Scriptures of Promise for Healing Hands
This is a copy of my notes from our life group meeting this last Sunday. I pray it blesses someone as it has blessed me.Cheri
Sunday July 9, 2006
As the numbers of people we serve increase, I have daily had people tell me that I am crazy for starting this ministry. That I can’t possibly make a difference, or worse, that we won’t be able to sustain it. In my prayer time I cried to God reminding Him that I didn’t start this, He did. But I needed help, ammunition, to fight these thoughts from taking root in my mind. I was lead to this verse:
Jeremiah 1:12 NASB Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”
That’s it! If we find the scriptures that are promises from God about what we are doing, then we will stand on the scriptures when opposition comes. Because if we are “doing” His word, then He will make it happen. Not to please us, but because He says He will perform His word. We just need to believe, have faith, that God will do it. OK, Lord, how do we do this?
Psalm 37:56 NIV Commit your way to the Lord: trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Three points to this scripture:
1. Can’t be our way, has to be the Lord’s way.
2. We have to be righteous: we will discuss this at our next meeting.
3. Do we have a “just” cause? What is our cause: to find people who are hurting because of healthcare concerns, but that is usually not their biggest problem. There is poverty, violence, hopelessness, loneliness, oppression, etc, that is a bigger problem all resulting from not having a true relationship with our Savior. Is this a “just” cause?
Psalm 34:18 NIV The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
We want to be where the Lord is; we are not asking Him to come to where we are. OK, we are seeing the brokenhearted and those crushed in spirit. So I believe we have a “just” cause. But our ultimate purpose is not just to hand them medications.
2 Corinthian 5:18 NLT All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task (ministry) of reconciling people to Him.
We were all lost at one time, but God’s mercy found us and brought us back through the sacrifice made by Jesus. The Lord is now asking us to take these people and show them Christ so that they can be reconciled to Him. How?
Jude 1:22 KJV And of some have compassion, making a difference.
The next verse (v.23) says that some you bring to the Lord with fear. That is NOT our assignment. Our method is with compassion which is the Greek word, “eleao” which is where we get the name of our mobile clinic, Ele. In the Sparkling Gems devotion by Rick Renner, he defines eleao as a deep seated and unsettling emotion a person feels when he has seen or heard something that is terribly sad or upsetting. But that doesn’t explain compassion. This is pity. The compulsion to act and to do something is when pity is transformed into compassion. By itself, pity would simply feel sorry about the situation. But compassion cannot sit by and idly watch. Compassion reaches out to act immediately and to do something about the situation.
Why would we want to do this? The primary reason would be to obey God if He has asked you to do it. You don’t need another reason, but there is a selfish reason.
Isaiah 58:10 NIV And if you spend yourselves (draw out thy soul) in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
We hear this excuse all the time from ‘want to be’ volunteers: “I have so many problems in my life right now that I can’t possibly find time to take on somebody else’s problems.” This is not scriptural! There are many scriptures that state if you concentrate on helping others God will take care of you. This scripture above says if you help the oppressed then your dark areas will become light. Your issues will be resolved.
But note that it states, “if you spend yourselves”. Not just a token attempt at helping, but really putting forth an effort with your “heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Mark 12:30).
What we have found is that there are so many needs, so many opportunities, how can we do this? He led me to a scripture we have all read so many times. But the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart when I read it this week.
John 6:5-6 NLT Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for Him. Turning to Philip, He asked, “Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for He already knew what He was going to do.
What I heard in my spirit was, “You have been faithful with a few now I am sending you more. See the great crowd that is coming toward you because you are showing Me to the hurting. So I am asking you, ‘how are WE going to take care of these people?’” He is testing us, because He knows what is going to happen. Do we have the faith to believe that He can continue to do the miracles (because He has already done so many) needed to meet the needs of these people, to continue to bless us with the finances, the volunteers, the wisdom needed to help these people?
That day Jesus met a physical need in those people, He fed them so their flesh would stop distracting them so they could hear the Good News that would save them. We are suppling a physical need with health care, and so many times we have seen people who started out nervous and worried become soft and receptive once this need is met. That is when our prayer partners can share with them the Good News of Jesus Christ!
But what was really cool about this scripture is that after the miracle was performed by Jesus (all miracles come from Jesus, never us) He allowed His disciples to “serve” the miracle to the people (in this case loaves and fishes). But God us allowing us to be the ones to bless these hurting people! We get to see the smiles, get the hugs and we are blessed more than any of them.
We will remember these scriptures and be sure that we are following His word. Then none of the pressure is on us. It rests solely on Christ. He will perform His word.
posted by Joseph & Cheri LeBlanc @ 6:21 PM
1 Comments:
Thank you, for the opportunity to be a part of this ministry. God's timing is perfect!
Sandy
Post a Comment
<< Home