When I witness a miracle of healing in our meetings, my soul rejoices
for several reasons. One reason is that I see the transformation in
people who arrive in pain but leave joyful. Each sign that evidences
the power of God will indicate to man the need to turn to Him.
Another reason I rejoice is that souls get saved when
they see the miracles of God. Often unbelievers come to our meetings to
see if the miracles are for real. When they witness a healing, they
repent of their sins.
All of us should desire to be used by God in healing
others so that His purposes will be accomplished in their lives. It’s
not hard or mysterious; we just have to make ourselves available.
Laying on of Hands
There are several ways to pray for the sick. One of the
most common is mentioned in Mark 16:18: “They will place their hands on
sick people, and they will get well” (NIV). I have had experience with
this in my ministry, and I’ve seen hundreds of people healed when I
placed my hands on them.
There is power when we touch another with our hands.
Jesus healed many of the sick by touching them. It wasn’t His only
method, but it was the first one He used when He started His ministry
here on earth.
Let’s take a look at the scene described in Mark 1:31.
Jesus was in Peter’s home, where Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with
a fever. Jesus went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever
left her immediately.
In the Gospel of Luke another detail is added to this
account. Here Jesus bends over her and rebukes the fever, and she is
healed at once (see Luke 4:39).
In these parallel passages we observe Jesus’ attitude
toward the sick woman. He comes to her, bends over her, takes her hand
and rebukes the fever, and she is immediately healed. Just a simple
touch of Jesus was sufficient to heal her.
What happens if I lay my hands on a sick person and I
don’t really believe that the person will be healed? He or she will
probably not receive the healing. We need faith to be able to move from
sickness into health. We need to understand that the power is not in
our physical hands—it is in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit
flowing through our hands. The Bible confirms this in Acts 19:11, “God
did extraordinary miracles through Paul.”
When you pray for healing, do it believing that God
performs miracles. The people for whom you are praying will recognize
your faith and divine authority. This, in turn, will activate their
faith in their own healing, and they will be delivered.
Generally, when I pray for the sick during my crusades, I
immediately ask them to do the things they couldn’t do before. People
who couldn’t raise their arms raise them to God; people who couldn’t
walk now walk or run. Others touch the places in their bodies where
there had been cysts or tumors and immediately start to cry. These
people are putting their faith into action. Each attempt to check the
reality of the healing shows faith. Then I ask them to come to the
platform to share the testimony of what has just happened so they will
inspire faith in others who haven’t received their miracles yet.
Prayer Over Garments
Sometimes it isn’t possible to touch a person directly.
But God can use a handkerchief, article of clothing or other object we
have prayed over to minister healing. Here’s an example from my own
experience:
A mother came to the crusade we were holding in the
district of La Boca, in the city of Buenos Aires. Her son was extremely
ill. He was in the Argerich Hospital, only a few blocks away from where
we were. She brought one of her son’s handkerchiefs so we could pray
for him.
The boy was in an irreversible coma and connected to an
artificial respirator. She came in faith to pray for her son, in spite
of the fact that the doctors had already declared him “brain dead.”
God, who backed up her sincere faith, had not.
When she went back to the hospital’s intensive care unit,
she put the handkerchief over her boy’s forehead. He miraculously came
back to his senses and started to talk. When this happened, the other
women who were staying with their children in the unit started to fight
over the handkerchief. I was told that as soon as they would put it on
the other children, the power of God would heal them. A few days later,
the mother came to share with us her testimony and to give glory to God
for the great miracle they had received.
I’ve heard and seen many miracles of healing and
deliverance such as this one. In every meeting there will be people who
bring items or garments such as handkerchiefs or pajamas that belong to
people who, due to their illness, cannot come to the crusade. These
items are usually a blessing for the afflicted after they have been
prayed over.
This phenomenon is recorded in the Word: “God did
extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and
aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses
were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12). I truly
believe that a simple piece of fabric anointed by the Holy Spirit can
heal the sick and deliver the oppressed. Remember that God wants to
heal, and although many times we’ll find demonic bondage behind an
illness, at other times the affliction is God’s way to teach us to
overcome trials.
Joakim Lundqvist