Whether it be the ministry of prayer for healing or the laying of hands and anointment with oil (James 5:14), they do not carry any divine power. The saying of having a “congregation of vital energy through prayer” (祈禱集氣) in the public these days wrongly conveys that a larger number of people praying has a better chance of victory. But think about the 400 prophets of Baal fighting against Elijah! Really, the focus should be on whom we pray to.

      The pitcher at the lower left corner of The Christian and Missionary Alliance logo symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ as “Healer.” In the Bible, oil represents healing. The Lord Jesus has prepared the necessary strength and healing for His children who obey and therefore have faith in Him. This blessing is as rich as the spiritual blessings He has prepared in the gospel.

       In these days of medical advances, through trusting in the Lord Jesus, man can still draw health and strength from His resurrected life to live this life till the end.

How to receive the promise of healing

      Matthew 8:14-17 on Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and some other patients tells us a few important points:

1. Surrender completely to Christ. Trust in and accept His promises without doubt: Jesus stretched out His hand. Just one touch and the fever of the mother-in-law was gone. Meanwhile, many in the villages were convinced of Jesus’ mighty power. They brought the demon-possessed to Him, and He drove out the spirits and healed all the sick (8:15-16).
2. Always rely on the Lord to receive the necessary physical strength: Matthew quoted the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases” (8:17). The Lord not only did this in the past. He still does so today and heal our lives with sicknesses according to His sovereignty and power. He is our Great Physician.
3. Magnify and serve God with the life and health from the Lord: When Jesus went to Peter’s home, Peter’s mother-in-law was supposed to be the one to receive the visitors. After she was being healed, she continued to wait on and serve the Lord (8:14-15).

How should we pray for the sick?

       Dr A.B. Simpson, forerunner of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, conducted regular prayer ministry for healing. Yet, he did not set a certain format for this kind of prayer ministry, nor did he recommend the use of any specific Scripture. He even taught people that the prayer needs not be long. The intercessor (or the patient) only needs to say simple prayers (like a child seeking something earnestly from his parents).

      Moreover, faith is just to help people accept the healing of Jesus Christ. It follows that faith is clearly not any power that man can seek and utilize. What the patient really needs is to focus on the Lord Jesus, to address his own relationship with God (non-believers will need to reconcile with God). Dr Simpson said: “Unless you are in contact with Christ the living Healer, there is no healing.”[1]

      After all, having the Lord Jesus as the One in whom we trust is really the center of prayers for the sick.

Read the article online: https://npacem.org/ps20231210/

[1] Simpson, A. B. (1984). The Fourfold Gospel. https://cdn.cmalliance.org/wordpress/cmalliance/
the-fourfold-gospel.pdf