Lessons, October 13, 2013

Last week we confronted the need for faith in the effecting of change in the world around us. Today we confront the need for faith in attaining healing in our own lives. Remember the lesson of the mustard seed.

Naaman was a successful army general. When he gave an order he expected it to be obeyed without question. When he sought healing for his leprosy he had an expectation that God's mighty prophet would appear and order him cleansed. Instead he is asked to go wash seven times in the Jordan, a river so dirty there was every likelihood that one could be infected by bathing in it. The lesson here is that we need to take responsibility for our own health. We cannot expect there to be a magic bullet to heal all ills. We may need to maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, stop smoking,  drink responsibly, and get proper rest. If we need more invasive medical attention we must be willing to follow our doctor's orders and take the medication prescribed on a regular basis. And we must have a strong belief in the efficacy of the treatment we are given. Much has been written about the effectiveness of the placebo effect which says that healing will take place whatever the true effectiveness of a treatment just because the patient believes it will.

It is important that we pray for good things in our lives and have faith that the Lord will provide them. It is equally important to honour, praise and thank our God for our blessings as well. The act of praising God is good for the soul. So says our Psalm for today.

As is often the case the Epistle is off in left field today. We are asked to be faithful to Christ's message and to remember that everyone looks at things from a different perspective due to their life experience. We should not get so hung up on words that we forget the essential message of God's love and salvation.

Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

So, ten men sought healing and exhibited faith that healing was possible but only one man returned to praise and thank God for his cleansing act. And to drive the point home it is pointed out that the one person to express gratitude was a much despised Samaritan. Once more the point is made that thanksgiving is an equally important part of the healing act. By failing to show gratitude the nine missed out on an important facet of the healing act. It is one thing to be healed, it is quite another to feel so good about it that one is compelled to thank the Lord for it. Praise is good for the soul.

Faith prompts us to intercede on our own behalf and on behalf of others. That same faith moves us to acknowledge He whose love restored wholeness of life. We have not become truly whole unless we return praise to the author of our salvation.