By His Stripes We Are Healed

Isaiah 53:5 gives us the wonderful promise of divine healing. Of course, the first person that may enter your mind when you think about healing is Oral Roberts. Bro. Roberts spent his life being used of God to heal the sick. The great healing crusades he conducted throughout our country brought the healing message of Jesus Christ to hundreds of thousands of people. For just a few moments I would like to focus on the local church and divine healing.

I thank God for men like Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn and others like them. However, many healing's occur at the local church level that only those in attendance on that day have the privilege of witnessing. This in no way makes these healing any less significant or miraculous. They are, after all, "power encounters" with the God that heals. Though they do not get the media hype and the recognition of the masses, they are none-the-less just as real and significant as those seen in the mass crusades.

I said all of this because in our Wednesday Evening Bible study last night, a lady that had been suffering with back problems for most of her life received healing. It was the most beautiful thing that I witnessed in a long while. She was playing the piano and the body began to intercede on her behalf. When we were through with the music, she came off the platform and got to the second row in the sanctuary and said, "Dear God, I am raising my feet. I haven't been able to raise my feet for over five years!" She then proceeded to give God praise for the next 15 minutes or so. During this time, many people were being touched by the power of the Spirit that was so sweet and strong in that place.

Although there were only a handful of people there to witness this miracle, it was a moment in which Isaiah 53 came to life right before our eyes. Moments like these in the local church do several things - faith rises, excitement rises, God's promises become tangible, and the church rejoices together. I think if we were to ask those who have been healed by God where their healing occurred, I think the majority would say, "My local church".

This post is not intended to be a slam against healing crusades, but rather it is to celebrate the miraculous work that occurs at the local church. We celebrate with the masses at healing crusades, but lets us never forget the healing that occurs within our local churches. "By His stripes we are healed" - notice there is no location mentioned!