Thanksgiving and Praise To God – He Is The Great Physician

Jesus is The Great Physician!  Praise God, He does not only heal our physical diseases, but also our spiritual diseases.  As I’ve struggled with a health issue this past week, it has helped my focus to be on the Lord.

• It draws me to the Savior.  Perhaps the Lord allows us to be afflicted so that we will come to Him.  I’ve gone to Him asking for mercy in healing if He so desires.  It is the Lord who ultimately heals us from all our diseases.  When I think of days gone by, I realize that He has healed me over and over and over of minor things like cuts and scrapes, to bigger things like measles and mumps and chickenpox, and/or other infections.  He has taken me through several surgeries, has healed my heart when I was told there was a problem, has healed my knees when I could hardly walk, has provided a way for me to lose weight that actually worked, and the list goes on!  Yes, He often uses doctors to help, but He is the one in control.
• Sometime He chooses not to heal physically.  There are stories in the Bible of sick people who were sick for years before God healed them.  And why?  For God’s glory!  Read about the man born blind (John 9)  and the woman who had an issue of blood (Luke 8).  How about Paul?  He asked God to remove his infirmity and God said no, but that His grace was sufficient for Him. 
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
• It helps me to see that there are hundreds of thousands of people that are suffering physically way more than I am or have.  How about our brothers and sisters that are in bonds all over the world?  When I get sick, I try to imagine myself in a prison cell all alone, beaten and sick and cold and hungry.  Oh how blessed I am and how many blessings I have to count! Yet, let us not forget to pray for our persecuted fellow believers. Have you watched this movie? (disclaimer – I do not necessarily endorse these people or their associations, but the movie is very sobering and helps me to ask the Lord to search my heart) If it is still offered, you can put in your email and they’ll send you a link to watch it for free.