Thursday, July 21, 2011
I’ve been thinking a lot
recently about the whole realm of healing,
especially what a marvel and blessing it can be. On June 29th I had a surgical
debridement of a chronic wound on my right ankle bone. An MRI had shown that the underlying cause
and barrier to healing was some minimal osteomyelitis (bone infection). Given that diagnosis, I had little choice but
to move forward with this procedure.
Going in to it I knew a few things: 1st, I was going to wait
until after our 2011 Bible Conference in June, 2nd, it was something
that had to be done, and 3rd, there was going to be subsequent time
and recovery issues. Any paraplegic
knows about and must be constantly aware of and vigilant for any skin or wound
issue. As a result, I have gathered a
fair amount of understanding of this over the last nearly forty years.
Wound care happens to be one of
the growing, necessary, and cutting-edge fields of medical science today. This is due in part to the huge increase in
the number of victims of diabetes in
America and much of the Western world.
Wound care and its related costs are also expected to grow with the
increase of the elderly population. So,
being informed about this can obviously be helpful.
Enough talk about wounds or
infirmity, since what’s been at the forefront of my mind is the matter of
healing. First, because this is one of
the biggest grace needs that exist
today. Part and parcel of the human
condition that we are confronted with on a daily basis is brokenness or wounded people.
This can be physical, mental, emotional, relational or spiritual. This is not saying that the most basic root
of human behavior is the therapeutic model.
No, it is moral, or at the root of man’s condition is the problem of
sin. However, the results of that sin
leads to all kinds of brokenness. We are
confronted with this reality on a daily basis in a myriad of difficult
manifestations. This gives real insight into
the power of God’s working, which is bringing
wholeness to people living in a broken world! This is why the revelation of God’s Name and
nature is so fantastic. (Ex.15:26) says,
“...For I am the Lord, your Healer.” This is one of the compound names of God
where we anchor our faith: Jehovah-Rophe,
the Lord,
your Physician. I think this is
why the human body is such a marvel! God
has created and formed us in such a way that in the presence of injury or
sickness, the human body, its cells and immune system goes to work immediately
to protect and to heal.
One quote that caught my
interest said, “Wound healing is a
complex, multi-faceted and dynamic process.” A major aspect to this process is creating a healing
environment that promotes overall healing. This “environment” is essential to breaking
through the various barriers to healing that always present themselves
(everything from the excess of bacterial burden or edema, the absence of
moisture, lack of adequate blood flow etc.).
It has helped to clarify and define in my mind a large part of the
church’s calling: the church is called to be God’s hospital...a healing
community. (Eph.4:11-13) sums
this up for us, “And he gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we
all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Since I’ve been pondering this, let me give
you some of my thoughts (Bible-based) about some important elements in creating this
healing environment. I’ve actually come
up with 9 elements, in no particular order; but enough for you to digest
and apply to your own life.
Following Doctor’s Orders - Obeying God’s
Word
The Psalmist put it succinctly “How can a young man keep his way pure? By
living according to your word” (Ps.119:9).
Healing is inextricably connected with God’s Word. At the beginning of the Lord’s ministry at a
wedding in Cana of Galilee, Mary, Jesus’s mother said, “whatever he says to you, do it.”
(Jn.2:5) Let’s visit again the revelation of the God of healing in Exodus 15,
and put it in its context, "If you
will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is
right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes,
I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am
the Lord, your healer."
Obedience to God’s Word is such a powerful and necessary healing
element. On July 10th I gave
a live Skype progress report to the
church where they could see me on the large screens, and I could see and hear
many of them. In that report, when I said,
“I am following Doctor’s orders” the
congregation spontaneously clapped and voiced their approval. What were they trying to say?! They
just might know me, so it said, “Pastor,
don’t be too reckless, but flow with the program.”
The Power of the Blood
Oh, yes, the miracle of the
Blood! (Lev.17:14a) said long before the
advent of modern medicine, “For the life
of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life.” Nothing is more important to healing in every
dimension of life as the Blood. If the
blood can reach a wound, it brings with it marvelous healing power. This is why in praying with people for
healing we appeal to the power of the blood, for this reason.
Sterile Environment - It Must Be Clean
I must admit, for the two and a
half days in the hospital until today, it’s easy to become a bit “germaphobic.”
My wife has a little sign and
list of requirements in the kitchen, and at the top of the list is, “Wash your hands!” God is looking for people He can use, and
He’s looking to use people who want to be holy.
(Heb.12:14)LB puts it this way, “Try
to stay out of all quarrels, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for one
who is not holy will not see the Lord.”
This is our master passion: to see the Lord and help others to see the
Lord! As a Christian and leader, there’s
no greater way to be used, and we’ve got to be holy to do that. We’re not talking about perfection, but a heart
and life that keeps short accounts with God, seeks to remain humble and honest
before God. All of which is vital to
God’s healing grace.
The Time Element
It’s amazing again how well
people know you (if people know, then how much more God). Tom Connors sent me a message right after the
surgery, and it consisted of really one word, “patience!” There are different things we can do to
assist in healing, but there’s no substitute for time in the healing
process. As a younger Christian and
pastor, I used to think that change could come quickly and easily. The more I’ve matured, I still have great
confidence in God’s power, but I realize that real change and healing takes a
lot more time than we think. Time is not
an enemy, but it is a factor that none of us can escape. This is why we call it a process, because it
is a process!
Nutrients - Watch Your Diet
Bill and Kim Neil allied
themselves with me a few weeks before my surgery to help with my diet. “You
are what you eat” has some truth to it.
If we want to heal, then our intake is a very important matter. The Apostle Paul said (1Pet.2:2, 3) “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure
spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry
out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's
kindness.” The mile and the meat of
God’s Word contribute to a balanced spiritual diet to grow strong in the Lord.
You Need Help - No One Heals Alone
I’ve always held to the adage, “If you see a turtle sitting on top of a
fencepost, you know that it got some help!”
That’s true with all of us. None of
us are going to finish this race well on our own; we need the help of
others. The principle is spelled out in
(Ps.68:5, 6) “A father to the fatherless,
a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads
forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched
land.” It is a fact of spiritual
growth that God uses other people to help, to heal, and to mature us. We’re not going to experience these things in
isolation. I love the story that John Ortberg tells about a friend
traveling to the South, and ordering breakfast one day. He saw grits on the menu, and being a
Dutchman who spent most of his life in Michigan, he had never been very clear
on the nature of this item. So he asked
the waitress, “What exactly is a grit?” Her response in classic Southern drawl was, “Honey, they don’t come by themselves.” Grits don’t exist in isolation! The point here is that to be spiritual and to
be made whole is to be relational. God uses people to help us grow. The word “community”
is one of those currently popular and frequently used religious words. I think the definition puts it well: “A group that possesses and implements an
irrational commitment to the well-being of its members.” This was the early church’s environment, “So continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
(Acts 2:46, 47) They worshiped together, ate together, talked together, prayed
together, taught together. They stayed connected!
There is a Cost Element to Healing
The cost of wound care is
high. As far back as 1995, in the United
States alone, spending on wound care and management exceeded $3.3 billion a
year. That figure has gone up substantially
since then. It makes me think of Jesus’s
parable of the Good Samaritan in
(Lk.10:33-35) “But a Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an
inn and took care of him. And the next
day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care
of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’”
Caring for others may be costly, but the alternative of an uninvolved life is a
poor one indeed, and does not see God’s wonders or power. Healing and compassion are connected at the
hip.
Not A One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Healing, like people’s needs,
are all individual in nature. This is
why Jesus employed a variety of healing methods from spit and mud, to the
laying on of hands, to words of command, to specific steps and direction that
led to healing; even delay was used by the Lord to demonstrate His power. I think it’s quite common if we find
something that works, to ride that into the ground. While there are principles that never change, methods
always do or need to be flexible.
Individual needs and healing is not a simple formula or an exact
science, but it is a combination of a number of factors and markers. Wounds, for instance, must be treated
individually, and sometimes changing approaches can lead to a real
breakthrough.
Elevate, My Good Man
Especially, if you’re dealing
with injuries to the lower extremities, you are encouraged to elevate your leg
and foot. A focus, a perspective, an
attitude that looks upward is
essential to a healing environment. This
is true with a harvest of souls: Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are
already white for harvest!” (Jn.4:35)
Elevate. It is true with mental
stability and spiritual growth, “If
then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where
Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth.” (Col.4:1, 2) Elevate. Personal
strength flows from this elevation principle as well, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall
walk and not faint.” (Isa.40:31)
In the Gospels, as Jesus touched
people’s lives and brought healing, deliverance, hope and transformation, a
frequent description (kind of like a “release form”) was “your faith has made you whole.” That is the comprehensive word, “sozo” for salvation, healing, forgiveness,
and deliverance. If I were to sum things
us here, it is the Gospel that heals and saves people! In our therapeutic age, we must never lose
sight of this pivotal fact: that it is repentance and forgiveness of sins that
flows from faith in Jesus Christ that is the only answer to the human
condition. Jesus’s ministry was inaugurated
with the prophetic declaration, “The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring
good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
(Isa.61:1) Do you remember the children’s nursery thyme, “Humpty Dumpty?”
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men,Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
Well, what all the king’s horses
and men couldn’t do, the Lord Jesus Christ can and does! Make sure you are still being part of this
on-going process. Open your heart to Him
and embrace His healing power and the various elements that contribute to this
healing environment.
“Preach to broken people, and you will never lack an audience, for there’s one in every pew!”
Oh, by the way, my E.T.A. for
church services again in 7-31-11, the start of a revival with evangelist Stacy
Dillard!
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