I don't really understand instantaneous healings. I grew up in a church where people were healed through prayer. I am now living in a country where miraculous and instantaneous healings are common. I have seen so many since I moved here and yet I can't get used to it. I can't wrap my head around it, it's distracting and frankly it makes me a little uncomfortable. I think the problem is that I just don't really understand it. I don't understand how a group of fifty people can all fall on the ground and suddenly be healed by one person's shouting. I don't understand how hitting someone hard on the forehead and causing them to fall over is going to heal the sickness in their body. And yet I have seen people appear to be healed. I don't believe it's fake, I just don't know how to understand it.
I asked Nathan and Paul their thoughts on this subject last night. I asked why healings are so common in parts of the world and yet not so common in America or England (their home). Nathan suggested that God works in different ways in different parts of the world according to what will be accepted and cause people to accept him. I thought this was an interesting thought and have thought about it a little more. In our homelands, healings are explained away by science or hidden away so that others won't judge. In Thailand, healings are accepted as the power of the Holy Spirit working in a person's lives and hundreds of people accept Jesus because of them. I like the idea that I worship a God who is smart enough to change his tactics according the land and the people.
I still personally struggle with this subject though and don't know where to go from here. Any thoughts?
2 comments:
That is interesting insight but it makes sense. Pastor Mike just started a series on Miracles. Have you listened to any of them yet? We have kinda had similar conversations to your's in our small group....interesting and definetly hard to grasp.
A wise biblical scholar once told me that the western world doesn't 'need' or want miracles, so God works more subtly here. Whereas, there are parts of the world where miracles happen all the time - sometimes not through the power of God - and God must work in a way to reach those people.
For my perspective, being skeptical about miracles is bred into us from the time we are taught that Santa isn't real. We are taught that there is a fantasy life and a real life. Miracles are like dreams; they live in a fantasy world.
I don't know that I believe that. I believe that God is bigger than that.
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