There’s this story in the Bible about a man who’s son was sick for his entire life. He had a spirit that made him mute and caused violent seizures. His father brought the boy to Jesus, hoping that he could heal his son. I can imagine the man had been told that this dude from a no name town in Jerusalem had healed multiple people, but nevertheless was fighting skepticism as he approached Jesus. In desperation he cried out, “I believe, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24
I’ve been this man so many times in my life—especially when it comes to healing. I’ve both personally and in my immediate family witnessed supernatural healing. From healing anxiety to cancer, I’ve seen God work wonders that I cannot deny. So far on the Race I’ve even experienced personal healing from extreme knee pain that I’ve had for years, like, they’re completely healed just from prayer! Our team has prayed for and witnessed multiple healings over the past 3.5 months. All of this is evidence that we have the authority to declare healing in Jesus name, the same authority that He used to heal many people while He walked on earth.
Yet, even still, I struggle to always believe God will heal the people that I pray for. I fully believe He can and does heal, but the question lingers, will He? Unfortunately this doubt has kept me from praying for people that I’ve felt drawn to. On my squad we often debate if it’s always God’s will to heal. While I want to fully believe it is, I battle the reality that there are many people who either remain ill or even pass away after prayer. Sometimes when skepticism creeps in, I shy away from operating in the full faith and authority that Jesus knew so well. But the beauty in the story is that the fathers doubt didn’t keep him from at least asking.
This past Sunday my team was supposed to attend a branch campus of the church we are serving. Our ride never showed so we decided to have our own little service amongst the six of us. Shiloh led worship, Ryan gave a message, then Amanda gave a word as well. It was super sweet.
After our service, we got to talking about healing. Scripture tells us that Jesus was fully Love and 1 Corinthians 13 says that love is patient, kind, not selfish, and so on. This means that every time Jesus was healing someone, it came from a place of selflessness and full submission to being Love. It wasn’t about what He was capable of as a human, but rather, about God revealing His love to humanity. That is the power that healed people: Love.
With this in mind, I realize when I hesitate to pray for someone who is sick, it’s because at that moment I’m not fully submitting to Love. I make it more about myself and the fear that God won’t heal them then about how much God loves the individual and wants them to be in full health—the way we were always intended to be. When I look back, anytime I have witnessed healing in the past, my heart posture was not internally focused. It was focused on God and the individual. Whether the person is healed at the moment or not, the truth that God loves them will never change.
To be honest, I’m still fighting to believe that it’s always God’s will to heal while still on earth. I know that’s what heaven will look like, but we haven’t made it there yet. What I do believe for certain, however, is that God fully loves every human. If it takes them getting healed for this to be made known, then I want to be a part of that. I could pray for 1000 people to be healed, and if I only see one then that’s well worth it. From now on I will pray for as many people as I can and my prayer is to see at LEAST one healing. Would you join me in that prayer?!
Here in Lesotho we visit the local hospital multiple times a week. This has challenged me to step out on faith and pray for healing on many occasion. I haven’t personally seen healing yet, but a few teammates have and it’s amazing. However, the best part is that we’ve seen multiple people give their lives to Jesus even in the midst of their sickness. All because we’ve taken the time to visit them and love them well. At the end of the day, physical healing is awesome, but spiritual healing is what I truly hope for. The greater purpose is for Love to be made known.
Okay back to the best part of that story–Jesus heals the young boy! When I reflect on it, I truly admire that the father was so honest about where he was with his faith, and Jesus honored his sincerity. It gives me a platform to push through my unbelief and pray for others. I am confident that the more I do that, the more my faith will grow and I will see more people healed simply from prayer. And at the end of the day it has nothing to do with me, it’s all for God’s glory!
The guy in the ADIDAS sweatshirt is Joseph. He has TB and after praying for him he decided to accept Jesus. It was such a beautiful moment. He went from stoic and standoffish to full of joy in a matter of minutes. Keep him in prayer as he starts this journey!
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Thank you so much for reading and following along my journey!
Much Love,
Stella
IG: @stellaagee
YouTube: Stella Udeozor
