Disease – Praying Pint

30. n. “They followed him, and he welcomed them”

Matthew 4:23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Psalms 103:3   who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Luke 4:40-41   Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

Luke 9:11   When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

Healing by Jesus was an act of mercy, demonstration of His power over creation, and a revelation of who Jesus is. I can’t imagine what it must have been like not only for the person being healed but also for those who brought their loved ones to Jesus for healing. Deaf able to hear, blind able to see, cripples able to walk, and lepers cleansed marked the authentic power, might, mercy, and love of Jesus. I am not sure what the medical capabilities were like back then, but for sure they did not need a medical Dr to tell them they were incurable. Today we have all kinds of medical science that are able to do all kinds of healing. Not for everything but certainly quite a bit of what affects people every day. I wonder if medical science advancements have taken the place of Jesus. I am not saying or indicating that medical science and procedures should not be utilized – that would be foolish. I just wonder if people just put more trust in it than in Jesus Christ. Can Jesus still heal? Has all healing been given over to Medical science? God has allowed and granted advancements in medical science and procedures. God has given people special gifts to understand and advance medical science and procedures for many sicknesses and ailments. It is God we should be ever thanking for allowing this understanding and medical wisdom. It would not be known if God had not granted it and allowed it to be known. Having the medical science, understanding, and wisdom does not mean for a second God should be cast aside and all trust put into human hands. God is the author and finisher of all there is and all there will ever be. It is in Him we should place our trust and reliance. It is when we face a medical issue and come before God with humbleness saying, “God I trust you, I trust you have control over this issue, I trust the Dr. you have led me to, I trust the outcome whatever it is because I TRUST YOU.

2.q. Because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

2 Chronicles 21:1 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own. Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you, behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”

Another example and story of a father passing the reign to his son and the son not giving a thought at all to his father’s example. It does not tell us when Jehoram married Ahab’s daughter and if this was an arranged marriage by his father. Either way, Ahab was one very very bad person and led the people away from God and toward idol worship. His daughter more than likely had an influence on Jehoram but Jehoram made the choice to lead the people away from serving God. He chose a path that did not honor or glorify God. What kind of hardening of the heart must take place to abandon God and kill your brothers? What kind of false life did he live prior to his father passing away? A person just does not change overnight. He might have given head and mouth service to God but not his heart, mind, and soul.

Choices to depart from God begin innocent enough but soon cloud the mind with ideas that replace service to God with any and everything. The person who departs does not know the day and time but at some point in their life, they closed their ears and turned their back to God. The drifting away is blinded from their mind because they give no thought to or about Him. I wonder how many of us spend enough time in His word, meditate on His word, seek and desire His word, want to hear Him speak into our lives, and are able to discern what actions are honorable and pleasing in the sight of God.

If His word is not refreshing our heart, soul, and mind every day something else is. That something else will always set us on a drifting away course in life. We have been given examples of both Godly and ungodly men/leaders in the bible. We do well to follow the Godly examples given to us and take heed of those that are not. Practice the presence of God at all times.

Notice the people from Edom and Libnah. They revolted from under his rule because he had departed from following and serving God. These are people who took their walk with the Lord very serious and took action not to get swept up onto this path away from serving, honoring, following and obeying God. We do well to keep God first and place all thoughts and actions in line with His word to protect ourselves from being pulled along at the influence of the culture.

55. I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

Deuteronomy 28:15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

“The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Leviticus 26:14-46     “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,  if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,  then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.  I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.  And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,  and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.  And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.  “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins.

Lamentations 2:17     The LORD has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity

Daniel 9:11-13    All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.  He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

Malachi 2:2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

Romans 2:8-9     but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.  There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil,

I wonder if we take these curses as something that will happen to really wicked people and does not apply to those who are for the most part “Good”. We tend to put people (others) into one box and we place ourselves in another. Their box is the box of God’s wrath and anger and our box is the box of God’s mercy and grace. My sin is under a blanket of love and theirs is under a thunderstorm of curses.

Complacency and neglect of God’s word lead to drifting away from Him, becoming lukewarm to Him, unable to know what is right and pure, blind to the ways of righteousness, deaf to God’s leading, and allows the way of the world to become a driving influence into your thoughts and actions. The problem is you don’t even see it happening. Like a frog in a pot that is slowing being heated up, it is boiled alive because it was unaware.

I think the worst place for a “believer” to be is in a place of neglect and complacency. Busyness and cares of this life slowly carry them away from walking with God, listening to God, honoring God. It is truly sad to see God’s word being taken for granted and not needed but for special troubling times.

God’s word says “Depart from Me for I never knew you” and “So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

There is no time like today to commit to being in His word and humbly serving, honoring, loving, following, and obeying God. God’s word is life, hope, purpose, bread to the soul, water to the thirsty, music to the heart, air to the drowning, and understanding and knowledge to the soul.

Why Wait

Why do we read such verses of healing and not think God is able to heal a broken heart, or relationship, or financial hardship, or friendship, or a life purpose of serving Him? Do we limit God working in our life because of our lack of faith in what God can do? Besides these verses there are multiple references to the omnipotent power of God. One I like and remind myself of is in Ephesians it says that “He is able to do more than we think and much more than we can imagine”. Why wait – turn it over to Him and trust in him alone! People implored Him and were made whole.

Matthew 14:34
And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Matthew 4:23
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people

Mark 6:55
And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well