Taking My Mother to be Healed Tomorrow
Yes, that is right. No kidding . . . we are taking my mother to a church that calls upon the sick to be healed. It is not a “faith healer” in the traditional sense, but we are taking that “step of faith” by going to a church that is outside of my traditional bent.
My theology has nothing against such a thing, but, at the same time, I have never seen it happen.
We will see . . .
For those of you who think this is a mistake, compromise, or a step of foolishness, fooie to you!
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MzEllen on 04 Oct 2008 at 7:42 pm #
When I was in second grade I had a tumor on my jaw that was removed surgically. It returned and was removed again. A third tumor grew and I remember my dad (a deacon) and the rest of the board praying over me (Independent Baptist Church) and I was in the operating room the next day and the tumor was not there.
16 years ago I was getting cortisone injections behind my kneecaps every 3 months. I went to a healing service (Nazarene church) and was anointed with oil and prayed over; and have not had an injection since.
2 weeks ago my sister had a mammogram and they found a lump. Another mammogram, same lump. Her elders prayed over her and when she went for a needle biopsy…no lump.
The Great Physician heals. May He heal your mother tomorrow.
Daniel Eaton on 04 Oct 2008 at 8:09 pm #
Keep us informed. I’ll be praying. If she’s healed, you’ll never know if it was my prayers or something else though.
Cadis on 04 Oct 2008 at 8:13 pm #
I’ll be praying too as I’m sure along with most of your other readers
Kendall Sholtess on 04 Oct 2008 at 8:16 pm #
I’ll be praying for your mother.
rick on 04 Oct 2008 at 8:17 pm #
I’m ok with God doing whatever He wants in any way He wants.
Damian on 04 Oct 2008 at 8:31 pm #
For those of you who think this is a mistake, compromise, or a step of foolishness, fooie to you!
Those who think this is a mistake, compromise, or foolish step, obviously have never had a sickness in their family. You’ll both be in my prayers.
havoc on 04 Oct 2008 at 9:50 pm #
Amen.
Chad Winters on 04 Oct 2008 at 10:45 pm #
I hope and pray that God helps your mother in this Michael.
Healing has been a tough theological subject for me. I’m a physician, so it hits home everyday. I agree, true miracles of healing seem fairly rare….but then I think…what if they weren’t. What if most Christian prayers for healing were effectual….would we would have 300 or 400 year old Christians because their families keep praying for their health? Really, 95% of prayer requests (my nonscientific research) in most church bulletins are for healing. Imagine the apologetic resource if Christians never got sick or died, because of healing prayers.
I would be interested in discussing a theology of healing. I would love to see it happen more often, on the other hand, it seems as if I am hoping for the New Heaven and the New Earth (that don’t have illness and death) to be here now.
kerygma on 04 Oct 2008 at 10:57 pm #
Michael, don’t be disappointed if you don’t “see” the healing…I think there is a difference between “miracles” and “healings” - yes you would expect with a miracle to see something happen right in front of your eyes, but healings God often does (in my experience) over a perios of time…once the person is prayed for, then they may jump out of bed the next day and realise they are healed, or they may need x-rays to confirm, but knowing the exact point when the healing took place I think God often leaves to His discretion. Just a thought. I hope and pray your Mum is healed too.
Wm Tanksley on 04 Oct 2008 at 11:51 pm #
I’d like to see more discussion as well. I’ve been in a very straightlaced, anti-Charismatic Baptist church that did pray for the sick and expected healing. Things don’t always work out like you’d expect, denominationally.
OTOH… I find it kind of odd to talk about taking someone to a single service for healing. It seems to me that if healing is a ministry of the Church it should be part of regular communion with the Church, not something you can just drop by and take at need. If the local church you go to now has a defective theology of healing… Perhaps it’s time to straighten it out.
minnowspeaks on 05 Oct 2008 at 12:43 am #
After listening to some people who live and minister in third world countries and see healing on a fairly regular basis I have come to the conclusion that we in America might not see as much because we choose to use miraculous heeling as a last resort. Most of the nine fellowships I have been a part of as an adult pray for healing with little expectation and traditional medicine has always been a part of the equation.
Lord, minister to Michael, his mother and his family tomorrow. Give them the assurance of your presence that they need and the knowledge that You are for them, Lord, not against them. Thank you for the ministry of this blog and the opportunity to extend the boundries of Your Church so that the whole Body can be united.
carol on 05 Oct 2008 at 1:28 am #
Michael, I’m praying with you for God to heal your mother. I have every confidence that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
“by his stripes we were healed…”
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed …”
Matt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Peggy Hatley on 05 Oct 2008 at 6:08 am #
I’ll be praying for you and your mom today.
gfsomsel on 05 Oct 2008 at 8:55 am #
Even a straight-laced Episcopal Church has a healing service. While I firmly believe that if God is truly God then he can do whatever he jolly well pleases. It’s just that today he seems to please to work through the hands of physicians. One never knows so let’s hope for the best.
Aaron on 05 Oct 2008 at 11:19 am #
I’m so glad you’re doing this =). May God heal your mother for love and his glory. You are both in my prayers.
Shalom (with all that it means)
Daniel Eaton on 05 Oct 2008 at 11:36 am #
But does God choose to work through the ways that we expect it? If he *expect* Him to work through medicine and doctors, is that how He is going to show His healing? Would it be different if we expected a miracle?
britphil on 05 Oct 2008 at 2:40 pm #
michael
Far from thinking it’s a compromise I admire you for your courage. It sounds to me that it is the actions of a loving son who longs to see his Mum experience God’s healing touch to bring relief from her pain. .
I personally don’t think you are making a mistake. I trust and pray that the service will be led in a loving and discerning manner and that your courage, prayers and faithfulness will be honoured and that you will sense God at work .
You can be assured of my prayers this side of the Atlantic. As someone from what I hope is a “thinking charismatic” background, your struggles in this area are ones that I am sure we all wrestle with.
Hope to hear more of how things went.
Jeffrey on 05 Oct 2008 at 2:54 pm #
>[In] most of the nine fellowships I have been a part of … traditional medicine has always been a part of the equation.
That seems wise. In plenty of documented cases, parents believed God would heal their child through prayer rather than through the doctor. God then let their child die from treatable conditions. The interesting thing about the parents in this particular case is that they have a webpage that collects miracle stories.
“Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have bad ones.”