This week  as we bring our "NEW" series to a close at New Life we're focusing on Jesus as "Healer."  What is "new" about Jesus as a healer?  Well, in the Old Testament healing came sporadically from the hand of specific, gifted prophets.  Jesus healed many, many people. In fact, the only time we're told Jesus didn't heal many people was when He went to His hometown of Nazareth and ministered.  We're told He couldn't do many miracles there because of the people's lack of faith.  More on that later in the week.

But in this week's focus Scripture from Matthew 8, we find that Jesus healed the servant of a Roman Centurion.  Jesus didn't even need to be near the servant to heal Him.  We're told the servant was healed not because of his own faith, but because of the great faith of the centurion.

Faith is always involved in healing, but it isn't always the faith of the recipient of the healing.  Jesus' desire is to heal us, to make us whole.  Sometimes that means we receive physical healing when we pray for it.  Other times it doesn't, as we see in the life of the Apostle Paul.  He pleaded with God to remove a "thorn in the flesh" given him by Satan, but he never received the healing for which he prayed.  The result in Paul's life was a deeper, abiding faith, and a greater ministry than could have occurred if God had simply granted his prayer for healing!

Think about the needs in your life for healing, whether physical, spiritual or emotional.  Have you brought those needs to Jesus in faith?  What has His response been to you?  Have you seen that as a confirmation of your faith, or a sign of your lack of faith?  Make sure not to fall into either the trap of assuming that Jesus just doesn't heal anymore, or that He must heal if you just have enough faith.  Jesus DOES heal, and Jesus DOES answer prayer.  Our part is to trust or have faith in Him, and then to accept the answer He gives with joy and perseverance.  That is easy when the answer is healing, not so easy when the answer is to endure the pain with joy.  The key is to trust Jesus enough to give Him control in our lives and then live into whatever response He gives us.

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to heal us in body, soul and spirit!  Thank You for being worthy of our love and faith.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may offer prayers of faith for ourselves and others that we may know the joy of answered prayer, or the deepening that comes when our prayers are answered with the strength that comes from extra measures of your grace.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.