Devotional Steps....Step Two

Healing Faith

 

We came to believe a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Bible Reading: Luke 8:43-48

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”                            

46 But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.”

47 When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed.

48 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 

~Luke 8:43-48

(From the New Living Translation)

 

Faith is key to successfully working the second step. For some of us faith comes easily. For others, especially if we have experienced betrayal, it may be more difficult. Sometimes we must exhaust all of our own resources in trying to overcome our addictive "disease" before we will risk believing in a higher Power.

 

When Jesus lived on earth, he was so renowned for his healing power that crowds of sick people constantly pressed in on him. One day "there was a woman in the crown who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors and still could find no cure. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped." Jesus realized that someone had deliberately touched him, because he felt healing power go out from him. When the woman confessed that she was the one who had been healed, Jesus said, "Your faith has made you well. Go in peace" (Luke 8:43-44, 48).

 

In order to recover we must follow the example of this woman. WE cannot afford to stand back, hoping for "cures," and avoid deliberate action because of our lack of faith. We may have lived with our condition for many years, spending our resources on promising  "cures" without success. When we can come to believe in God, a power greater than ourself, and have the faith to take hold of our own recover, we will find the healing power we have been looking for.

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Be watching for a post about the rich young ruler in the next few days - I think it goes along nicely with this devotional.