We see many miracles happening. But sometimes when it comes to our personal needs we are unable to experience the blessings that we have seen in the life of others. Most of the time we strive hard to experience it but in the process we lose our hope and often even leads to frustration. As Healing is from God and God alone, fixing a standard approach to receive healing is not the right way as it differs from person to person and situation to situation.

God gives healing abundantly to all people, irrespective of race, creed or religion and there is often a variation in reception. While witnessing a testimony, we only hear or read the end result of what the person went through. A person sharing his testimony, does not talk about the changes that took place in him beforehand, as he himself is not able to recollect and arrange it chronologically. Thus, we are deprived of truly understanding how they had received their healing.

The Three Stages of God’s Healing

The Bible gives account of miracles that happened in many lives either physically or spiritually. It contains three segments. Firstly, the situation of the individual, secondly an encounter with Jesus and thirdly the transformed new creation. The state of the individual, informs the probability of reaching out to God, while the encounter speaks volume of His love and grace and the transformation imitates the glory of the resident Holy Spirit.

The initiation of the encounter is predominantly by God, though in some places it appears to be initiated by the individual. This is the stage where massive changes take place in the individual’s mind towards their approach to life.

The Ten Lepers

^“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.”

Luke 17:11-14

These ten lepers were staying in a village between Samaria and Galilee. As per Mosaic law these lepers should not show their faces or come in the presence of the non-affected people. If they do so, they will be stoned to death. These lepers are not affected with leprosy since their birth but were born as healthy babies in a normal family. They cherished staying with their parents, brothers and sisters. When they were detected with leprosy they were separated from their loved ones. 

Though the emotional setback is for the family members along with the person suffering with leprosy, the former still had element of satisfaction in the fulfilment of Mosaic law. But for the people who were suddenly thrown out of their comfort zones, they did not have anything to justify their situation. When the illness itself was horrifying to them, the separation was adding fuel to the fire. While some families had separated them with pain, some others had got an opportunity to prove themselves righteous as per Mosaic law by breaking their relation with the afflicted.

The Situation

One of satan’s strategies to distract people’s attention from God is that he acquaints us to people who are sailing in the same boat. Here ten lepers gathered together in order to fight for their destiny. Usually when people of the same sickness come together, they love to share their pain with each other. This will end up in them cursing all those who have hurt them. They will spend their time looking back through their unpleasant memories, comparing with each other and tormenting themselves.

Today this has become possible with the existence of social platforms connecting the journeys of different people across the globe and they don’t even have to know one another. Anywhere, anytime, heartening moments can be shared with people who have had similar bitter experience.

The Works of the Spirit

Here, in the life of these ten lepers, something amazing had happened. They were not sitting on their past. Instead, they were looking forward to Jesus. Each one of them is equally anxious to meet Jesus. They have not heard Him saying,

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” .

John 14:18

Yet, when they gathered in one accord, leaving aside the past and decided to live in the present, Holy Spirit began to prepare their hearts to receive the miracle. 

Now they do not have any social phobia as the cool breeze started soothingly touching their skin. The wind whispered the name of Jesus in their ears and their feet unknowingly started marching towards Him. And soon Jesus was passing through their place and they received their opportunity to be healed.

At the Garden of Gethsemane soldiers needed Judas to identify Jesus. Here amidst His disciples and other people, these lepers did not have any difficulty in identifying and addressing Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit prepares us for an encounter with Jesus if we set apart all our past painful experiences and look forward to Jesus whole heartedly.

The Encounter

Ten lepers standing at a distance asked for His mercy. They believed that if Jesus had showed them mercy, their disease could not hold them any more as they did not even ask Him to heal them. Jesus, without wasting time, told them to go and show themselves to their priest. 

Without waiting for a change to occur in their skin, they were going to show themselves to the priest. The Bible says that as they went to show themselves to the priest, they were cleansed. When they obeyed His command, a change took place. We know that sin entered into this world because of disobedience but obedience draws God’s mercy.

The Transformation

Now they are no more lepers. This is the power of the word. It has the ability to separate the infection/sin blended in our blood, body, mind and soul. However deep might our aggravation be, the Living Word eradicates it completely and changes everything.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The bitter experience so far, and the selfish people who pushed them to this end were also one of the reasons for their Healing.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

God is always looking forward to heal us. If we understand this, nothing can stop us from receiving healing.

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted”

Job 42: 2