Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me. (Psalm 30:2)
People like to display their family Bibles when the pastor comes to visit. On one such visit in my first pastorate, my hosts opened up their Bible and showed me a unique treasure I’d not seen before or found since. Written in the margins of the Psalms were folk remedies detailing how one could find healing. The instructions were very specific –
“Say this Psalm five times for sore throat.”
“Good for gout.”
“Heals dizziness.”
At first I smiled at the gross superstition of those who applied Scripture in such an ignorant manner. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate, instead, how simply profound their faith may well have been. It takes courage to trust that the God who created heaven and earth takes pains even to heal my headaches.
Healing happens. Can you believe it? If you find yourself ill reading this book, read on. You may find, as I have, healing waters coming through the Psalms in drips and drabs as well as in overflowing floods. Healing comes to those who, like me, suffer with a serious mental illness and to those who battle morning sickness. Healing comes even (perhaps especially) to those facing pain as they near life’s end. It may not be precisely the healing we ask for, but it is just the healing we need – a healing that brings glory to God and draws us closer to Christ.
No matter our pain – physical, emotional, spiritual – God wants to make us well.
This is the great Good News. Can you believe it?
