God is our Healer!

How do we know that God wants to be the source of our healing? The story of King Asa, third King of Judah, helps us answer this important question. Asa was a man of integrity. He “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (1 Kings 15:11) and his “heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life” (1 Kings 15:14). He took a strong stand against idolatry and led Judah through an extended period of stability.

But Asa was human and made mistakes just like us. We are told that in the last years of his life Asa “was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from physicians” (2 Chron. 16:12). Unfortunately, this disease resulted in his death.

Here is a man who truly loved the Lord, yet he never asked Him for healing. How many Christians today are like Asa? They know the Lord, but don’t seek His healing touch for themselves or their loved ones when illness strikes. Perhaps this failure to ask is due to a belief that God doesn’t heal today. Perhaps there is an unwillingness to relinquish control and trust that God can heal. Or perhaps a feeling of unworthiness prevents them from asking.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with seeking the help of physicians when we are ill. God uses doctors and medicine to heal people in amazing ways, but He also wants our hope to rest in Him. After all, He is our Great Physician!

When faced with a serious illness, it is all too easy to lose hope, to accept the doctor’s diagnosis as the final word. But rest assured, God has the final word. Placing not just your spiritual health, but also your physical health, in His hands can bring great freedom.

Do you or someone you know need the healing touch of God? Psalm 30 says, “O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” Are you willing to call to Him for help? Are you willing to surrender your wellbeing into His capable hands? He is always listening and He wants to help!

— by Shay Mason