Sunday, May 18, 2008

Stop Pleading

Many Christians have been misled into thinking that they must plead earnestly to God for healing. Of course nothing happens. The reason is that God has already done everything that he can do for salvation (healing). There is nothing more that he can do except increase our faith and knowledge of his love.

Christians should not be begging God to heal them. Pleading only makes sense, if we could change his mind. We often pray like as if he is stingy, but might heal us if enough people ask him. This is nonsense. God is good. He wants us whole. He is not holding back his healing, waiting to see if we are desperate enough. We do not have to change his mind.

Some are pleading with Jesus, because they think he is kinder than God. We do not need to plead with Jesus for our healing, because he bought when he was whipped and beaten. We were healed by his stripes. Pleading with him implies that what he did at the cross was not enough for us. Pleading with someone who died on the cross to do more is absurd.

We do not need to persuade God to change his mind and heal us. We can ask God to give us a revelation of his goodness and love. We can ask God to stir up his elders. We can ask God to increase their faith, but there is no point in asking God for what he has already given us. That sounds like ingratitude.

There is no example in the New Testament of anyone praying in this way.

Dear God, please heal my sick brother.
The reason is simple. From God’s perspective the sick brother was healed when Jesus died on the cross. God has already what has to be done. Jesus work is finished. Everything that he can do has already been done. There is nothing more to ask for. The church should not be asking for healing, but it should be appropriating the health that Jesus has bought for us.

2 comments:

jawn said...

Hi RonMcK,

The psalmist in Psalms 88:13 pleaded with God, albeit not for healing. Also, aren't we asked to petition to God about things, and to never give up and consistently pray for things? (Luke 18:1) Do you mean something else when you say that 'Pleading only makes sense, if we could change his mind'?

In the last paragraph, are you saying that we should not pray for people's healing? As in, should we not pray 'heal my sick brother' as in James 5:14-16?

Anonymous said...

Yes we should plead for what we need. But we should not plead for what he has already given us.
RonMcK