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SARAH'S SCRIBBLINGS
May 11, 1995
11:00 A.M.
love and attitudes about healing
This morning I "accidentally" turned to chapter 10 in Francis MacNutt's book. Chapter 10 talks about the importance of love as well as faith in the healing ministry. Maybe there is a reason I am to read this chapter BEFORE I read the two chapters on faith. If I have the faith but do not have the love, the faith will be worthless. Lord, show me how to love.
"Jesus cured not just to prove he was God, but BECAUSE he was God, abounding in love and compassion ... In every healing, one can concentrate on one of two attributes: the power of God or the love of God." (p. 151)
"Serenity is a sign of trust and sureness; loud claiming indicates deep insecurity." (p. 152)
My ideas about healing will influence the way I pray for healing. So what, then, are my ideas about healing? I need to take a good look.
When I pray for healing, I will uncover what should be brought to light--and I will do it out of love and not out of condemnation. I am sensing a spirit of condemnation from many people at my old church. I don't think that they are willing to admit that they are acting in this spirit--maybe they don't even know it. It is condemnation that says, "If you wanted this enough, you would get it."
"It is necessary that the minister be free of the need to prove anything, that he be free of any personal desire for achieving results. To be cast down when his prayers have failed to effect a cure means it is time to examine his motives to see how much of his own fear of failure is mixed into his ministry." (p. 154)
Lord, I know that I do have a fear of failure and that it does affect my ministry. How do I get rid of it? My love for the person I pray for has to overcome my fear of failing. This goes along with something I read in Henri Nouwen's book, Out of Solitude. "Every human being has a great, yet often unknown, gift to care, to be compassionate, to become present to the other, to listen, to hear, and to receive. If that gift would be set free and made available, miracles could take place."
In Chapter 8, MacNutt says there are four basic faith attitudes for healing.
- Healing is man's responsibility.
- Healing is possible but extraordinary.
- Healing is ordinary and normative, but does not always take place.
- Healing always takes place if there is faith.
I had attitude 2 for a long time.
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