Do you believe John 3:16? Then why isn’t Mark 16:17–18 your daily life?
Hi, I’m Addison. You’re reading (or listening to) Bigger Than Me—a weekly guide devoted to removing the fears, doubts, and misconceptions that keep believers from healing the sick in everyday life.
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Gary and Kathy called me from their parked car in the garage.
They both wanted prayer for their eyesight.
Kathy’s sight had slowly gotten worse with age. Gary’s was harder to ignore.
His vision had become blurry,
colors looked dimmer,
and yellow triangles started appearing.
One doctor had diagnosed him with macular degeneration before another told him it was too early to say.
Either way, neither of them were seeing like they used to.
We started the prayer with Kathy.
I paused for a moment.
I felt like God wanted Gary to put his hands over her eyes.
“Gary, put your hands over Kathy’s eyes.”
He did.
We prayed. Commanded Kathy’s eyes to heal in Jesus’ name.
Kathy opened her eyes and looked around.
Her vision felt better already.
Then it hit me.
I never had her test it first. There was nothing from before to compare it to.
Whoops.
So when it was Gary’s turn, I had him look out the window into the garage. We found a sign he couldn’t read clearly and a few other things around him that were blurry.
“Kathy, put your hands over his eyes.”
She did.
When we finished praying, Gary opened his eyes and looked out the windshield.
His eyes landed on the sign again.
He could read it clearly now.
He scanned over the other things around the garage.
Same story.
Much improved.
Someone Else Should Pray
Gary and Kathy did what most of us would.
They needed healing, so they started asking the key questions you ask when your health declines:
Who can I ask for prayer?
Should I call an elder to be anointed?
Who at church has seen healings before?
Is there someone with a healing ministry I know?
None of those are bad questions. Some are straight out of Scripture.
In fact, it’s what I had hoped for when I made the original Facebook post that got Gary and Kathy to reach out.
The problem comes when those questions carry an assumption:
I need to find someone else who knows how to pray for this.
Someone more experienced.
More gifted.
Someone who’s seen this before.
And until we find them, I need to wait.
Believers Pray
The book of James instructs us to call the elders when we’re sick;
be anointed,
have them pray,
expect to be healed.
That’s good guidance when you need help.
However, James never says the elders are the only people who can pray for the sick.
Jesus didn’t either.
When Jesus described the people who would believe in Him, He said:
“They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Not only pastors or people with healing ministries.
Believers.
That’s why God told me to have Gary and Kathy lay hands on each other.
The right person wasn’t hundreds of miles away on the other end of the phone.
They were sitting beside each other.
The next time someone tells you they’re sick, hurting, or scared about a diagnosis, don’t start by searching your contacts.
Jesus the healer is already there.
In you.
Pray for them.
A Prayer for Believers
Dear Father,
Thank You for making me Your child.
Thank You that I don’t have to wait for someone else before I can love the person in front of me.
Jesus, thank You for showing me what it looks like to heal the sick.
Thank You for giving me Your authority so I can follow Your example.
Holy Spirit, thank You for emboldening me when an opportunity to pray arises.
Thank You that I can hear You and trust You to lead me as I step out.
I repent for the times I’ve waited for someone else to pray when You gave me the opportunity.
I release the belief that I’m not the right person in the room to pray when someone needs healing.
I reject the lie that I need someone more experienced, gifted, or proven before I can act.
I will pray when the opportunity is in front of me.
I won’t let waiting for someone else stop me.
I will trust the power and authority You’ve given me, Jesus,
and bring You to the people who need healing.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Until next time,
Addison
