on the list, was to watch and care for you.

And when you lie in bed at night the day’s chores put to

flight. God and I are closest to you….in the middle of the night.

When you think of my life on earth, and all those loving

years. Because you are only human, they are bound to bring you tears.

But do not be afraid to cry: it does relieve the pain. Remember

there would be no flowers, unless there was some rain.

I wish that I could tell you all that God has planned.

If I were to tell you, you wouldn’t understand.

But one thing is for certain, though my life on earth is

o’er. I’m closer to you now, than I ever was before.

There are many rocky roads ahead of you and many hills to

climb; But together we can do it by taking one day at a time.

It was always my philosophy and I’d like it for you too;

That as you give unto the world, the world will give to you.

If you can help somebody who’s in sorrow and pain;

Then you can say to God at night……”My day was not in vain.”

And now I am contented….that my life was worthwhile.

Knowing as I passed along the way I made somebody smile.

So if you meet somebody who is sad and feeling low;

Just lend a hand to pick him up, as on your way you go.

When you’re walking down the street and you’ve got Me on

your mind; I’m walking in your footsteps only half a step behind.

And when it’s time for you to go….from that body to be

free. Remember you’re not going…..you’re coming here to Me.

Richard Mahaffey Copyright 1995

 

My granny was so special to me, She lived her life to the fullest, And now she’s been set free. I know she’s more happy now than ever before, God called her home and opened the golden door. She has no problems and no fears, God took her up and wiped away all her tears. I know she wants me to try my best in all I do, I love you granny and I’ll keep doing my best in everything for you!

by: Nicole Jones January, 12 1999

Come with Me

 The Lord saw you getting tired And a cure was not to be,

So He put his arms around you And whispered, “Come with me.”

With tearful eyes, we watched you suffer And saw you fade away,

Although we loved you dearly, We could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating, A beautiful smile at rest,

God broke our hearts to prove He only takes the best.

It’s lonesome here without you We miss you so each day,

Our lives aren’t the same Since you went away.

When days are sad and lonely, And everything goes wrong,

We seem to hear you whisper, “Cheer up and carry on.”

Each time we see your picture, You seem to smile and say,

“Don’t cry, I’m in God’s keeping, We’ll meet again someday.”

Rhonda Braswell

I’m Free

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free

I’m following the path God has chosen for me.

I took His hand when I heard him call;

I turned my back and left it all.

 

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way;

I’ve now found peace at the end of day.

 

If my parting has left a void,

Then fill it with remembered joys.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss;

Oh yes, these things, I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow

Look for the sunshine of tomorrow.

 

My life’s been full, I savored much;

Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch.

Perhaps my time seems all to brief;

Don’t lengthen your pain with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and peace to thee,

God wanted me now-He set me free

AuthorShannon Lee   Moseley.

soothingliteleader@yahoo.com

 

Mourning/Bereavement

Death, the last enemy to be conquered according to Scripture. In the Book of Revelation it speaks about a second death, the death of our souls. Now we know that we all will face a physical death, where the body dies, but most of us do not know about the second death. Now the word death in Greek, means to be separated from. We know when someone dies here on earth that we are separated from them and that is why we are so grieved and mourn their departure. We love them and this is natural because we want to be with them. Death is part of our human experience but it is not something that we enjoy at all. It is never pleasant when we hear that someone has passed on, especially a loved one.

I want to address this second death, because this second death that is spoken about in Scripture is when the LORD judges us and we are eternally separated from Him for all of eternity. Now we know that the LORD is gracious and that He loves us all. That is the reason that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross in our place, so that He could receive us into His presence for all of eternity. But this only happens, if you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Now I know that a lot of you are having questions at this point about those that you have lost in the past whether they are with the LORD or not. We will not know until we are there ourselves, do not drive yourself crazy thinking about it. The only thing that you can do is get yourself right with God in order to know that you will be there and pray and hope that they made the right decision also.

I have spoken to many people who claim to know that their loved ones did not go into the presence of God, but I have to say to them, that they really do not know this for a fact. Even the thief on the cross accepted Jesus as Lord before he died in his last dying moments. We never know whether someone has accepted Him or not, only God truly knows every man’s decision on this matter.

I know as a child of God that when I die that I am going into the very presence of God because Scripture tells me so. I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and this confession lets me know that I am going to spend eternity with my Lord. Now there was a time that death really confused me and I did not have this assurance, as a matter of fact, I was actually mad at God, if there was a God according to my belief at the time. For the only time I ever heard about God, was when someone had died and my mom would tell me that they were now with God. But I grew up in a house that my dad said that we did not talk about religion or politics, so in general we did not. Not that my dad was ignorant on either subject I believe, but he definitely did not discuss religion, he actually mocked it. So when I was teenager and over a few years some men that I was close to were taken by death, I got mad at God. I did not know if there was a God and if there was, I was going to rebel. As you probably already know, this was not a good choice. God will let you rebel, and you will reap what you sow. But God is also understanding and He did not let me receive everything that I sowed, thank God! Instead when I was 31 years old, He revealed Himself to me and got me straight with Him, before He took my parent’s home to be with Him. But shortly after I came to know Him, I got mad at Him again because of my circumstances and this time, God made sure to drive the point home, that I was His child and I was going to learn the lesson, to trust Him and to not get mad at Him for teaching me life lessons, that need to be taught.

In Scripture we see that Jesus Himself died on the cross for our sins and that He did this in order to get us right with the Father in Heaven. So that we could spend eternity with Him, instead of being eternally separated from God for all of eternity. Let’s face it, God is not going to force you to spend eternity in heaven if you choose not to be there. He is a loving God who sent His son to die on the cross, where we all deserve to die because of our sins, but instead He sent Jesus to die in our place. Now we see in Scripture in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus cried out to the Father to take this cup from him, that is, the death on the cross. We see how human Jesus was at this point, He knew the suffering that was coming to Himself that He was going to endure all by Himself. He knew that at the point where He was going to be hanging on the cross and taking the sins of the world upon Himself, that He was going to be separated from His Father for that time. This was absolutely appalling to Him. He had never been separated from the Father since the beginning of time, now He knew that He was going to be separated for awhile, I do not know if He knew for how long, but He did know that He was going to be separated from His Father’s presence for this time.

When Jesus was doing His ministry we see that He was upset with death. In the story of Lazarus we see that when Jesus showed up to Mary and Martha’s that they were upset with Jesus and that they thought that Jesus could have stopped it, but chose not to. At this point Jesus wept, not because He could not do anything about the situation, but because He saw the pain that death brings to people. The questions, the hurt, the what if’s, all of the strife among the living. Jesus knows the destruction that death brings upon families and how it either brings people closer together or further apart. My experience has been that it usually tears people apart unless they are really grounded in the Lord. Now we know that Jesus resurrected Lazarus and that God brought glory to Himself that day, but Jesus could see that Lazarus was going to physically die again also in the future.

According to Scripture it says that Jesus conquered death and that it is the last enemy to be destroyed. What this means, is that when Jesus comes back to earth and reveals Himself to everybody and after the millennial that Jesus is going to judge everything accordingly including death. It will be the last enemy destroyed just like Scripture says.

Now I hope and pray that God uses this mourning process that we all go through to bless your life and that you will let Him speak to you in such a way that you will understand that death is not right and that you will get right with Him in order to know that you will be with Him and I hope and pray that you will be reunited with your loved ones in the future. I hope that God gives you His grace during this time of pain and that He will replace your pain with joy in knowing that you will be reunited with your loved ones. May God Bless You and Keep You throughout all eternity and may you be a blessing to others while we are here, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

I would suggest that if you are really having a hard time with this letting go process and that you feel that you need more assistance, that you contact a good Bible based church, that has a bereavement ministry, these ministries are usually lead by people who have had tragedy in their lives and have overcome this difficult topic in their lives by sharing it with others. They will help you learn ways of dealing with it, so that you can move on and restore some kind of joy back into your life. You do not necessarily have to talk, just listen and learn, take what is given and start the healing process. There are a lot of ministries that are attached to this website that have these ministries, so please look into the resource page and click on the different ministries to find one close to you.

Bereave: v. to take away something or someone dear to one; leave sad and lonely

[I was bereaved by my friend’s death.] Bereavement n.

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. (NKJV)

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

A good reputation is more valuable than the most expensive perfume. In the same way, the day you die is better than the day you are born.

It is better to spend your time at funerals, than at festivals. For you are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still time.

Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.

A wise person thinks much about death, while the fool thinks only about having a good time now.

Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

In this meaningless life, I have seen everything, including the fact that some good people die young and some wicked people live on and on. So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either – don’t be a fool! Why should you die before your time? So try to walk a middle course – but those who fear God will succeed either way.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether or not God will show them favor in this life. The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether they are righteous or wicked, good, or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who take oaths are treated like people who don’t.

It seems so tragic that one fate comes to all. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway. There is hope only for the living. For as they say, “It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”

The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Whatever they did in their lifetime – loving, hating, envying – is all long gone. They no longer have a part in anything here on earth. So go ahead. Eat your food and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a dash of cologne!

Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you in this world. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise are often poor, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being at the right place at the right time.

People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a snare, people are often caught by sudden tragedy.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down – when we die and leave these bodies – we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.

Matthew 5:4

God blesses them that mourn, for they will be comforted.

 

Healing

In our society today we see a lot of cancer taking our loved ones from us. We see a lot of senseless death at the hands of those who are obviously influenced by the Evil One. We see a lot of diabetes and obesity, which in turn has adverse effects on our health. We know that the LORD witnesses all of this from His throne and is not at all happy with any of it. We know that according to Scripture that when sin entered into the Garden of Eden that death entered with it. We know that ever since the beginning of time as we know it, death has been reigning over man. But we also know that when Jesus Christ came down to the earth and died on the cross and was risen from the dead three days later, that Jesus conquered death and its sting. That is, if you believe!!! This is where people who do not know the LORD have real issues with death, as they should. For they do not have the answers as to where their loved ones have went or any assurance themselves of ever seeing them again.

In the Word of God (The Holy Bible), we see that even Jesus Himself suffered with death. In the story about Lazarus dying, we see that Jesus Himself wept. Why? He knew that he was about to resurrect Lazarus, so why was Jesus weeping? Because Jesus understood what kind of pain came with death. The loss, the mourning, the emptiness, the questions. We have a compassionate God who cares about us and He Himself was willing to die in our place in order to have us with Him in Heaven for all of eternity. He conquered death by taking our place on the cross and reconciling us with God the Father, so that death could no longer rule over us.

Now in Scripture we see that everyone who came to Jesus was healed and according to the gospels not everything was written down that Jesus did. But when Jesus went to His home town, Nazareth, that He did not perform very many miracles, because the people did not believe. Belief is essential to being healed by the LORD. You have to believe that the LORD can heal you and you also have to believe that His will, will be done regardless, whether He chooses to heal you or not. Even Jesus Himself dealt with this dilemma in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Father to take away this cup, referring to His death on the cross, if it was His will. But Jesus already knew that He was going to die on that cross for all of humanity, but this is where you see the human side of Jesus, He did not want to die either, but He understood that He did not want His will to be done, but the will of the Father in heaven. Jesus was even mocked on the cross, that He could heal others but He could not save Himself. But according to Jesus Himself, He laid down His life of His own free will.

In the Word of God (The Holy Bible), we see that there were many people healed and that Jesus never seemed to heal anyone in the same manner. I believe this was God’s wisdom being displayed, because He knows how foolish we can be and that we would try and copy everything that did in order to try and heal ourselves. I have known many people who have been miraculously healed and obviously by the hand of God, but they all have this in common, they believed that God could heal them. They believed in the power of God. On the other hand, I have known many godly people who God has not chosen to heal and I personally believe that each one of these people are now in the very presence of God Almighty Himself. Why did God choose not to heal them, I do not know, but I, just like these godly saints that are in His presence know, that we trust His decisions more than even our own. For in Scripture it says, that His thoughts are above our thoughts, and His ways are above our ways.

Something that I want to touch on, is that I or this ministry as a whole does not believe that if God does not choose to heal you, that it was a lack of faith, such as the name it and claim it, prosperity teachers teach. We understand that whether God chooses to heal you or me, that it is His sovereign will, that will be done regardless of how much we pray or how much we believe that He can heal us. Like I said before I have seen people stand on the Word of God and be healed, but I have also seen the LORD choose not to heal them and take them home. It is not a lack of faith, but a lack of belief that hinders some of those healings. The guy who got myself grounded in the LORD, was miraculously healed of Hepatitis C stage 4, to the point where the doctor had him redo his blood labs three times after the initial lab results came in. Did this doctor believe that God healed my friend, not in the least. He even told my friend that he was not healed and that it somehow went into remission. Now to some extent, the doctor could have been right, because Jesus Himself told someone in Scripture that He healed, that they better quit sinning or something else worse could happen to them.

Sometimes according to Scripture we bring sickness upon ourselves, but sometimes it was given to us for God’s glory. The one thing that I have noticed throughout all of the Scripture that I have read, is that God is a gracious God and that He will use it for His glory. We know many people who have actually gotten right with God Himself, due to some kind of sickness. We have also known others who have gotten mad at God and turned their backs on Him refusing His grace in their lives and turning bitter towards the very ends of their lives. What a shame, to go into the very presence of God with a prideful, I know better than you attitude. To the very Creator who made you, I pray diligently for these kind of people, for I do not want to see them perish.

I hope and pray that the LORD heals each and everyone of you who read this study on healing and that the LORD fills your hearts and souls with wisdom and knowledge of Him. That each of us humble ourselves beneath His very presence in our lives and that we bow our souls to His healing touch. That if for some reason that He chooses not to heal us physically, that He definitely heals us Spiritually so that we will all be in His very presence perfectly healed of all sicknesses, diseases, physical infirmities, and every ache and pain, from physical to mental, for all of eternity because of His grace and healing touch to our souls. May God Bless You and Keep You for His very own throughout eternity in Jesus’ name, Amen!!!

Psalm 103:1-4

Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.

Isaiah 53:5

But 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.

Matthew 8:14-17

Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”

1 Peter 2:24

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed.

Side note: I want to bring to your attention that in these four verses above that Jesus himself is the one who heals us in our flesh and in our spirit, that we need to give all the glory to him and not forget to pray that His will be done in our lives regardless of the results, whether he choose to heal us or not. The one thing that I have noticed in putting together this study, is that He heals everyone who comes to him and that His promises are for everyone. I want to point something else out also. That in Psalm 103, He heals all my diseases. That in Isaiah 53, we are healed. In Matthew 8, He heals all that were sick and took all of our sicknesses and infirmities. And in 1 Peter we were healed. That shows that Jesus has done all of the work that needed to be done to overcome all sickness and disease. As it is written, it is finished. So don’t lose faith, but pray that the Lord will heal you if it is His will. The rest of this study is going to show you all of the different ways that the Lord heals people and a lot of examples of faith and hope. Many of the stories are going to seem very similar, and that is because some of them are about the same people, but were written by different authors. The one thing that you will notice, is that the Lord let it be that way, so that He can show you little details in each story that isn’t in the other one, by combining them together you will get the entire picture.

Matthew 4:23-24

Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease. News about him spread far beyond the borders of Galilee so that the sick were soon coming to be healed from as far away as Syria. And whatever their illness and pain, or if they were possessed by demons, or were epileptics, or were paralyzed- he healed them all.

Matthew 8:1-17

Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt down before him, worshiping, “Lord,” the man said, “if you want to, you can make me well again.”

Jesus touched him, “I want to,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus said to him, “Go right over to the priest and let him examine you. Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so everyone will have proof of your healing.”

When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him. “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and racked with pain.”

Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

Then the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, “Go,” and they go, or “Come,” and they come. And if I say to my slaves, “Do this or that,” they do it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed, Turning to the crowd, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites- those for whom the Kingdom was prepared- will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go on home. What you have believed has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. All the spirits fled when he commanded them to leave; and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”

Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven.”

“Blasphemy! This man talks like he is God!” some of the teachers of religious law said among themselves.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? Is it easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” or “Get up and walk”? I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!”

And the man jumped up and went home! Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. They praised God for sending a man with such great authority.

Matthew 9:35-36

Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:18-26

As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt down before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand upon her.”

As Jesus and the disciples were going to the official’s home, a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned around and said to her, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he noticed the noisy crowds and heard the funeral music. He said, “Go away, for the girl isn’t dead: she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. When the crowd was finally outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

Matthew 9:27-33

After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” But instead, they spread his fame all over the region.

When they left, some people brought to him a man who couldn’t speak because he was possessed by a demon. So Jesus cast out the demon, and instantly the man could talk. The crowds marveled. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.

Matthew 12:9-13

Then he went over to the synagogue, where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath day?” (They were, of course, hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.)

And he answered, “If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you get to work and pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Reach out your hand.” The man reached out his hand, and it became normal, just like the other one.

Matthew 12:22

Then a demon-possessed man, who was both blind and unable to talk, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.

Matthew 14:14

A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matthew 14:34-36

After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. The news of their arrival spread quickly throughout the whole surrounding area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. The sick begged him to let them touch even the fringe of his robe, and all who touched it were healed.

Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus then left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter has a demon in her, and it is severely tormenting her.”

But Jesus gave her no reply- not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to leave,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

Then he said to the woman, “I was sent only to help the people of Israel- God’s lost sheep- not the Gentiles.”

But she came and worshiped him and pleaded again, “Lord, help me!”

“It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs,” he said.

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master’s table.”

“Woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.And her daughter was instantly healed.

Matthew 15:29-31

Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought him the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others with physical difficulties, and they laid them before Jesus. And he healed them all. The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking around, and those who had been blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.

Matthew 17:14-21

When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, a huge crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

Jesus replied, “You stubborn, faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.

Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”

“You didn’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Matthew 20:29-34

As Jesus and the disciples left the city of Jericho, a huge crowd followed behind. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd told them to be quiet, but they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped in the road and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.

Mark 1:30-34

Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. He went to her bedside, and as he took her by the hand and helped her to sit up, the fever suddenly left, and she got up and prepared a meal for them.

That evening at sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. And a huge crowd of people from all over Capernaum gathered outside the door to watch. So Jesus healed great numbers of sick people who had many different kinds of diseases, and he ordered many demons to come out of their victims. But because they knew who he was, he refused to allow the demons to speak.

Mark 1:40-44

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you want to, you can make me well again,” he said.

Moved with pity, Jesus touched him. “I want to,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared- the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him on his way and told him sternly, “Go right over to the priest and let him examine you. Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so everyone will have proof of your healing.”

Mark 2:1-12

Several days later Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the news of his arrival spread quickly through the town. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn’t room for one more person, not even outside the door. And he preached the word to them. Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there said to themselves, “What? This is blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins!”

Jesus knew what they were discussing among themselves, so he said to them, “Why do you think this is blasphemy? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven” or “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk?” I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!”

The man jumped up, took the mat, and pushed his way through the stunned onlookers.

Mark 3:1-5

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. Would he heal the man’s hand on the Sabbath? If he did, they planned to condemn him. Jesus said to the man, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. He looked around at them angrily, because he was deeply disturbed by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Reach out your hand.” The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again!

Mark 5:21-42

When Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. A leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came and fell down before him, pleading with him to heal his little daughter. “She is about to die,” he said in desperation. “Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”

Jesus went with him, and the crowd thronged behind. And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors through the years and had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she was worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched the fringe of his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his clothing, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel that she had been healed!

Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

His disciples said to him, “All this crowd is pressing around you. How can you ask, “Who touched me?”

But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed.”

While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus’s home with the message, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter and James and John. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the weeping and wailing. He went inside and spoke to the people. “Why all this weeping and commotion?” he asked. “The child isn’t dead: she is only asleep.”

The crowd laughed at him, but he told them all to go outside. Then he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, he said to her, “Get up, little girl!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! Her parents were absolutely overwhelmed.

Mark 6:53-56

When they arrived at Gennesaret on the other side of the lake, they anchored the boat and climbed out. The people standing there recognized him at once, and they ran throughout the whole area and began carrying sick people to him on mats. Wherever he went- in villages and cities and out on the farms- they laid the sick in the market plazas and streets. The sick begged him to let them at least touch the fringe of his robe, and all who touched it were healed.

Mark 7:24-30

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He tried to keep it secret that he was there, but he couldn’t. As usual, the news of his arrival spread fast. Right away a woman came to him whose little girl was possessed by an evil spirit. She had heard about Jesus, and now she came and fell at his feet. She begged him to release her child from the demon’s control.

Since she was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, “First I should help my own family, the Jews. It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are given some crumbs from the children’s plates.”

“Good answer!” he said. “And because you have answered so well, I have healed your daughter.” And when she arrived home, her little girl was lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone.

Mark 7:31-35

Jesus left Tyre and went to Sidon, then back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. Jesus led him to a private place away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting onto his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue with the spittle. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and commanded. “Be opened!” Instantly the man could hear perfectly and speak plainly!

Mark 8:22-25

When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch and heal the man. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look likes trees walking around.”

Then Jesus placed his hands over the man’s eyes again. As the man stared intently, his sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.

Mark 9:17-29

One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal him. He can’t speak because he is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this evil spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth and become rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.

He replied, “Since he was very small. The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can.”

“What do you mean, “If I can?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly replied, “I do believe, but help me not to doubt!”

When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Spirit of deafness and muteness,” he said, “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy lay motionless, and he appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.

Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”

Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer and fasting.”

Mark 10:46-52

And so they reached Jericho. Later, as Jesus and his disciples left town, a great crowd was following. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” some of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!”

Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“Teacher,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, Your faith has healed you.” And instantly the blind man could see! Then he followed Jesus down the road.

Luke 4:38-41

After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he spoke to the fever, rebuking it, and immediately her temperature returned to normal. She got up at once and prepared a meal for them.

As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. Some were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he stopped them and told them to be silent.

Luke 5:12-16

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he fell to the ground, face down in the dust, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “If you want to, you can make me well again.”

Jesus reached out and touched the man. “I want to,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go right to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so everyone will have proof of your healing.”

Luke 5:17-26

One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him. So they went up to the roof, took off some tiles, and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on the mat, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

“Who does this man think he is?” the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to each other. “This is blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins?”

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them. “Why do you think this is blasphemy? Is it easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” or “Get up and walk”? I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!”

And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.

Luke 6:6-10

On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched closely to see whether Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath, because they were eager to find some legal charge to bring against him. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand here where everyone can see.” So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this is a day to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Reach out your hand.” The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again!

Luke 6:17-19

When they came down the slopes of the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him to be healed, and Jesus cast out many evil spirits. Everyone was trying to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and they were all cured.

Luke 8:40-55

On the other side of the lake the crowds received Jesus with open arms because they had been waiting on him. And now a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus’ feet, begging him to come home with him. His only child was dying, a little girl twelve years old.

As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds. And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors and still could find no cure. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”

But Jesus told him, “No, someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that Jesus knew, she began to tremble and fell to her knees before him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from Jairus’s home with the message, “Your little girl is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me, and she will be all right.”

When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, James, John, and the little girl’s father and mother. The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said in a loud voice, “Get up, my child!” And at that moment her life returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.

Luke 9:37-43

The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a huge crowd met Jesus. A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, look at my boy, who is my only son. An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It is always hitting and injuring him. It hardly ever leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to cast the spirit out, but they couldn’t do it.”

“You stubborn, faithless people,” Jesus said, “how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring him here.” As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of God’s power.

Luke 18:35-43

As they approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The crowds ahead of Jesus tried to hush the man, but he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him.

Then Jesus asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he pleaded, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said, “All right, you can see! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

Psalm 107:17-22

Some were fools in their rebellion; they suffered for their sins. Their appetites were gone, and death was near. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He spoke, and they were healed – snatched from the door of death. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

Acts 10:38

And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him.

John 9:1-41

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Teacher,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”

“It was not because of his sins or his parent’s sins,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him. All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. But while I am still here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing!

His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Is this the same man – that beggar?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, but he surely looks like him!”

And the beggar kept saying, “I am the same man!”

They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the mud.’ I went and washed, and now I can see!”

“Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

Then they took the man to the Pharisees. Now as it happened, Jesus had healed the man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He smoothed the mud over my eyes, and when it was washed away, I could see!”

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?”

So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

The Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe he had been blind, so they called in his parents. They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he see?”

His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.” They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. That’s why they said, “He is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.”

So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him.

“Give glory to God by telling the truth, because we know Jesus is a sinner.”

“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind and now I see!”

“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know anything about him.”

“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know anything about him! Well, God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Never since the world began has anyone been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do it.”

“You were born in sin!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

The man answered, “Who is he, sir, because I would like to.”

“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”

Then Jesus told him, “I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, “Are you saying we are blind?”

“If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”

Malachi 4:2

“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

James 5:13-16

Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.

Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

2 Kings 5:1-14

The King of Aram had high admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the LORD had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

Now groups of Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”

So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. “Go and visit the prophet,” the king told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to carry to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, taking as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”

When the king of Israel read it, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can kill and give life? He is only trying to find an excuse to invade us again.”

But when Elisha, the man of God, heard about the king’s reaction, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of leprosy.”

But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would surely come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me! Aren’t the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel put together? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.

But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!” So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his flesh became as healthy as a young child’s, and he was healed!

Proverbs 12:18

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

Proverbs 13:17

An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing.

Proverbs 16:24

Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Ezekiel 47:1-12

Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing eastward from beneath the Temple threshold. This stream then passed to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the stream flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. Measuring as he went, he led me along the stream for 1,750 feet and told me to go across. At that point the water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and told me to go across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to cross without swimming.

He told me to keep in mind what I had seen; then he led me back along the riverbank. Suddenly, to my surprise, many trees were now growing on both sides of the river! Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the Jordan Valley, where it enters the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will heal the salty waters of the Dead Sea and make them fresh and pure. Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever this water flows, everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea, fishing all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean! But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will be sources of salt. All kinds of fruit trees will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.

Acts 4:5-22

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

            Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Leaders and elders of our nation, are we being questioned because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected

has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.”

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since the man who had been healed was standing right there among them, the council had nothing to say. So they sent Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.

“What should we do with these men? they asked each other. “We can’t deny they have done a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their propaganda. We’ll warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” So they called the apostles back in and told them never again to speak or teach about Jesus.

But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard.”

The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this miraculous sign – the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.