Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Nov. 16,2011

“Spiritual Health = Physical Health?”
“Run to God! Run from evil…Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! – Proverbs 3:8 (The Message)

It does not take a Biblical scholar to see that during Jesus’ life and ministry, one of the elements of his success was the number of people He healed from their physical afflictions. The deaf received their hearing…the blind received their sight…the lame received back their ability to walk…those with seizures were cured…those afflicted with leprosy were cured…and this does not even come close to completing the list. When you look further within the Scripture you will see these words from the book of James: “Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet.” - James 5:13-15 (The Message) No doubt, we are being not only encouraged to pray for healing but it should be something we make as our first move! From there, call on the church to pray as well.
We all know very well that being a Christian does not prevent us from becoming sick. I believe even James makes that same point when he asks, “are you sick?” The issue is how we handle what happens to us during these times. I believe as Christians, our response to life and the issues we encounter has more impact than the outcome. Allow me to illustrate this just a little better: I remember having a conversation with a pastor friend some years ago. After our conversation I asked him to write this down in case he (or I) would ever need it for future sermon material. He told me the story about a woman from his congregation who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her doctors tried everything possible to defeat the cancer—chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. The congregation prayed earnestly for her. Nothing seemed to work. Weeks stretched into months with no signs of progress or healing.
Then the woman stood up in church one Sunday and reported that God had healed her. Everyone in the service rejoiced over the unexpected good news. But then she changed things as she explained what she meant. She said that although she had not been healed of cancer, God had given her what she called, “a healing of acceptance.” She reported that she had surrendered her cancer to the Lord, and that He had given her a peace of heart and mind that she had not previously known in this matter. One of her last statements in life was: “God did not add days to my life—but He added life to my days.” The woman eventually passed away, but her testimony about accepting the reality of her death was remembered by those church members for many years. Her story would be told over and over again, encouraging others who had been tempted to give up on God, and instead to continue to place their trust in Him for their present and future.
My pastor friend concluded, “I have come to understand that whatever life throws at me, the greatest peace comes when I accept God’s will for my life and realize that He always does what is best for me in terms of now and eternity.” Does contentment mean we are healthier physically? Maybe not—but it doesn’t hurt to make the attempt and see for yourself.
Pastor J. T. Carnell