One look at Jesus on the cross proves beyond any doubt how passionately He desires to save and heal us.
(Isa. 53:4 – 5 AMP)
One look at Jesus on the cross proves beyond any doubt how passionately He desires to save and heal us. Envision Him now in your mind’s eye; see Him hanging there, bearing your sin, and paying the price for your transgressions. Imagine yourself standing at His feet, watching Him in His agony as His blood flows down.
Could you ever look up at Him on that cross and say, “Jesus, is it really Your will for me to be saved or do You want me to live in sin a little longer?”
No. You could never bring yourself to say such a thing. You know He wants you free from sin. That’s the reason He was there suffering and dying.
The same exact thing is true about healing. Jesus was tied to the whipping post. He was scourged until the flesh was ripped from His bones for only one reason: so that by His stripes, we could be healed. How can we even think that He might want us to live in sickness for a single moment longer?
Thank God, once we understand what the Bible says about it, we never have to think that way again!
Instead, we can rejoice knowing that healing is ours now because it has already been bought and paid for. We can reach out with confidence and receive it whenever we need it knowing that we have “a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,” who stands ever ready to minister to us with indescribable compassion when our bodies are sick or hurting because He is able to “understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities …” (Heb. 4: 14– 15 Amp).
We never have to wonder again if healing is ours. What Jesus did on the cross settles it. His sacrificial love cuts through all the entanglements of theological, homiletical theory. His Word stands above all the hoopla, above all the religious rhetoric and denominational opinions.
It matters not what others may say; Jesus has spoken to us His will for all eternity. He has said not just with His lips but with His precious, outpoured blood, “I am the Lord who healeth thee.”
Scripture Reading: Mark 15:1 – 39
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”