Freedom from Pain

“News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them.” Matthew 4:24, NIV.

One man came to a medical clinic offered by Christian volunteers from America. All his family had died in the tsunami. His home and all his possessions were wiped off the face of the earth. Even the clothes on his back had been given to him.

Physically, it didn’t appear that he had been injured. Then he removed his shirt. His back was badly scarred. It looked as if he’d been shot with a shotgun at close range. The man shared how he had suffered pain from severe acne on his back. “No doctor has been able to give me anything to take away the pain,” he said with tears in his eyes.

The clinic had salve that would relieve the pain and cure the acne. Sadly the man said, “All my family is dead. I have no one to put the salve on my back.” Overhearing the man’s problem, another man from the same village stepped forward.

“I, too, lost all my family in the tsunami,” he said. “I will put the salve on this man’s back.” He listened intently to the instructions given by the doctor through a translator.

Later that same week the medical team returned to do follow up. The man with the acne met the team as they came in with a big smile and the loud proclamation, “For the first time in 25 years my back doesn’t hurt!” He followed behind the team saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you...”

Pray that:

Physical needs and healing in the lives of tsunami survivors will lead to conversations that will bring spiritual healing.

Volunteers who came and believers who prayed and gave to tsunami relief will find satisfaction in knowing that God blessed their obedience by setting people free from pain and bondage.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.