Matthew 4:23-24
For the past two weeks a family in our church has had to cope with the sudden illness of a loved one. The medical problem came on unexpectedly and was very serious. In those days and hours in the hospital there were many times of prayer, many times of fear and worry, and many times when we all relied on the strength of God to make it through.
Sickness and injury are nothing new. People of all times and places have had struggles with health. In Matthew we have a brief summarization of the work Jesus did. What does this passage tell us of Jesus? What was the response of the people?
Most everyone has had to deal with themselves or a loved one in the hospital. Whenever our health fails or we are injured, when we are stricken with illness and need the medical attention we can only find in the hospital, it is a simple step to turn to Jesus for that assurance. We can see that Jesus was a healer. He restored the physically ill.
Calling on the Lord can be a wonderful source of spiritual strength as well as being a time of physical healing. We need God to help us in difficult times, and Jesus encounters us when we call upon him for help.
But if we look at what he did when he went throughout Galilee we can see that an encounter with Christ should be more than simply a help when we are ill. As Jesus healed he also preached. He preached the good news – the message that we can be forgiven and saved from our sin if we will accept him as our Savior. The healings he performed were a part of the whole healing process – he healed the soul as well as the body. He restored people completely.
We can call on Jesus to help us in times of illness or injury, but we need to be certain that our encounter with Christ is a relationship of total healing, not just a temporary help in desperate moments. Jesus heals not just the body, but the soul and the mind and the heart also.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you turn to Jesus to be healed in your soul as well as your body?
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