Healing

"Peter traveled from place to place to visit the believers, and in his travels he came to the Lord's people in the town of Lydda. There he met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed!' And he was healed instantly. Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord when they saw Aeneas walking around."  Acts 9:32-35


I'll never forget the incredible relief and gratitude I felt when the dry sockets from my wisdom teeth removal finally healed. For nearly two weeks, I was either in excruciating pain or a foggy daze from pain medications. I couldn't think straight, carry on normal conversations or function at my job. Absolute misery. Healing, of any kind, is truly a moment of a celebration and liberation. 


Aeneas understood and appreciated healing in a way that was far more extensive than mine. Eight years he languished in bed. No doubt he was carried out to the street to beg for his survival. How shocked was he when Peter started yelling at him. "Jesus Christ heals you!" And, like a mother with her teenagers, "Make your bed!" It was more than a tidy issue, it was a declaration of freedom.


We may not be bedridden today, but we are all in one way or another needing healing. The realities of this world - sin, evil, suffering, grief, and pain will find their way into our lives in any number of ways. We are constantly pursuing something or someone in search of healing. Peter lets us in on the most important truth we need to know regarding healing, "Jesus Christ heals you!"  


Grace and Peace,

 

Tom

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