One night I ended up in the hospital, and I was lying there in bed.  They kept an oxygen monitor on me, and for about the five hours or so and they were watching my oxygen drop from highs of 82 to lows of 73.  That’s where you get brain damage—when you get under 80, it’s not good.  And, of course, I laughed about that.  With me, how would you know, right, if I had any brain damage?  But anyway—resting in Him.  What could I do?  I had nothing to do.  I wasn’t strong enough to pray.  But I know Whom I have believed, and I’m persuaded that He’s able to keep that that I’ve committed to Him against that day.  It’s His will to heal me.  I’m not going to die until my appointed time.  I don’t know what it is, but I believe that.  I rest in that.

And as it pertains to healing, we see, then, all the way through this book of Acts, the introduction of the church.  See, the book of Acts is just the history of the church.  It’s still being written.  The church is still here.  Soon and very soon we’re going to see the King, hallelujah!

This life, which is just a vapor—I remember, you know, listening, when I was younger, to old people, and they’d say, “Man, it’s just—your life just goes by in a minute!”  And you hear them say that, but now when you experience it, it’s just like, “Really?”  And then you read the wise man, and you see in the 80 years you’re given—threescore and ten, and 80 if you're strong, the Scripture says—and you put all this time and energy, and so much of it is for nothing.  It’s vanity, vexation.  It’s going to burn up.  There will be no memory of it.  There’s no worth.  It will not be recognized.  Anything that you accomplished on earth will not be recognized in heaven.  You may be a big shot here, but you won’t be in heaven if your treasures were here.  We’re going to be rewarded according to our works.  According to our words we’ll be judged—for every idle word.  All “idle” means there is “nonproductive.”  Everything that you use to get ahead in this life is nothing.  Every idle word will be judged and is seen as corrupt and will burn up.  But that that was spoken toward eternity, toward life, to laying treasures up in heaven, that’s what’s going to remain.  And our gifts will go before us, the Scripture says.

This is probably a bad illustration, but I’ll give it, as we’re talking about rewards in heaven, meeting God face to face, being judged, hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  You could pray for a hundred people, a thousand people, and not one of them ever get healed.  Your recognition before God will not be how many got healed, but how many you prayed for—your obedience, your willingness to present the finished work of Jesus on the cross for the salvation of those souls and for the healing of their bodies.  This is the expression of the church.  And when these signs and wonders are manifest, it’ll cause God to be glorified.  It’ll cause men to believe, and men will see, then, our good works and glorify our Father Who’s in heaven.

Father, we thank You for Your Word; stir our hearts, Father.  Give us a love for souls.  Give us a love for the broken.  Father, give us a love for the unlovely, that we could bring this glorious gospel of healing for the whole man (spirit, soul, and body).  There are many who are suffering today that the prayer of faith can loose—tormented by demons, that the name of Jesus could drive them out, and them come back to their right minds and believe and receive the Lord as their Savior.  Father, work these things in us, and we’ll give You all the glory, all of the honor, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.