The True Gift of Healing Prayer

I’ve always been in awe of Jesus’ healing ministry in the gospels. There are so many occasions where He just touches people and poof! They can now walk. The idea that a simple touch from Jesus could make a man who’s been lame for 38 years walk like he never had a problem blows my mind. When I was younger, I thought supernatural healing was the coolest thing that could ever happen to anyone, but when I was in college, I heard in a sermon (I don’t remember who the pastor was) that the true beauty of healing prayer is that it is a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it gives us an invitation to know Jesus more intimately. I didn’t really understand what this meant until I saw healing prayer work differently than I expected.

In the year I’ve been on staff with InterVarsity, I’ve seen and heard of plenty of healing ministry happen around me. I’ve seen a student leave her crutches in the nurse’s office because her ankle got healed. I’ve also seen a student stretch out his back during listening prayer and heard all of his bones crack as his back that had been hurting for years was straightened out. I’ve even had my own ankle, which had been sore and hurting with limited mobility for months, feel and move like I never hurt it in the first place. But I’ve also had two instances where healing prayer “worked,” but the problem came back later. The most recent of which came at Basileia this past year during week 3 of the Transforming Prayer Track. I was leading a debrief in the front of the room, and as I was inviting students to share their hopes and wishes for the week, a student named Christian shared that he hoped God could heal his allergies so he could be fully present that week. I asked him to rate his allergies on a 0–10 scale, where 10 meant he felt like he was going to die, and he told us that he felt like he was at a 9.9. It was difficult for him to breathe normally, and his whole body was aching because of all his sneezing. I asked Christian if we could pray healing for him in that moment, and he said yes. I invited Christian up to the front of the room, along with two other students who offered to pray for him. The students put their hands on Christian’s shoulders and prayed a strong prayer that Christian’s allergies would go away and that he could breathe normally. When they finished praying, I asked Christian how he felt, and while he said he didn’t feel any better physically, he explained that he felt more joy than he had in months. We celebrated the joy Christian felt, and then I asked Christian if he would like us to pray again. He responded with a hopeful “yes!” The two students prayed for Christian again, and at the end of this prayer, Christian said he felt a little bit better. He shared that his nose cleared up a little and the aching went down a bit; overall, he went from a 9.9 to about a 7. We celebrated the healing that did happen, and Christian proceeded to walk back to his seat. Once he got to his chair, Christian exclaimed, “Guys I feel completely better!” He took a really deep inhale through his nose and smiled from ear to ear. He rejoiced as he told us he felt like he was at a 0. The room swelled with energy and excitement as they heard the change in Christian’s breathing. Students were applauding with awe and wonder on their faces, overjoyed by what they had just witnessed. I don’t think anyone expected to witness this on the first full-day of Basileia.

But like I mentioned earlier, the problem came back for Christian. That night at chapter time, I saw Christian looking miserable. His nose was stuffy again, and his body aches were back. He told me that his nose started bleeding because he was sneezing so much and that overall he felt like a 9. I told Christian that I would continue to pray that his allergies would go away, but they never did. Two days later, before the end of the conference, I saw Christian walking over to the office with his suitcase getting ready to drive home. I was immediately flooded with disappointment. It sucked that Christian didn’t feel better. It sucked that his allergies got bad again. It also really sucked that he had to leave Basileia early. But Christian’s posture towards going home was much different than mine.

When I approached Christian and asked him how he was feeling, he said, “I feel pretty awful, but I’m so thankful for my Basileia experience!” I was completely shocked. I asked him why he was thankful despite his allergies, and he pointed me to two things. The first was the joy he experienced after the first healing. The past few months had been incredibly rough for Christian. He was feeling particularly drained and felt like he wasn’t enjoying life. But during that first healing prayer, something moved in him, and he felt light and joyful. It was so radically different than what he was experiencing just moments before so that in itself was a gift for him. The second thing he pointed me to was community. Christian shared with me that while he’s been so thankful for the InterVarsity community God’s given him at Brooklyn College and throughout his life, he’s often lacked consistent male friendship. But ever since that second day of Basileia, Christian told me that he’s made so many male friends. People from all over camp would approach him asking if he was the “allergy guy”, and then upon finding out his allergies came back, they’d offer to pray for him. Through these interactions, Christian found out that some of these guys live really close to him in Long Island. Christian hopes to link up with them this summer so that he can continue to be blessed by male friendships rooted in Jesus. Even though Christian had allergies, what he deeply longed for was joy and community, and God gave him that both directly and indirectly in his momentary healing. Christian was so thankful that he got to encounter a Jesus that knew him, loved him, and provided for his needs.

As I reflect on these memories, I keep thinking about Jesus and the 10 lepers in Luke 17. In this passage, Jesus meets and heals 10 lepers in a village on his way to Jerusalem. While all 10 of them were healed, we’re told that only one of them came back rejoicing God and thanked Jesus. Growing up in Sunday School, I was told that he was the only one that was polite, and so we should thank Jesus when he blesses us, but I think I’ve come to understand a new interpretation in light of Christian’s story. Of the 10 lepers, nine of them believed that the true gift of their interaction with Jesus was their healing. Which seems pretty logical. Leprosy was a debilitating disease that forced people to live on the outskirts of society separated from their friends and family. People wouldn’t even touch them. Imagine going years without a hug! Because of their healing, as long as they wash themselves in the presence of a priest, they could go back to their friends and family and live intimately with them again. But the actions of the one leper who came back seem to point to a different gift. After the priest confirmed that he was healed, the first person he ran to was Jesus. The first person he touched was Jesus. The true gift of this man’s interaction with Jesus wasn’t healing, it was Jesus! This man seemed to understand that a relationship with Jesus was much greater than the healing of his leprosy. I’d like to think that even if this person’s leprosy came back, he’d still be praising God in a loud voice because even though he “lost” his wellness, he could never lose Jesus.

I wonder what our lives would look like if we looked at our blessings differently. I think we’d handle our own financial problems, sickness, and loneliness differently if we believed that God’s true gift to us wasn’t financial stability, health or intimacy, but Jesus. I think if Jesus was our true gift, we’d continue to rejoice despite our life circumstances just like Christian and the man in Luke 17.

God, thank you so much for your Son. Thank you that through him, we can have a beautiful and intimate relationship with You, despite our brokenness. Open our eyes to see your son as the true gift of life with you.