After teaching a class on Discipleship, I went into our sanctuary to pray before church but as we were entering my wife and I were approached by the pastor’s wife and asked if we could go right away with her to the hospital, as one of our members was about to give birth to her first child. The birth was not the problem but it was with her brother, who had accompanied them to the hospital and had suddenly collapsed while there and was rushed to the Emergency Room. Their mother called in a panic, with her daughter giving birth on the third floor and her son now in the ER on the first floor. She desparately needed support and prayer. That was about 5 PM. The church began to pray.
When we got to the hospital we went right away to the ER and one at a time were allowed to go in and pray for the young man who was unresponsive. Each of us prayed quietly and then came back to the waiting room. We then went up to the third floor and prayed for the new mother-to-be and her husband, then returned to the ER to check on his condition once again before leaving the hospital. While there this last time I felt a strong need to go in and pray for him once more.
When I entered his cubicle, his eyes opened right away and I asked him if he knew who I was and he responded, “Yes.” I told him that I had come to pray for him again that God would heal him but before I prayed this time, I needed to ask him if he had ever given his heart to Jesus. He said yes, but it had been a long time ago and he wasn’t sure whether it was done in faith. I asked him if he would like to do it now to be sure and he said, “Yes, I would.” I prayed with him to receive Jesus Christ into his life and then anointed him with oil according to James 5:13-15 and Mark 6:13, and prayed for his healing. When I was finished, he closed his eyes and appeared to go back to sleep. That’s when and I left and we returned to church.
Now let me tell you what happened next, which I didn’t find out until we got home that same evening. I also verified this the next day with his mother. He told her that even though he was kind of in and out of consciousness, he remembers me talking with him very clearly about Jesus and asking him if he wanted to receive Christ as his Savior. He remembers saying, “Yes,” and also praying with me and then being anointed with oil and the prayer for healing. He also said that after I left and as he closed his eyes and suddenly he saw a great white light, as he described it, and he knew that he was going to be O.K. This was about 6 PM. As he began to wake up a few minutes later, the doctors came into his room and told him that after all the tests they couldn’t find anything wrong with him, other than symptoms of dehydration. He was then released from the ER about 9 PM, got dressed and rushed upstairs to the third floor in time for his new nephew’s birth. The young man was feeling so good that they ordered some food and all ate together in the room. He stayed with his family until 11 PM, when he went home and slept soundly all night. The next day he woke up feeling fine and continues to be doing well!
Now I don’t fully understand the power of anointing with oil for healing, but I do understand praying for the sick and following the instructions that the Bible gives us when we pray for healing. Perhaps these scriptures will renew your faith in the miracle working power of God when we honor His Word:
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. — James 5:13-15
So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. — Mark 6:12-13
Oh yes, the new baby? A little boy named Abel Joseph was born into our world that night, weighing in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and he put some big smiles on everyone’s face. Mother and baby are doing fine! Would we expect any less? It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world (John 16:21).
Thank you, Jesus, for the power of healing in your Name and for blessing us with what we all believe is a miracle and for bringing a new little healthy boy into the world, reminding us of the miracle of our own new birth in Christ. Mother and son are doing fine—and so is the new believer in Christ . And so are we. You are indeed an “awesome God.” – Amen.
