Sometimes Healing is Progressive

One day while I was in school at BSSM, one of my classmates announced that she’d been healed, and I must admit I was a little confused. She had a rare disorder that left her bedridden and completely reliant on others to care for her, and as she made her announcement, I could see that she was still in bed. Nothing appeared to have changed.

It was only later I learned that although her physical appearance and abilities hadn’t yet changed, she’d been in constant pain for years and God had healed her of all that pain in a moment. She looked the same, but she felt completely different.

Sometimes looks can be deceiving.

I, of all people, should have understood that. When I was healed of a chronic illness several years ago, no bystander would have been able to see a physical change in me in that moment, but all my symptoms left and never returned.

I recently had a similar experience, an unseen miracle in which only I could feel the change. It all started with someone’s testimony. (Testimony is the spirit of prophecy!) I was in a church service and a woman shared how her feet had been in so much pain that morning. Instead of answering her prayer for instant healing, God had told her he wanted her to dance in his house. She obeyed, and the whole time she danced, her feet didn’t hurt. As she stood there and shared this story, her pain decreased more and more.

Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 19:10 ESV

As soon as I heard her testimony, I knew God was up to something, because my feet had been killing me for a few weeks. I’ve had bunions since my early 20s – I know, fun times – and lately they’ve been really painful because I got a new job that requires me to be in shoes and on my feet most of the day. That very morning when I sat down at church, my feet were hurting, and I knew pretty soon things would get worse because of the shoes I’d worn that day. My feet always hurt more after wearing those shoes.

Even before hearing the woman’s testimony, the pain in my bunions had been subsiding during worship. I could physically feel something different in my feet as the music played. After hearing the woman’s testimony, I went up front to get prayed for, and as soon as people began praying, I noticed I had no bunion pain at all! That was not the norm!

I hardly had any pain in my feet for the rest of the day. I checked several times and – yep! – the bunions were still there. But the pain wasn’t! The pain that has been gradually increasing for at least a decade was almost completely gone that day, even though I was walking and wearing shoes and doing things that always inevitably caused me discomfort.

Sometimes healing is progressive. If I had it my way it would always be instant, but sometimes we just need to celebrate what God is already doing and later we’ll see the full miracle. For me right now, that’s choosing to celebrate over these bunions. They’re still there, but my feet didn’t hurt for one whole day, and that’s something worth celebrating!

Don’t give up if you haven’t received the big healing miracle you’re contending for. Look around and take notice of what God’s doing now – maybe you’re receiving more healing than you think! Grab hold of the testimonies of others, thank God for what he’s doing in you right now, and keep believing for every miracle you’re praying for!

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.

Zechariah 4:10 NLT