The Healer's Touch Part 3: The Healing

"...your faith has made you well; go in peace.” – Luke 8:48

Welcome back to the blog and the series The Healer's Touch. In this third part we will continue looking at the healing of the bleeding woman in Luke 8. If you have missed any of the other posts in this series, I really encourage you to check them out! You can find them here:

Part 1 - The Crowd
Part 2 - The Woman

Now lets jump into part three.

The Healing (The Transformation)

…immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

The amazing and supernatural physical healing God gave to this woman was complete and full, and so is the miraculous healing Christ accomplishes in the hearts of those he saves!

Our God is not a hopeful savior. He is not standing around like a parent with fingers crossed hoping their child succeeds at some sporting event or recital. However he is confident of his children’s success, because as the almighty and powerful God, his grace will not fail to accomplish it.

For me as a believer, this is a very comforting truth! There are too many times when I start to wonder if God will ever use me, if I am any value to him, or if there is any real hope for me to become something more for him.

It was not too long ago that I was wrestling with these very thoughts and decided to spend the afternoon drawing. It usually helps me think. The drawing I was working on had many fine details and intricate pen marks. While working on it my son came to me at the kitchen table and said that he liked my drawing and that it looked great. He then quickly followed up with, "it looks like it's finished."

I told him thank you, but that the drawing still had a long way to go. That it may look done, but in my head I can see the full picture, and it is not finished yet. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to playing.

As soon as he left tears started to well up in my eyes, as I heard my Father whisper to me, "Shawn, I'm not finished with you yet, I see what the full picture looks like. I'm here and I'm still working."

What a comfort that is! God's healing and work in us will not fail! Consider these words by F. B. Myer:

We go into the artist’s studio and find there unfinished pictures covering large canvases, and suggesting great designs, but which have been left, either because the genius was not competent to complete the work, or because paralysis laid the hand low in death; but as we go into God’s great workshop we find nothing that bears the mark of haste or insufficiency of power to finish, and we are sure that the work which His grace has begun, the arm of His strength will complete. – F. B. Meyer (19th Century Commentator) 

There is no haste or insufficiency of power to finish his work, I love that! Now let's drive this idea home with a walk through some of God's word to see this idea fleshed out.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit. – John 19:30

When Jesus died on the cross, he did not partially accomplish something. It was finished. He completed the work that he was sent to do. So what did he come to do?

...Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. – 1 Peter 3:18 

His work was finished! His work to bring you to God is complete! If your rejoicing and praise to God stops at your forgiveness of sin, you need to ask yourself, “Why am I rejoicing over that.” Is that the end? Is the removal of your guilt the greatest thing to rejoice over? No, rejoice that you are being brought to God! That is the end, your forgiveness is just the means. Yes, be glad and shout for joy that you are forgiven, but don't stop there! The forgiveness is not what satisfies your needs, it is God who completely satisfies your needs, and for his glory he lived a perfect life, suffered, and overcame sin and death to ensure that you are brought to the one who satisfies completely!

He who began a good work in you, is faithful to complete it. – Phil 1:6 

Your healing is as good as done. You still walk daily in a struggle, in a fight, but you are completely healed! Why? Because God will see it through. The completion of your healing, your growth, your conformity to Christ, is not your doing. He began it, and he will complete it.

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. – Job 42:2 

No one in this world, a friend, enemy, or yourself can stop the purposes of God. So if he has purposed to bring you to God and to complete the good work in you, it is as good as done!

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. – Romans 8: 29-30

Romans 8:29-30 is the unbreakable chain of security for the believer. If you are his, you will be glorified with him, and he will conform you into the image of Christ! That is the the beautiful goal of every believer, to be made into the image of Christ! It is not about our ease or our comfort, but about our conformity. And that transformation is what brings us true joy in our lives, and God will accomplish it in you!

Your salvation is complete. Under the umbrella of grace Justification is accomplished (saved from the penalty of sin), Sanctification is being accomplished (saved from the power of sin), and Glorification will be accomplished (saved from the presence of sin). For the believer all three will happen! Some will try to say that we are justified and glorified by God, but it is by our own power and strength that we fight sin. My friends, you have no hope to find victory over the power of sin in your life apart from the grace of God!

We see this in Ephesians chapter two.

 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10

No one has been saved by works, but everyone who is saved will display works. Why? Because we are his workmanship, not ours. How do we know that? Because God prepared beforehand for those who would follow him, good works for them to walk in. But why? Because he is the one conforming us into his image, and that transformation is by his plan and his power and is our necessary evidence of salvation. That is why God will do whatever it takes to conform us into his image, because it will bring him glory and satisfy us fully, and leave us lacking nothing.

Count is all joy my brother, when you meet trails of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1:2-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 1:3-7 

God will do everything necessary (and will do nothing unnecessary) in you and to you, to ensure that you make it to him. That you endure. That you overcome. He is working, and his plans will not fail, and his plans are good. You can trust and rest in that your healing is complete and full, because God has declared it as such. That is why we walk in a manor worthy of the gospel today, looking forward to the reality to come.