Christ our Healer

Read Acts 9:32-43

Whenever I read stories of miraculous works in Acts, I always think they are such wonderful stories about God’s power in Biblical times. God was working through Jesus and then the disciples to show powerfully the ways He would heal especially in this case we see the healing of a paralytic in Aeneas and the raising of the dead of Tabitha (also known as Dorcas). I often then wonder what it means for us in today’s day. I don’t really see us praying to heal those that can’t move or can’t walk, and I definitely don’t see us raising people from the dead. So can we apply this passage to our daily lives? And the answer of course is yes, but how?

Ajith Fernando wrote in a commentary that “With both healings Peter clearly places the emphasis on Christ as the healer. The first time he says, “Jesus Christ heals you” (v. 34); the second time, before speaking, “he got down on his knees and prayed” (v. 40). After Aeneas’s healing we are told that “all those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord” (v. 35). 2 After Tabitha’s healing Luke says that “many people believed in the Lord” (v. 42). We do not know whether Aeneas was a Christian, but Tabitha certainly was; this fact indicates that miracles in the church were performed not only on unbelievers but also on believers. second time, before speaking, “he got down on his knees and prayed” (v. 40). After Aeneas’s healing we are told that “all those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord” (v. 35). 2 After Tabitha’s healing Luke says that “many people believed in the Lord” (v. 42). We do not know whether Aeneas was a Christian, but Tabitha certainly was; this fact indicates that miracles in the church were performed not only on unbelievers but also on believers.”

Therefore, I want to focus on miraculous healing for believers. The healing of Tabitha (vv. 36 – 41) shows that healing ministry can occur in a pastoral setting, that is, outside the evangelistic setting, where it generally occurs in Acts and nowadays gets a lot of suspicion. Another passage gives us instruction on how to see prayer from the elders for members of the church. So as we turn to James 5:14-15, James outlines the proper procedure in his letter. It states, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up”.

So first, the person must see the sickness and notice that he/she needs help. The person then calls on the elders of the church to pray over them. The elders are then to pray and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. It is through the power of Christ that this can be done. When the prayer is offered, it says the sick will be made well. This needs to be seen in light of what God is going to do. What kind of healing needed to be done? We look to much to physical healing, which God can obviously do. But sometimes it is spiritual, emotional, or psychological healing that needs to be done.

Pray for better understanding of God’s call for healing and asking the Spirit to see Christ at work even today.