The Process

“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:14)

Hello, my friend.

Today’s passage is familiar to most of us who have been around the church for awhile. I recently used it as a text for another message; however, today I want to focus on a different part of the verse. Today I would like us to consider the phrase “as they went…”

As Pentecostals (a title to which I loosely cling), we have become so used to going forward for prayer, anticipating an instant miracle in our lives. Smokers like to go forward to have hands laid on them to receive instant deliverance from the habit of smoking. Drinkers think they will immediately lose the urge and taste for alcohol. Same for drugs, sexual addiction, etc. We have been so trained by those fiery evangelists that cross our great world preaching the Word of God. They like to raise the spiritual temperature in the room to the point that all who come forward are expecting on-the-spot answers.

While there is merit in that expectation, it seems to be the exemption not the rule. Jesus performed many miracles, as did the apostles as they went out. They cast out demons, they healed the lepers, they returned sight to the blind, and all the rest. That is a promise made to us even today. For example, we find these words of Jesus in Mark 16:17-18: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” The word used in this verse “recover” means “the process of recovering health.” The process. We don’t like the process.

If you are around many pastors and evangelists very long, you will hear them tell of approaching someone to lay hands on them to pray for them, only to have God stop them. He instructs them (often) of some hidden sin or habit in that person’s life that will hinder their healing or deliverance, thus damaging the appearance of God’s ability to intervene. As a true man or woman of God, that pastor is obligated to inform that person (privately, of course) what God has shown him or her, instruct them to correct that issue, then return for prayer. As I have said before, God is not in the business of healing someone of cancer, for example, if they are still actively involved in the behavior that caused it to begin with. That would be casting the pearls (the Word and power of God) before the swine (the unclean). That would be the same as attaching Jesus and His blood to their sin.

Obviously, God does heal instantly in many cases. He is able and WILLING to save and to heal all who come to Him. Consider the fact that there is no gradual rising from the dead (as in the case of Lazarus). There are, however, several instances of Jesus touching someone more than once to effect their healing. For example, the man in Mark 8:24 who, after Jesus’ first touch, declared, “I see men as trees walking.” Was Jesus’ power limited or faulty in this instance? No. We don’t know for sure what was going on behind the scenes, only Jesus and he knew, but Jesus touched him a second time, after which his sight was restored. As I stated before, the instantaneous, immediate healing is possible, but just as many times we are taken through a process.

Do you trust Jesus to heal you? I mean, do you REALLY? Or is your faith more of a wish or a hope? There is absolutely no shame in wishing or hoping as long as you recognize it for what it is. Wishing is actually doubt or fear disguised. Hoping is at least recognizing the potential for an answer, yet not able to completely go all in. God can and does work with hope. He can do very little with merely wishing.

My friend, I have an idea I am addressing someone specific with this message today. You have continually prayed about a situation in your life – maybe it is an unsaved loved one, a long-term sickness or disease, a lack in your circumstances, yet you feel like God has let you down. It may be as in the case of Elijah, where he laid down and slept and afterward was awakened by the angel of the Lord, fed, and directed to rest up for the journey ahead. God didn’t remove his danger, but He restored him for what lay ahead. It might be as in the case of Job, where God allowed a time of testing, then had Job pray for his friends before He restored health and all he had lost to him. Buckle up: it may be as in the case of Lazarus. Jesus let him die before He answered his prayers! Yet in each case, God allowed them to see the answer – even Lazarus. But we must endure the process of healing, of restoration, of wholeness.

Be encouraged today, my friend. God has seen your tears, He has heard your cries in the night, and His heart aches to bring you relief and restoration. BUT. He may be speaking to you of something in your life that needs to be addressed first. Don’t reject the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Don’t turn from the only One Who can bring this to a satisfactory, perfect close. Don’t get weary in well-doing, don’t lose hope, don’t walk away. Confess your hope in Christ, meditate on the Word of God concerning this thing, pray without ceasing, and most of all – listen for His answer. He will most certainly speak to you.

Be blessed.