Hallelujah! God has touched you! You know in your body and in your soul that God has stepped in and brought His healing power to play on your behalf. Your pain is gone. Or your mind is clear. Or you recovered when the doctors didn’t think you would. Or you can do something now that you couldn’t do before. You want to shout, “God is good!” And shout you should! That’s one of the things you should do after God heals you.
But it doesn’t stop there. I’ve seen many people experience a touch from God. For some, that moment is the start of a brand new existence. Their future opens up, and they become a living testimony to what God can do. Sadly, for others their relief may be short-lived. While they may rejoice in their healing it’s not long before they’re in the same or worse condition than before. They and others are tempted to wonder, “Were they really healed? Can you lose your healing? Why would God touch them, and then take it away?”
One middle-aged man suffering from severe back pain experienced a dramatic touch from God. After others prayed for him his pain was gone – with no medical explanation. He could bend and move and lift things and do what he couldn’t do before. He was ecstatic; he was healed! His friends encouraged him to go back to his doctor, get checked out, and tell what God had done for him. But he refused. “If I go back to the doctor, I’ll lose my disability payments. I don’t want to have to go back to work.” And less than three months later he was in worse pain than he ever had been.
That may be a somewhat dramatic, though true, example. But it illustrates that how we respond when we receive a touch from God is important. Here are some things to know and do.
After God Heals You
Using the examples of those who were healed in the Bible, here are some things to know and do after God heals you.
- Celebrate! Shout, dance, sing. Have a party. Rejoice that the God of the universe laid His hand on you and made you whole. Yes, it is a big deal!
- Show gratitude. First of all, thank God for His healing. Many in the Bible would give a special gift (a vow) to demonstrate their gratitude. (Psalm 50:14) And don’t forget to thank those who helped you when you were in need – those who prayed for you, supported you, or provided material or practical help.
- Tell others what God has done. Jesus often told those He healed to tell others “what great things the Lord has done for you.” (Mark 5:19) Doing so solidifies your healing in your own soul, and it brings honor to God’s kingdom on Earth. Make sure, when you tell your story, to put the primary focus on what God has done, and His goodness.
- Get a medical evaluation. If you were under a doctor’s care, go back and get checked out. If you were on medication, keep taking it until told otherwise. For example, you may need to taper of some medications slowly. I know of someone who believed they were healed of diabetes, stopped taking insulin, and quickly because seriously ill. Be like the leper who Jesus healed, and then told to go show himself to the priest. (Luke 5:14)
- Remain humble. It may be tempting to feel that you’re special because God chose to heal you. Don’t let it make you proud. Hezekiah became arrogant after God healed him, and his arrogance became a factor in the destruction of Jerusalem years later. (Isaiah 39:3-7)
- Live a clean lifestyle. Sometimes (by no means always!) the way you were living contributed to your sickness. God’s healing gives you a fresh start, but it doesn’t absolve you from your responsibility to live healthy. Take this as an opportunity to review anything you need to change, such as eating healthy, managing stress well, learning to forgive, etc. (John 5:14)
- Live for God’s glory. You’re responsible for being a good steward of whatever degree of physical or mental strength you have as a result of God’s healing. I have several friends who, after they were healed, have devoted many hours and much energy to helping others experience God’s healing. Invest your newfound health wisely. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
When God touches you, He deserves something from you in return. How you live from then on is the best way to show your gratitude.
**Some of you may feel as though this doesn’t apply to you. You’ve prayed, and God hasn’t healed you. Don’t give up! Keep praying, and doing all you can to move into a place where you can experience God’s healing. He hasn’t left you, regardless of what happens with your finite human body here and now.
Your Turn: Have you experienced God’s healing? How was your life different afterwards? Leave a comment below.
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