Having Healing Hands By Cortney Donelson

Acts 3: 6-7 (NIV)
“Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him (a disabled beggar) by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.”

Occasionally, I am a doubting Thomas. I could be more like Peter, as described in this scripture. Working in healthcare, I often think about putting my hands on my patients and healing them instantly. Wow! That would certainly increase my pay grade! However, I never believed this was realistic.

The Bible tells me something different. Just as Peter (fully human) did in Acts 3: 6-7, we can call on Jesus and pray for healing for any pain, hurt, or disability – be it physical or emotional – and know that healing can occur. Notice the wording of the verse: “ ... but what I have I give you.” Peter understood what he had as a faithful follower of Christ. As Believers, God's awesome power is housed within us. Every ounce of His miraculous strength resides in our bodies. That is too cool! If aligned with God’s will and plan, we are one faithful prayer away from unleashing this power and witnessing miraculous healing. Peter tells the crowd in later verses in the book of Acts, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

I am a living testimony to this miracle. My husband and I prayerfully chose to adopt a little girl from China who had been diagnosed with a serious brain condition. In a nutshell, the front portion (lobe) of her brain was small compared to the other areas of her brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for movement, personality, higher learning skills, knowing right from wrong, having impulse control – among many other things. Neurosurgeons here in the United States could not tell us exactly what her abilities, personality, or behaviors would be in the long or short term. Chinese documents told us she was behind others her age developmentally. My husband and I were understandably scared; however, we did not allow that fear to keep us from hearing and obeying God’s call on our hearts to bring this precious child into our home as our own beloved daughter.

While we waited to travel, I prayed every day for complete healing for my daughter. I prayed her frontal lobe would develop and that there would be no signs or symptoms of her diagnosis. We waited six months to travel. In all, it was 176 days of prayer. I prayed with faith that our Ultimate Healer would work a miracle within my daughter on the other side of the world. I cupped my hands in prayer and asked the Lord's healing hands to deliver an amazing ending to this story. The more I prayed, the more I was able to trust Jesus.

The ending to our story is not uncommon to those who believe the lesson in Acts. When we traveled to China and finally brought her home, our daughter was perfectly healthy! There were absolutely no signs or symptoms of her brain diagnosis. In fact, our pediatrician – an adoption specialist who has brought a couple of his own kiddos home from around the world – saw no need to even verify the Chinese diagnosis with an MRI here in the United States. She has been home for over two years now, and we continue to see no reason to follow up on that scary diagnosis. Praise Jesus!

You too may be just one faithful prayer away from having healing hands!

Prayer – Dear Lord, thank You for the Holy Spirit that lives in us! Thank You for giving us Jesus, the Ultimate Healer. Please continually remind us that You are all powerful and have every illness, every diagnosis, and every disease in the palms of Your hands. I pray we have the faith it takes to just believe in Your promises and in Your Word, fully aware that healing comes in so many forms and is always in Your perfect timing! In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN!

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