Have you ever been sick—I mean really, really sick? Have you been so sick you could not get out of bed? Have you felt absolutely miserable, weak, and longing for healing? Where did you seek the healing you needed? Did you go to the doctor? Did you end up at the hospital?
When we are sick, we seek relief. We seek medicines that can relieve us of the symptoms and cure us of the illness we are suffering from. Sometimes we can get by with just over-the-counter medicines. Other times we need a doctor to write us a prescription. Still other times require hospitalization.
We may attempt to get by with over-the-counter medicines and discover they are not enough. Many of us prefer trying over-the-counter medicines first. We don’t want to go see a doctor unless there is no other alternative. Yet, when we finally go see the doctor, we receive the proper medicines to cure our illness quickly. We may battle the illness on our own for quite some time before submitting to seeing a doctor. In the end, there is no other choice.
This same paradigm applies to our spiritual life. We often like to attempt to fix ourselves first. We try the self-help books. We use physical exercise to help our emotional state. We may simply give in to the stress and overeat. When it is all said and done, we have made no progress toward the spiritual healing we need, even if those attempts provided short-term emotional relief.
Jesus came to call those who need spiritual healing. Unfortunately, it is only those who realize they need Him (a doctor) who will seek Him out. It is only those who seek Him who will be healed. And much like being very sick, it often requires someone else bringing the sick person to Him. If we are spiritually in need, we need to turn to Jesus. If we know someone who is spiritually in need, we need to lead them to Jesus.
I pray we all turn to Jesus to heal our spiritual sickness. I pray we lead others to Jesus to heal them. I pray each one of us see Jesus as our ultimate healer and seek Him each day of our lives. Recognize your need. Read God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Seek Jesus for healing.
Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Marty Pressey 