Clothesline 310 "Transformation, Healing, and Prayer"

If you could put Jesus’ entire ministry into three words, what would they be? In the story of Feeding the 5,000, Jesus actually tells us…if we look closely enough. The three words are transformation, healing, and prayer. That’s the make-up of the Christian life: transformation, healing, and prayer.

Transformation. Jesus was all about transformation. The apostle Paul put it this way: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Jesus transformed creation and all its elements, people and things. God created the world out of nothing…with just a word. When Adam and Eve sinned, he promised to send His Son—Himself in the form of His Son—to redeem His broken world, transform it back into something acceptable to God. Jesus transformed water into wine, changed a raging sea into a calm ocean, healed all manner of disease and sickness, bringing the dead back to life—transformation at its highest level.

Healing. Healing actually precedes transformation; it’s much more complicated, humanly speaking. Many times, Jesus healed the body ONLY to prove that he had the power to heal the soul. Remember the paralytic who was carried to Jesus. We are told that Jesus looked at him and said, “Your sins are forgiven.” And the Pharisees went into a rampage. “How dare you blaspheme God!” they said, “only God can forgive sins.” And Jesus says to them, “Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk?’” And to show them his authority to forgive sins, he cures the man’s illness. He heals—soul and body—but he does it in order of importance, if you will.

When I think of healing, I’m reminded of relationships that need healing. Sometimes such situations are difficult to work through. So how do we do God’s work when we deal with problematic relationships? We go to God in prayer.

Prayer. Before Jesus did almost anything, he went to his Father in prayer. He knew where his strength came from. So should we. If you are a Christian, prayer is the only way you can deal with life. And in a situation where you are dealing with a person you can’t forgive, you need to change your perception of that unforgiveable person. Prayer is the only way through the maze of life when we deal with difficult situations.

Transformation, healing, and prayer…three incredible gifts our God has given us to maneuver our way through this life. And when you stand before God, I pray you will be able to say, “Lord, I took what you gave me and I used it to heal relationships, to transform lives, and I did it all with prayer.”