Last night, in a coaching class I’m attending, I experienced one of those wonderful aha moments. I knew from experience that if I didn’t capture that thought by writing it down, the brilliant insight God gave me would disappear. The instructor, Cheryl Scanlan, talked about how Jesus met people in their pain. We read examples of times when he gave sight to the blind, enabled the lame to walk, and healed those with leprosy. But what Jesus really wanted was to heal them on a deeper level, to give them His gift of salvation and eternal life. Spiritual healing was His ultimate goal.
Think about that for a moment. He addressed their short-term or immediate pain. Some who were healed physically went on to receive His gift of salvation and spiritual healing. Others just walked away cured superficially. Some didn’t even say thank you for their immediate recovery. They failed to see their need of deeper healing. You could say they got on with their lives too soon.
As humans, we all need healing on multiple levels. Some of our “sickness” is visible and some is invisible. We all want to be met at the point of our need, and we tend to want immediate healing. How and when Jesus meets us varies, but His ultimate goal is our spiritual healing.
For example, when I was at death’s door during my bone-marrow transplant, the first goal of the medical staff was to keep me comfortable. They met me in my need with medication, warm blankets, compassion, and encouragement.
Jesus Carries Us Toward Spiritual Healing
At my lowest, weakest point, I had an image of Jesus carrying me. He met me in my need when I felt too weak to walk. But Jesus also met me on a deeper level. I felt so unworthy of his care. I thought there were people far more special and more important than I was. With that image, He seemed to say, “You are special, too.”
It was a defining moment—a moment that began my healing on a deeper level. I did not get up and walk out of that hospital room the next day. I didn’t instantly let go of my old spiritual baggage. But it was the dawn of healing on two levels. On the physical level, my high fever broke the next day. On the spiritual level, I experienced God’s love for me in a way I hadn’t known before.
Lots of healing still needed to happen. I continued to struggle physically, emotionally and spiritually. I had to recognize and clear out some deeply rooted lies—lies I believed about myself, about God, and about how healthy relationships looked. For months, I continued to feel hopeless and helpless.
Comfort in the Midst of Suffering
The truth, however, was different from my feelings. I was not hopeless. Slowly, very slowly, I learned what was true. I learned I could experience Jesus’ comfort in the midst of suffering. I saw firsthand how God could make something beautiful out of the ashes of my former life. Looking back, I know God healed me on two levels. I discovered His love and a peace that honestly does surpass all understanding.
Are you aware of how God is meeting your needs today?
God uses many tools in meeting our needs, tools for all levels of our need. God gave me certain people at certain times. First, it was medical staff. Later, it was a coach, a counselor, or a new friend. He gave me those who understood my journey or parts of my journey. By realizing that God brought them to me, I gradually worked toward healing on deeper levels.
If you are currently suffering, ask yourself, “What’s one short-term win right now that gives me hope?” That’s the image of God doing a new thing in your life. Let it pull you forward. Then, as you discern how Jesus is with you in your immediate needs, be on the lookout for how He wants to meet you in your deeper needs. Are you willing to let Him take you to those deep places? Whenever you ask Him to meet you with spiritual healing, He will. Your life, too, will change forever.
John 5:6 NIV: When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” [If you have time to go deeper, then read through verse 15. Can you spot ways Jesus met his deeper needs?]
Warmly,
Georgia Shaffer
