God's wonderful ministryIf we pause to think about the ministry of healing in its widest sense, it soon becomes apparent that this is something we are all involved in, even if we are not part of a formal prayer ministry team.
My own definition of healing that I have come up with over the years is along these lines: healing is us becoming the people we were created to be. Now, given that one of the most common ways of God bringing healing to individuals is by using other people, it makes sense then that this is a ministry in which we are all involved, simply by interacting together, encouraging and loving each other, as well as learning from and teaching one another. |
Healing is us becoming the people we were created to be.” |
I imagine that when we get to heaven, we will all be amazed at the impact we have had upon other people, without even knowing the effect of our unseen actions, casual remarks and small encouragements along the way. It is clearly up to God what he does through us and how he uses us, but we all have a part to play as well. We need to be open to God’s transformation in our own lives so that we can be better reflections of his glory.
It is tempting to think that we should be faith-filled, unwavering, Bible-quoting Christians – always ready with an answer or prayer. The snag is that as soon as we think like this, we can begin to feel very weary and totally inadequate even before we begin! Instead, I wonder if it is more helpful for us to draw on some challenging words spoken by Jesus – the Beatitudes:
It is tempting to think that we should be faith-filled, unwavering, Bible-quoting Christians – always ready with an answer or prayer. The snag is that as soon as we think like this, we can begin to feel very weary and totally inadequate even before we begin! Instead, I wonder if it is more helpful for us to draw on some challenging words spoken by Jesus – the Beatitudes:
Simply reading though these verses in one sitting, without even pausing to study each phrase separately, presents us with something a little different from the ‘all singing, all dancing’, fully competent Christian! Words such as meek, peacemaker, merciful and poor in spirit come to the fore, and perhaps in these words we begin to see a more realistic picture of how God wants to use us.
My encouragement is to sit with these words over the next few days, reflecting on what they might look like in practice for you and seeking to become the person that God created you to be.
With every blessing
John Ryeland
My encouragement is to sit with these words over the next few days, reflecting on what they might look like in practice for you and seeking to become the person that God created you to be.
With every blessing
John Ryeland
