Article February 2, 1987 Issue

Are we ready to heal?

Through prayer, we can heal. The real question is whether we are actually willing to accept and act upon this fact.

Ronald Gray Walker

Why did so many come to Christ Jesus for healing? Wasn't it largely because he was always ready to heal? Many, of course, came to him because they had heard of his marvelous works. Others met him seemingly by chance. But these encounters could not have been solely on account of his reputation as a healer or merely by chance. They were the result of his earnest and consecrated prayer.

Here are some instances mentioned in the Bible: it is recorded that during his wilderness experience at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus "fasted forty days and forty nights," which suggests that he devoted an extensive period to deep communion with God; later, before selecting his twelve disciples and delivering his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus "continued all night in prayer"; before responding to the call to help Lazarus, Jesus waited two days, during which he surely must have prayed deeply; and during the night before his trial and crucifixion Jesus prayed earnestly in Gethsemane.^{See Matt. 4:2; Luke 6:12; John 1 1:6; Matt. 26:36-44.}

Through constant communion with God, Jesus left nothing to chance but maintained a prayerful attitude in everything he did. Because he always sought to do the will of the Father, he could confidently rely upon the unfolding of God's guiding love, which ensured that he was always in the right place at the right time. Each day when he touched people's lives, these were not chance encounters but the logical result of his preparedness to do the Father's work. When healing opportunities occurred, Jesus didn't always have to take time for further prayer. His praying was already done. And, again and again, the healing result was instantaneous.

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