Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service but the same Lord...to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, ESV). There are nine gifts of the Spirit, but lately I’ve been zeroing in on two of them: miracles and healing.
A miracle is an instantaneous work of God. One of the Greek definitions is literally “that the man of God may be established.” A sign, a wonder, happens. Jesus performed stupendous miracles so amazing that two thousand years later we stop in wonder as we read about them. The disciples also performed miracles; as the Holy Spirit allowed, the gift of miracles served to advance the gospel through them and grow the young church. Even today we see miracles performed by a holy God who works mightily in the affairs of men and women. No doubt about it, all kinds of miracles take place around the world in response to people’s obedience to God’s word.
Healing, on the other hand, implies process. One of the many Greek words for “healing” is therapeuo, meaning “therapy,” “cure” or “medicine.” It therefore isn’t religious rhetoric to say, “Okay, I’ve just been prayed for; I’m healed in Jesus’s name” even if you are still manifesting symptoms. You did receive healing, but it may take weeks, months or years. I’ve experienced this. I’ve known of flat-out miracles of divine healing with before-and-after X rays to prove them. However, there are other times when God has had me cooperate with him in the healing process. That usually engages the body, mind and spirit.
Is it healing when you begin to change your diet, get more sleep and shed unhealthy habits? Is taking advantage of remarkable medical advancements to combat disease part of the healing process? Is it healing when you spend concentrated time and effort with God to adjust your attitude, mend a relationship, restore balance in your life? Yes! Who are we to limit God’s methods? The key element is that when we pray, we work in partnership with him.
We have God’s promise that he does all things for our good. He hears the cry of each heart and will use miracles, healing and every good gift to accomplish his will in our lives.