During his first year of college Craig Keener was helping at a Bible study in a nursing home in Ohio. There an older woman, called Barbara, would lament every week, "I wish I could walk! I wish I could walk!"
One week, the middle-aged Bible study leader had had enough of this. He strode towards Barbara and said, 'I am sick of this'. Then grabbing her hand he said, 'In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to rise up and walk.'
He then walked her around the room, to the utter astonishment of everyone there. From that day forward, Barbara came to the Bible studies each week, the first time holding on to a walker for security, but soon proudly abandoning it as she saw that now she really could walk completely by herself. From then on she would declare, 'I love this Bible study! I love this Bible study!' (from Miracles Today, pp. xi-xii).
I hesitate to tell this story because I have a friend who has MS, and who has prayed for healing to no avail. The truth is that God does not always say yes to our prayers of faith (see 1 Cor. 12:8). When we pray for healing we do not presume upon God, but are willing to accept His will.
Nevertheless, God does still answer prayers today. In fact we are commanded to pray for the sick (James 5:14-15).. When God does heal, we realise that these healings are the first-fruits of a harvest that is to come. For a day is coming a day when Jesus is going to return and those who trust in Him will receive bodies that imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42) and sickness will become just a memory (Revelation 21:4).
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