How to Ask for healing

Three stories of the blind being healed

Matthew 20:29-34   Mark 10:46-52   Luke 18:35-43

This week we complete the miracle-healing stories of Jesus, and one of our readings ends with the same account of a blind man/men being healed, but remembered differently by each of the synaptic gospel writers.  What stands out to me in this reading is how desperate the blind men to be healed.   They shouted out, and when the crowd rebuked them (same in each account) they shouted even louder. 

Similar in each story was the question Jesus asked: “What do you want me to do for you?”

A: “Lord, I want to see."

At healing services we hold, when people come forward to be anointed or to ask for healing, I usually ask something along the lines of “How would you like to be healed?”  I like the way Jesus asked much better: "What would you like me to do for you"

So maybe I could say: “What would you like Jesus to do for you?”  

A: I want to see, I want children, I don’t want to be afraid, my children are far from the Kingdom, I hurt, I can't forgive, I don't want to be overweight...

And then we could say: 

Receive ____________, your faith has healed you. Go, your faith has healed you. 

And then add: It is done!

Healing 24, The One who is Grateful

Gratitude seems to be the message from the story of the Ten Lepers.  One  returns to thank Jesus; he is the one who one who is made well, while the others are just cleansed.  As we have discussed before, there are two elements to being made whole, one component is physical, the other, spiritual.  We concluded that unless both are addressed, the illness may return.  If one is cured, but continues to live in spiritual detachment, whatever caused the illness might allow it to happen again.  Whatever life lessons that were meant to be taught will come around again; when the student is ready, the teacher will be sent, and only when the student is thankful, has the teacher truly taught.  

Gratitude is an important component to being healed, for gratitude defeats bitterness about one’s situation; just as being generous defeats greed about one’s things. 

The disease Leprosy is the death of nerve endings, so that one no longer feels pain.  Though it has been largely eliminated by medical science, I believe there is still is a form of it that is prevalent today: Spiritual Leprosy.  

If Leprosy is the failure to experience pain; Spiritual Leprosy is the failure to mourn the pain of our spiritual separation from God.  The pain of that separation is still there, but we no longer grieve it. We accept that separation as normal be it from God, from the people around us (including our family), or the future God created us to live into.  Could there be something inside each of us (a spiritual compass) that knows the truth of our situation, and when we no longer care (that we are lost), we suffer from Spiritual Leprosy?

In the case of the 10 Lepers, 9 of them continued, being physically healed, but spiritually still disconnected.  They were given a chance to reconnect with the creator, and the life they were created to live, but for whatever reason, did not complete their wholeness, with gratitude. 

I pray that I will be the one, the one who returns to Jesus, and is grateful.