Surprise Healing

“He [Jesus] welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.” Luke 9:11, NIV.

It was an unusual circumstance. A 40 year old man was dying of AIDS, and his family was having his wake before he actually died. He could no longer eat and the family expected him to die at any moment. Chairs were set out, and the whole community came in to comfort the family. Silas* came at the invitation of the family to pray over the man.

Silas prayed that God was in control and could still heal the man. He went home afterwards, but he had no expectancy that anything would happen in response to his prayer. The next day the man was eating again. He was out of bed and riding his bike as if he’d never been sick!

Everyone in the neighborhood was talking about it. Silas visited the man and explained that his healing was from God, which showed that God had a plan for him. Silas shared the gospel, and the man prayed to receive Jesus.

“It doesn’t surprise me that God can heal,” said Silas. “I was just blown away that God would heal in response to my prayer.” Silas felt that God taught him through this experience that he shouldn’t be surprised. Instead, he should expect God to answer and to do great and unexplainable things in response to prayer so that the people will know that He is God.

Pray that:

God will do great and unexplainable things in response to prayer so that the peoples of Pacific Rim will know that He is God.

Believers working among unreached people groups will have great expectancy that God will demonstrate His power among the lost peoples of the world.

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