“Then
they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.”—Psalm 107:19-20
(NIV)
“Peace, be still.”, or “Shalom rapha.” in Hebrew…with these
few words Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Let’s look at some other miracles
accomplished with a minimum of commands:
- Creation of the universe
- Parting of the Red Sea
- Lazarus’ resurrection
- Getting water out of a rock
- Healing of the paralyzed man dropped down through the ceiling.
The moral of the story: It doesn’t matter if you use tons of
words in important situations; you just have to use the right ones. They must
come from the correct authority or source.
Carol
Graham
My last
article highlighted one of many miracles in this honored friend’s life.
This time, I will draw attention to a miraculous healing through words:
One Sunday morning during my visit at a church I had
not been to before, the minister announced that their youth pastor was in the
hospital dying. He was 32 years old with
a young son and a baby on the way. A few
weeks earlier, he had complained of severe stomach pain that would not subside. The doctors determined it was a plugged bile
duct and he needed surgery. When they
discovered he was full of cancer, they closed him and told him he had only a
few weeks to live.
The pastor asked for anyone who wanted to say
good-bye to him should as he was not expected to live through the night.
I am an ordinary woman with no credentials in the
church arena. But I have an
extraordinary God who only asks that we be obedient. The Lord prompted me to go pray for him, but
I argued that it was not my ‘place’ yet knew I would never forgive myself if I
didn’t do what God was asking me to do.
Boldly, yet nervously, I walked into the ICU unit
where 25 friends and family members were crying in the lounge area. I immediately assumed they were Peter’s
family when I noticed a young, very pregnant, woman crying softly in the
corner.
I asked her if we could speak privately in the
hall. She looked suspicious but I
touched her hand gently and she began to cry.
I asked her “Do you believe in miracles?” She didn’t answer so I continued. I told her I not only believe in miracles but
I knew that God sent me there to pray for her husband.
I suspected I sounded like a fool but God’s thoughts
are so much higher than ours. I asked
permission to pray for her husband and then told her she should make sure it
was okay with the rest of her family.
I overheard someone say, “What should we do, she
could be a nutcase.” I knew God had
brought me here for a reason and He would make it happen. One of the men approached me and said that I
could pray for Peter, his brother, but all 12 of them would be in the room with
me. I knew the room would be full of
unbelief. You could feel it. I had to overcome that fear! We walked into Peter’s room where his mother
was sitting next to her son’s bed. She
looked perturbed to see me there but my eyes were quickly drawn to the bed –
death was in the room, lying on the bed.
I walked up to the dying man, took his limp hand in
mine whispering “the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in
you and shall quicken your mortal body” (Romans 8:11 KJV). His eyelids fluttered. I did not pray for him
but repeated this Scripture five times.
Each time I said it with more God-given authority and each time the man
responded with more strength until he was sitting up in bed. I prayed a simple prayer of thanksgiving,
thanking God for Peter’s healing.
Everyone in the room was gasping as they watched
this miracle unfold before their eyes.
I told them, “He will be with you in church next Sunday.” And he was.
Totally and completely healed.
My Conclusion
“Rapha”
translates from the Hebrew as “still” or “healed”. Whatever storm is raging, as
noted in the popular hymn, “Master, the Tempest is Raging”, we may be able to still
it—or heal it, if you prefer—with only a few priceless words.
Related Posts
How are you finding strength in God’s
Word?
Carol Graham is an
award-winning author of "Battered Hope," talk show host for her
bi-weekly show “Never Ever Give Up Hope,” international keynote speaker,
jewelry store owner, and a certified health coach. Carol has five
grandchildren and has rescued over 30 dogs. Her goal is to share hope and
encouragement. Please
check out her lifestyle blog, podcast blog, and memoir.
No comments:
Post a Comment