The Healing Tree, part 7

By Doris Tarbutton

I wonder how often our dutiful prayers for healing, done in ignorance of God’s plans and purposes for the sick person, are actually hindrances.  We major on the physical symptoms—usually ignorant of the real medical realities—expecting God to comply with our view of the situation.  We see the physical symptoms of pain, bleeding, swelling, etc. but we cannot see the spiritual symptoms that correlate with the physical ones.

If God honors our pitiful attempts to pray for healing and does indeed remove the physical symptoms, without healing the spirit and soul—how much better off is the person?  There are times God uses these infirmities and diseases to deal with the more important spiritual issues underlying the illness.

I am reminded of a young friend of mine, a woman in her 30’s with an alcoholic background.  The Lord was doing a cleansing work in her when she chose to go on a ski trip with some friends.  She knew that drinking alcohol was out of the question.  However, in rebellion she chose to have one glass of wine.  Sounds harmless?  She paid a huge price for that rebellion.  The next day, standing on a steep mogul slope her feet began to slip and she tore the ACL tendon in her left knee.  She knew immediately that this was a discipline from the Lord.  To this day, some 7 years later, the metal in her knee is a constant reminder of her disobedience.  Did we pray for her?  Of course!  My concern for her was more for the spiritual issues she had to deal with than with her physical condition.  If she didn’t learn the lesson this time—what would be next?  The Lord was working to conform her to His will; this was the primary focus.

In the fall of 1995 the Lord chose to begin a transforming work in my life.  I didn’t ask for it to the degree I received it—all I wanted was a reasonable relationship with Jesus.  The way He did it was to stop up my ears!  I was almost totally deaf from December through February of 1996.  The doctor did what he could, but nothing changed the condition.  I knew without any doubt that this was the Lord’s doing, but from the outside I was indeed pitiful.  Along with the deafness was a chronic deep bronchitis that meant I had to remain at home.  My lifestyle was changed dramatically.  Not being able to hear, I could only hear what was in my head.  I began to hear the Holy Spirit speaking and teaching me.  Looking back, it was an experience I treasure.  At the time I just wanted to hear again and be able to breathe without congestion.  Others only saw the physical struggle and heard the horrible cough.  It was the spiritual that the Lord focused on.  By February I was a transformed woman.  As I yielded to the Holy Spirit, he began to reward me with healing.  By the end of February I was well—never to have those same problems again!  I say that now many years later.  I am grateful that the Lord did not heed the well-meaning prayers of friends and rob me of that extraordinary experience that launched me into a wonderful newness of life in my Lord Jesus.

Out of that experience and others through these last 8 years I understand what the Holy Spirit was teaching.  It is our responsibility to listen to the Holy Spirit and pray, intercede, on behalf of the afflicted to conform to the will of our heavenly Father according to what He gives us to pray.  Perhaps there is an underlying anger or unforgiveness issue, perhaps there is rebellion, unbelief, worldliness, pride, self-centeredness or some other sin that, when dealt with and healed by the Lord, will facilitate physical healing.  It is well documented in secular literature that the issues of the soul can bring on sickness and infirmity.

It is not for us to judge the causes of the illness, but it is for us to intercede as we hear the instructions of the Holy Spirit for that individual.

A favorite Scripture of mine is Exodus 14:13-14 “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

This can be applied to every situation in our lives, but I especially like it in regard to intercessory prayer.

When the Holy Spirit assigns someone to me for prayer and tells me what to pray I know that the information is confidential.  There is nothing I can do but the part given me—lifting the request before the throne of our heavenly Father.  It is not for me to go to the individual and divulge what the Holy Spirit has said; it is not for me to “share a prayer request” with others.  It is only for the glory of the Lord through His working out the deliverance in that person’s life.  It is for me to stand still and watch, with wonder and blessing, to see the Holy Spirit do a work in the person’s life, bringing spiritual wholeness and/or restoring physical health.  The outcome is His.  I share in the victory in the knowledge that I was a conduit of faith for the Lord to pour His healing power into the individual’s spirit, soul and body.  What a blessed privilege is ours!  This concludes The Healing Tree.  Next, I’ll post “The Laying on of Hands”–what I learned from Scripture.

The Healing Tree, part 6

By Doris Tarbutton

Any discussion of healing eventually brings forth the question: “Why doesn’t God heal everyone?  I prayed but the person didn’t get well.”  Recently I asked God a similar question: “Why do you heal one person and not another?”

His answer came as a result of Scripture study from 2 Chronicles about Asa and his son, Jehoshaphat.  God told Jehoshaphat, in 2 Chronicles 20:15 “For the battle is not ours, but God’s.”  More times than not we forget this basic truth and attempt to take on the battle of sickness and infirmity through our own strength and spiritual pride.  After all, we walk in the authority of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Does that give us the power to heal anybody?  A resounding NO! is the answer.  We are in Christ, but it is His power that does the work—we have no power of our own.  We must grasp this truth and walk in humility rather than in pride and a sense of false power.

As I studied this portion of Scripture the Holy Spirit taught me with this warning: “Be careful lest you fall. Spiritual pride is your enemy; humility is your friend.  Pride will preclude repentance and forgiveness; humility will preclude conviction of sin leading to obedience and restoration…be on guard yourself that you not fall into temptation when you are thwarted in your plans.”

I continued to study and the lesson from the Holy Spirit continued with these admonitions: “When you face a battle or a mountain you cannot win or move, call on Me, Jehovah-Nissi.  I long to deliver you and all My people from the wickedness of the world.  Stand still—and firm—and I will do the work.  Why?  For My glory and to protect you from spiritual pride and the harm it will do to your ministry.”

He then related these teachings to the healing ministry.  “Is anyone sick?  Look to Me for how to pray and/or minister.  You cannot fight the enemy of sickness and win.  It is My battle.  You do not know how I will work but that is not for you to understand.  You are to stand in faith and total belief in My goodness.  The battle is mine, not yours.  Go out in faith praising and singing, believing Me.  The outcome is not your responsibility.”

It was at this point that the Holy Spirit answered the question: “Why is one person healed and not another?”  His answer surprised me: “To protect My intercessors from spiritual pride.  There can be no formula to pray for healing.  If there was, it would steal My glory.  Healing is a mystery because My people must trust My sovereignty and believe Me.”

This truth struck into the depths of my being.  How complete is my trust in His sovereignty?  Do I believe Him totally without question or hesitation?  These are responses each person must ponder and determine with a positive answer.  Any wavering or double-mindedness becomes a hindrance to our prayers for healing.

The Holy Spirit then addressed the problem of hindrances to prayers for healing: “Jesus completed the atoning work on the Cross to provide for healing.  As with so many other requests there are factors that prevent the answers from being received.  Rebellion, pride, disobedience, self-will, unbelief, lack of faith: all these and more can hinder healing.  Only I know the heart and only I can determine the readiness to receive healing.  Do not fret when someone is not healed the way the people want.  Trust Me, I am in control and the outcome will bring Me glory.  You stand still, pray—intercede—in faith and I will bring deliverance.

Remember, you see the physical, the external fleshly needs; I search the heart and meet the spiritual needs.  It is the spirit that is eternal, not the body.  Focus on the spiritual needs of the sick as you intercede and as I give direction the physical needs will be met.”  Don’t quit reading–part 7 is next.

 

The Healing Tree, part 5

By Doris Tarbutton

If we study the Scriptures carefully we soon realize that healing is a theme throughout.  In Exodus 30 we read of the sacred anointing oil.  It contained myrrh which was used for healing and as a painkiller.  We know from the account of the crucifixion that Jesus was offered myrrh during His sufferings, but He refused it.  (Mark 15:23: “Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.”   Jesus did not need any help from an herb to accomplish His mission to completely atone for us and our unrighteousness.  This is an indication of the purity and holiness of His agony—there was never a moment’s weakness in Jesus as He endured the weight of sin in His sinless body.

The term “Messiah” means “rubbed with oil”.  Jesus was the “Anointed One,” therefore healing and pain removal is a part of His anointing.  I carry His anointing as a Christian—a “little anointed one”.  Carrying His anointing (1 John 2:20) means healing is provided for me!  Exodus 30:31 tells us that the sacred anointing oil was to be for the generations to come—that’s us!  It was to be used only on priests—we are priests under our High Priest, Jesus.  We are anointed with healing, with the aroma of life, symbolized by frankincense; the Spirit’s fire, symbolized by cinnamon oil; fragrance, symbolized by cane; and purity, symbolized by cassia.  All these are elements of the sacred anointing oil for the priests serving at the altar of our Lord—that’s us!

2 Corinthians 2:15 says “For we are to God the aroma of Christ…the fragrance of life.”  What a privilege we have to be so very special to our heavenly Father!

The staff was an integral part of the equipment needed for life in Israel.  It was used for walking, for protection—it was useful in every day life.  We know that Jesus’ disciples carried staffs as in Mark 6:8: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.”  In other accounts the disciples were told to take nothing with them as they went out to preach and heal.  There comes a time in our walk with the Lord that He tells us to shed all our comfort items, to leave them all behind and follow Him.  If we are leaning on the staff of the church (is this no accident that the pastor and other paid leaders are called “staff”?) there will come a time that Jesus will say to leave the comfort of the known church and follow Him to a new work, walking by faith in Him—not by sight and the old ways of doing things.  Do we believe Jesus will really meet our needs and make a way for us?  Do we trust in Him to have our best interests foremost in His plans and purposes?  Does our faith propel us outward to do the Father’s will in spite of the unknown?  The Gospels tell us that Jesus sent out the Twelve with instructions to do exactly what they had observed Him doing.  Later, He sent out 72 disciples with the same instructions to preach the message “The Kingdom of God is near you: and “Heal the sick who are there.” (Luke 10:9)  These disciples (other than the Twelve) were to go two by two ahead of him to every town and place where He was about to go.  Isn’t this still the way we are sent out? We are to trust implicitly in our Lord and obediently follow His instructions for ministry.  When we do, we return to Him rejoicing, just as these first disciples did.

When He sends us out to pray for the sick and infirm we are to go obediently, trusting implicitly in Him to provide the healing, without wavering in faith by doubting that He will answer our prayers with divine healing power.                                  

 What is the equivalent of the staff in our lives today as followers of Jesus Christ?  It is none other than the very Person of the Holy Spirit.  We can lean on Him for every need, to give us wisdom, guidance and protection from the schemes of the evil one, our arch enemy that would destroy us.  The Holy Spirit is always with us and in us; there is none closer and more attentive to our cries than Him.  For healing to occur in our bodies, souls and spirits we must rely totally on Him as the power of God through Jesus is reality in us.

The Healing Tree, part 4

By Doris Tarbutton

The staff Moses carried was a piece of wood that God chose to use as a symbol of His mighty presence.  The staff had no magical power, indeed no power at all, but was a visible tool God used to teach His chosen people about His constant care for them.  The piece of wood Moses cast into the bitter waters at Marah to make it sweet was just that—a piece of wood with no innate power.  Yet, God used that simple tree to do a miracle before the people.  The thread of a “piece of wood” is woven throughout the Scriptures culminating in the wooden tree on which Jesus was crucified.  On that piece of wood, the Cross, ultimate healing in the atonement for all our sins took place.  It was the shed Blood of Jesus on that wooden Cross that will supply all our needs now and throughout eternity.  It wasn’t the piece of wood that had the power, but how our heavenly Father used it as an instrument of punishment for sin through the willing sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The power to provide the atonement was from God alone.

God continued to use the staff of Moses before the Hebrew multitude in the wilderness.  Exodus 17 recounts a second time Moses used the staff as the symbol of the power and presence of God.

“They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.  So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’  Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me?  Why do you put the LORD to the test?’  But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses…Then Moses cried out to the LORD,…The LORD answered Moses, ‘Walk on ahead of the people…take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.  I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.  Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.’ “                                                                   At God’s command Moses struck the rock and water gushed out for the people to drink.  It wasn’t Moses and it wasn’t the staff that produced the water from the rock—it was the power of God.  God was there and the “tree” (staff) Moses used was the one anointed and provided by God Himself.  There is another element that is prominent in this account—the water.  The tree represents the Cross; the water the ministry of the Holy Spirit meeting the needs of people who believe and act on faith in the power of God symbolized by the  tree.

In both accounts God’s provision came after the people grumbled, showing a lack of faith and unbelief.  Moses’ response both times was to “cry out to the LORD” (Exodus 15:25; 17:4).  Moses interceded for the people and God responded, in His mercy, to the believing prayer of Moses.

There is a personal lesson here: I can intercede on behalf of someone grumbling instead of praying and believing and God will answer my cry for help.  What a comfort to know God’s mercy extends to grumblers!

Continuing the story in Exodus 23:20-26 we are told how our Father God sent an angel ahead to prepare the way and guard the people to bring them to the prepared place.  The angel had the Name, I AM, in him.  This must be Jesus for this is a description of His ministry for us!  If we listen carefully (verse 22), do not bow down to other gods and worship them (verse 24), and if we worship the LORD, He will take away all sickness. (verse 25)  This is the reward for obedience to God’s laws and decrees.

Disobedience brings the curse of sickness.  Leviticus 26:16 describes “wasting diseases and fever that destroys sight and drains away life.”  The remedy is found in Leviticus 26:40: confess sins and generational sins, humble ourselves and pay for our sin.  We cannot pay for our sin, therefore Jesus did it for us! The point is that the price has been paid in full for the disobedience we commit against our holy and righteous Father in heaven.  The way to wholeness and health has been prepared for us to follow by our Lord Jesus and His shed Blood on that tree we call the Cross.

 

The Healing Tree, part 3

By Doris Tarbutton

Carrying the healing tree is a gift and a responsibility.  Any mismanagement will be disciplined for my learning and maturity so I can grow into more holiness, being like Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to “Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”

 Isaiah 35:3-4 “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way”.  After this happens, then the healings will come.  “Then the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

My prayer is “Lord, I do have feeble arms and hands and unsteady knees.  Teach me how to strengthen them so healings can come as you impart your healing grace through me.”

I have had a damaged knee ever since college days, having surgery on it twice.  I understand the implications of “unsteady or weak knees”.  That infirmity is a constant reminder of my fleshly frailty.  There are things I can do to help such as wearing a brace or using a sportscreme to help swelling and pain.

There are exercises I do regularly to strengthen the muscles around the knees and I am careful to not put undue strain on that joint.  In the same way, there are remedies for our spiritual knees, hands and arms that are weak.  There are spiritual exercises we can do such as study of the Scriptures, listening to solid Biblical teachings and learning through concentrated prayer.  We can surround ourselves with other believers for support and encouragement.  If our feebleness is a result of sin and iniquity we can seek God’s forgiveness by repenting of the sin and submitting to His cleansing and purifying grace.

The more we acknowledge our total dependence on God, His mercy and grace, the stronger we will become because we will be transformed into the image of our Savior, Jesus.  It will be His strength that enables us to stand firm in every circumstance, it will be His foundation that causes us to stand firm and walk a level path.  Without Jesus we can do nothing because we are nothing.  With Jesus anything is possible!

If our goal is to be His servants and administer His gifts of healings then we must be surrendered to His will in every part of our lives and bow in absolute humility before His sovereignty.  The healing tree is the Cross of Jesus, that place where perfect atonement was made by the shedding of His own precious Blood.  None of it was for our glory but all of it was for our benefit and His glory through us!

We read in Exodus 15:27  that after healing the bitter water at Marah God lead the people to Elim, meaning large trees—70 of them!  What a graphic illustration of how abundant is the healing power of God!  Not just one tree, but 70!  Not just one spring, but 12!  God was teaching the people about His infinite power to heal all their diseases and problems, whatever “bitter” water they encountered.  Do we recognize the abundant grace in God’s provisions for us today?  Do we have the same narrow minds and limited understanding of God’s generous love and benefits that these Hebrews had?  It seems so when we expect only the minimum from our loving Lord and that only if it isn’t too much trouble for Him; He can’t be bothered with our small needs.  We must broaden our view of our infinite God to expect over and abundantly more than we can even imagine.  He is our Living Lord and He is pleased and delighted to meet our every need out of His glorious riches in eternity.  He is glorified through our dependence on Him—He is mighty to save and heal. (Zephaniah3:17)  The Hebrews grumbled and complained to Moses about their living conditions and their food supply—do we do the same thing?  Expecting very little from God and looking to the past do we grumble and complain about our lack?  We must grasp hold of the enormity of our God and His ability to provide for us in every need.  According to His mercy God blessed them with quail and manna, providing for their needs throughout the 40 years in the wilderness.  We can expect God to do the same for us—maybe not quail and manna—in whatever way He knows is for our best benefit.  Lots more to follow…

The Healing Tree

By Doris Tarbutton

This is a continuation of my delving into the mystery of divine healing.  I am not a healer, but as a believer I can be of assistance in bringing God’s healing in all areas of our lives.

There are 2 essential elements of faith: belief and speaking out that faith.  I believe I am healed, therefore I speak the positive message I am healed.

Romans 10:10, used commonly to lead someone to belief in Jesus as Savior, has another meaning.  “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  The Greek word translated as saved is the word diasozo which means to cure, preserve, rescue, heal, make perfectly whole, save.  Paul’s statement that when you confess you are saved includes the reality that believing you are healed and speaking out that belief sets the stage for healing to occur.

2 Corinthians 4:13 says “I believed; therefore I have spoken.  With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak…”  When we truly have faith that causes us to believe with conviction we cannot help but speak out. When Jesus healed individuals they were not capable of keeping silent; we must be the same way.  The difference between now and then is that they did not have the written record we do of the healing acts of Jesus and they acted on sight first, then faith.  We believe in faith and then rejoice when the sight, the healing, comes.

We are so easily deceived by our adversary the evil one that we can think we have faith and belief when we really do not.  What we often experience is having faith in faith itself, rather than God who supplies our faith.  We count as belief our acknowledgement of the truth without making it a dynamic part of our understanding of who God is and who we are in Christ.  The result is that we hope for the best, we go through the motions of praying for healing not truly believing it will happen.  It’s as if we don’t trust Jesus our Healer to care enough for us as individuals to bring healing to our aching bodies and spirits!

This is illustrated for us in Mark 9:22-23: “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Doesn’t that sound like the majority of our prayers for healing?  We stand rebuked for our unbelief by Jesus’ reply: “If you can?” said Jesus.  “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

 Matthew 21:21 tells us that we must believe totally in the power of God, without any doubt: “Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  This is a statement with authority from the mouth of our Lord.  If we relinquish our unbelief and doubt, we can boldly pray for healing for any infirmity.

Mark gives us even more detail in Mark 11:22-24: “…and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  Where is it Jesus says we must believe?  More than our mind—it must be in our will and in our emotions—all parts of our hearts.  Notice that the person is to speak out his belief—what he says will happen—giving that testimony ahead of the healing to commit to the trust in Jesus that He will answer the prayer.

Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Each believer is given spiritual gifts to build up the community of Christ’s body, the church.  Those gifts, given by the determination of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11) show themselves in all the various ministries within the body of the church.  These ministries are the taking up of the cross of Jesus and following Him in obedience.  For me, my cross is “the healing tree”.  The only true healing is the “tree” of Jesus’ Cross.  For me, carrying the cross given me (the tree) is to throw it into the bitter pool of sickness or infirmity so the sweet water of healing will be shown to the glory of Jesus.  It isn’t the tree that brings renewal and healing, but the power of God released through the act of faith shown by throwing the tree into the water.  It is the power of God and my faith in the power of God that brings the miracle forth.  It is an act of faith to believe the healing is done and to praise Jesus for it as a finished event.

It is sobering to realize the consequences of using spiritual gifts wrongly.

An account about Herod in Acts 12:23 is a reminder that all glory must go to God alone.  “On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.  They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’  Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”

 God is indeed merciful towards all His children but it is needful to remember that He alone is God and all healing comes from Him alone.  I, or anyone else, have no power to heal and have no answers.  God is sovereign in all His ways; we are but His conduits of faith to deliver His mercy and grace into the lives of others.  Still more to come…

The Healing Tree

 

By Doris Tarbutton

Divine healing is a fascinating subject.  It is something we want, but many times don’t totally believe it is for us.  I decided to delve into what the Bible says and then come to my own conclusions.  Can I ask for healing and expect to receive it?  I want to find out.  This posting will be in several parts due to its length.  I hope it helps you.

“When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)  So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’  Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the waater, and the water became sweet.”  Exodus 15:23-25

 The healing tree at Marah did not bring physical healing, except in the sense that physical survival was at stake.  The people were in need of water to drink for without it they would surely die.  It is at our most desperate moments that we genuinely seek the healing power of God, whether physical survival or internally in our souls.

 The tree thrown in the water had no power—it was just a tree.  Its history would have been the same as all the others like it growing in the region.  It was merely a log of wood.  It had no say in what would become of it or how it would be used.  It was available to be used by the power of its Creator in any way He so chose.  He chose to make it an instrument of provision and healing in the hands of Moses.  An instrument has no value until it is in the hands of one who can make use of it.  Moses acted in obedience and faith when he picked up the tree and cast it in the water.  He did not stop to be tempted to think about how embarrassed he would be if it didn’t work!  What an example for us to see obedience without questioning and an act of faith that produces the revealed nature of our God!

Do you and I have that level of belief in our God’s power that we obey without hesitation and act in faith believing He will do what He desires?  Do we have to know the outcome?  There is no indication in Scripture that Moses knew exactly what God was going to do.  That is evidence of faith in the power of God.  We can learn from his example to be bold in acting on the faith we have and trusting God to do what is best and most beneficial in any given situation.

What was the healing that took place in the waters of Marah?  The people were not ill or suffering from infirmities so it was not for physical restoration.  The emphasis is on the water:  it was “Marah”, bitter water.  When we harbor bitterness, resentment, grumbling, criticism, judgmentalism, anger and self-centeredness in our hearts we are swimming in and drinking marah.  Our lives become bitter pools internally.  On the outside we look just fine, just as the water looked good until it was tasted.  On the inside, however, lurk the dangerous, destructive characteristics of life apart from God.

Regarding iniquities in our hearts does not annul our relationship as the children of God, but it definitely puts a barrier up so that we no longer communicate clearly with our Lord.  We can only groan under the load of sin because we have no remedy within ourselves. The remedy comes only from the love, grace and mercy of God.  It is He who provides the forgiveness of our sins and the cleansing from all those abiding iniquities that are the root cause of the bitter water in our souls.  Forgiveness and cleansing are both forms of healing.

The pool of water was marah.  Was it the tree that made the water sweet?  Was it a special type of wood that can be used by anyone to sweeten bitter water in their souls?  It was not the wood of the tree that did the miracle—it was the power of God symbolized in the casting of the tree that did the miracle.  It was a visible depiction of the true character of God.  The sweetness was the presence of grace, mercy, love and forgiveness in the Person of the Holy Spirit of God.  He was demonstrating graphically how God’s power can change anything to become beneficial for God’s chosen people.  Moses’ act of faith was an evidence that God wants to be personally involved in providing our every need.  Perhaps some of the people caught a glimpse of the possibility of their own faith in God producing provision for their needs and healing for their souls.

It is the presence of the Spirit of God dwelling within each true believer in Jesus Christ that manifests the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of our heavenly Father.  It is His presence that changes our bitter nature into the sweet nature of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This incident at Marah was a one-of-a-kind miracle.  Our Father revealed Himself as Jehovah-Rapha, our God who heals.  Today we still take encouragement from this revelation.  If God’s power is sufficient to change that bitter water into sweet, surely His power is sufficient to change our bitterness into the sweetness of the life of Jesus within us.

As believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we carry the healing tree as a part of our cross.  Remember, Jesus said “Take up your cross daily and follow me.”  We have the power of God working in each one of us to act in faith and cast that healing tree into the bitter waters of every situation.

What are some of the bitter pools of water we encounter?  There is chronic illness, sicknesses of various kinds, disabilities of all kinds, relationship difficulties, divorce and separation, deaths of family members and friends, problems at work or school, emotional problems and distresses and perhaps many others.  Whatever the outworking of sin in our lives– the consequences and curses associated with sin—these are pools of bitter water.  Into these pools we can cast the cross of Jesus, the healing tree, and acting in faith release the power of God into the bitterness to make it sweet.

What was the agent that made the water bitter? It looked like water should look to the eye; perhaps it smelled like any pool of fresh water should smell.  However, there was a problem—the taste was wrong.  The water contained some contaminate that changed the taste to something unfit for human consumption.  Is this a picture of our human souls?  We can say the right things, have an acceptable appearance and act righteously, but what is lurking beneath the surface to make us unfit on the inside of our souls?

Is there pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, rebellion, unbelief, distrust, skepticism, deception, lying, gossip, bitterness, resentment or anger?  How about busyness, prayerlessness, cold love towards other believers, the need to be praised and recognized by others, the need to dominate and control, manipulation or perfectionism?

Each one of these characteristics, among others, is an outworking of our natural self, our flesh, our sinful nature.  We are each one in desperate need of the sweet water of the presence of Jesus.  Each one of these must have the healing tree cast into it to release the cleansing power of God through the Holy Spirit.  Like Moses and the Hebrew people, we have no ability to change the bitter to sweet.  Like Moses, we must cry out to the Lord for healing and restoration.  We need Him to provide the healing for us. The Scriptures make very clear the way to freedom from these sins and iniquities.  We must act in faith to appropriate the freedom that Jesus bought for us on the healing tree, His cross.  More to follow…