John and I recently finished listening to The Return of the King, the final book of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. One of my favorite quotes relates to Aragorn, the ranger who fulfilled an ancient prophecy from Tolkien’s world: “The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.”
In the history of our world, Jesus Christ came “with healing in His wings” and fulfilled the prophecies of old that spoke of a King rising from the line of David. Unrecognized by most, the humble carpenter from Nazareth healed with words, touch, spit, and prayer. The witnesses marveled, the religious establishment grumbled, and the healed rejoiced.
Now, as His followers, we desire to heal in the name of our King. How many relationships, communities, and physical bodies are in need of healing today? As peacemakers, as lovers, and as people of prayer, we ask God to reveal Himself through His healing power.
One of Susan’s favorite memories of our summer trip to Ecuador took place high in the Andes mountains. A wife brought her husband to the church building and asked us to pray that he be relieved from constant pain in his abdomen. As we gathered around this man in the name of Jesus, we could all sense the Spirit of God.
I felt the same sense in our state this past week, but I was the one being prayed for. Marco and Mayra got to visit Atlanta for three days, and we planned a couple of gatherings for those who had visited them in Ecuador. This was Mayra’s first trip to the United States and her first ride in an airplane.
Unfortunately, on Thursday I got very sick from the chemo I received that morning. With everyone joining his prayer, Marco put his arms around my shoulders and asked God to help me. The love of the Healer resides in all those who have been born again. May we live daily with our eyes open and our hearts attentive to those around us. May we live as participants with the King.
“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak, and all who touched Him were healed.” Mark 6:53-56
“The Return of the King” by J. R. R. Tolkien, ©1955, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, p 139