The Gospel for tomorrow is about the healing ministry of Jesus. When he visits Simon's house, he heals Simon's mother-in-law of a fever, and when sick people come to the house at sundown, he heals many of them.
A few thoughts about the ministry of healing:
1. All healing comes from God. Some healing comes through the body's own natural healing processes; some comes from the skill of doctors and medical science; and some comes from prayer; but all healing comes from God.
2. God's will is always for healing. When we pray for healing, we're not trying to change God's mind, but we're trying to open a path for God's will to be done.
3. Sometimes we don't see healing take place after we've prayed. This is not because prayer is ineffective, and it's not because "we don't have enough faith." It may be that we're not praying for the right thing; or it may be that God has answered our prayer in a way we don't recognize; or it may be that spiritual healing has taken place and not physical healing; or it may be that the true healing that's needed is the healing of death. In some rare cases, God may be using the illness to teach the person some higher lesson. Sometimes we simply don't know why our prayers aren't answered.
4. The difference between magic and religion is that magic tries to manipulate God through the repetition of certain acts or words; while true religion asks in faith and then waits for God to act. Healing prayer is not magic; it is the prayer of faith.
5. Our job as people of faith is to pray. We pray for healing because we seek to be in tune with God's will. We pray whether or not we get the results we ask for because prayer is our response to God's grace and mercy.
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