Please read Part 1 first!
Over the years I've prayed for lots of sick people in the name of Jesus and some have been healed, some haven't. In that time I feel like God has taught me something valuable about ministering to broken people (physically or otherwise). People coming to you for prayer are often afraid of what may or may not happen or are anxious about being in front of lots of people. They may be wavering in their faith in God or hoping that the Holy Spirit doesn't show you the root of their real problems! They're vulnerable. They might have their defenses up because of past injuries from the Church. Often a slap on the fourhead and a "BE HEALED IN JESUS' NAME" is not what these people need. "BELIEVE AND YOU'LL RECEIVE" can just drain on people's faith if they can't force themselves to believe. If they don't know God and you're supposed to be representing Him, they may end up hating Him. This is terrible bedside manner!
Broken people need to be loved and appreciated, cared for and comforted. Jesus didn't only demonstrate power, He embodied Love! When broken people came to Jesus they were met by His love and compassion and so when they approach us in search of Him, they should get the same. Bill Johnson, an american minister says that everytime someone comes to you for prayer they should encounter the love of God through you whether they get healed and all their problems are solved or not. Experiencing the love of God creates a desire for Him, desiring Him attracts His presence and His power is in His presence. This means that if someone encounters His love, God can continue to work in that person after they've left your care. I hope you're still thinking about this in relation to non-physical healing.
The presence of God in our lives is what makes us whole as human beings. When we minister to the broken out of obligation we're ministering out of ourselves instead of out of His love so we have nothing to give anyone except for what we're feeling in that moment. Fear and unbelief often keep us from showing genuine care. I've found that sometimes when I've prayed for someone to be healed and nothing has happened instantly, the next time I see them I avoid the topic! Just being honest. In the past this may have been for many reasons inc. not wanting to tarnish my record of people healed (sickening I know but Jesus loves me), not wanting to risk finding that my lack of faith kept them from their miracle or just not wanting to have to pray for them again knowing it might not happen again etc etc. Basically it was selfishness. All about me. Are we moved by the suffering broken people are going through in comparison to the life God wants them to have?
We cannot get around the fact that caring for the broken takes times and effort and energy (both human and Divine). The quick fix isn't always the solution. I have friends who were alcholics and drug addicts prior to becoming Christians. For some of them their addictions vanished overnight and God healed them completely. For others they had to walk with people through the rough processes of recovery and lean on others for support. If we try to love broken people from ourselves, we run dry because our love is finite and limited. We need to allow the love of God to flow through us because that is a river that doesn't run dry. When we encounter the broken we must be ready to give them the affirmation and comfort they need until they are ready to walk in their new found wholeness.
Thanks for reading!
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