A Witness to Healing

During the last week I have used JourneyNotes to focus on the healing ministry of Jesus and the church's response to it.  While it seems to be a neglected and forgotten ministry of the church, I am convinced it is a ministry which needs to be an integral part of what the church does as it seeks to be the hands and feet and the heart of Christ in the world.  Jim Jackson, a good friend and retired pastor of one of the largest United Methodist churches in Houston, Texas, shared a response via email which I asked for permission to share.  It seems fitting to end this series of blogposts with this word which is an encouragement to those who are in need of healing and those who are praying for them.   

"This weekend I am doing a wedding for a 32 year old man.  He was a great high school athlete, but when he was a junior he had a virus attack his heart.  He was at death’s door for days.  His blood pressure was in the teens and they had to shock his heart several times an hour to keep him alive.  They put him on the heart transplant list and started looking everywhere for a donor.  On Saturday morning I called all the people leading worship services on Saturday night and Sunday (we had 8 services) and told them that at some point in their service I wanted every able bodied person in worship praying on their knees for God to spare Charlie Russell.  

I’d love to tell you that I was full of faith that God would intervene; that wouldn’t be true.  All I knew is that we could not let Charlie die without having everyone ask God to spare him.  What God chooses to do was God’s business, but we weren’t going to let him go without asking.  At 2pm the lead cardiologist told his parents (his dad had been in worship) that his heart had suddenly stabilized.  He said he was stunned and had no explanation.  They took him off the heart transplant list on Monday morning.  They sent him home on Tuesday.  Charlie may be the physically  strongest young man that I have ever known.  I have lunch with him about once a quarter.  He is a dynamic Christian leader.  I was also privileged to baptize the woman he will marry tomorrow night.  No one could ever convince Charlie or his family that God doesn’t still do miracles."