“Teacher Jennifer,” Kelsie asked, “is it really true, all that stuff about healing?”
Her Sunday school teacher looked up, puzzled. “Why, Kelsie, of course it’s true!”
“Well, I mean, I guess it was true in the old days, like the stories we studied today about Jesus’ healing the little girl and the lady and all those others. But you just said Jesus still heals today.”
“That’s right, He does, Kelsie. Jesus never changes.”
Kelsie still looked unconvinced. “Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus can heal us today? I want to read it.”
“All right, Kelsie, we can do that. Turn in your Bible to the fifth chapter of James.” She glanced around at the other girls in the class, who had been listening to their conversation. “Why don’t all of you open to that chapter. Let’s look at the fourteenth verse. Kelsie, read it aloud, please.”
Kelsie began, “‘Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.’”
When she paused, her teacher said, “Go ahead and read the next verse too.”
“‘And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.’
“But wasn’t that just for those days?” Kelsie asked as she looked up from her Bible. “How do you know God still heals?”
Jennifer closed her Bible and smiled at Kelsie. “I know from personal experience, Kelsie. Just a little over a year ago, our little Brianna was so sick. She had run a high fever for a couple of days, and we were really desperate. That night we called the ministers and asked them to come over and pray for her. Within ten minutes of their prayers, her temperature was down two degrees, and in just an hour it was back to normal. She went to sleep and slept all night, and the next day she felt fine—just a little weak. God still works today!”
As she finished speaking, the bell rang, calling them to sing. But after Sunday school, as Jennifer was straightening up her room, she saw Kelsie lingering nearby, a worried expression on her face. Going over to her, she put an arm gently around Kelsie’s shoulders. “You’re worried about something, Kelsie. Anything I can do to help?”
Kelsie looked down. “Well . . . I don’t know. It’s about my mom. You know she’s been sick. Last night I overheard the doctor and my dad talking, and they said she just isn’t responding to the medicine they are giving her. Nothing seems to help.”
Jennifer drew Kelsie to a chair and sat down beside her. “You know, I wondered during class if your questions regarding healing didn’t have something to do with your mother’s illness, but I didn’t want to ask in front of the other girls.” She paused, and then continued. “Kelsie, you’re saved, aren’t you?”
“Sure. I got saved last year at youth camp. God’s really helped me since then.”
“You believe God’s Word, don’t you? Do you believe that your mom can be healed?”
“But, Teacher, my mom’s not saved! She’s prayed a couple of times, but . . . well, she says it’s different for her.”
“Kelsie, the Bible doesn’t tell us that Jesus healed only those who had already believed on Him. God can heal your mother too. I’ll tell you what, you talk to your mom and see if she’d mind if our pastor came out to pray for her this afternoon. In the meantime, I’ll put in a prayer request this morning and the whole church will be praying. And Kelsie, you just believe that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He could create life, He can heal the diseases that trouble our bodies.”
The next Sunday, Jennifer opened her class session by looking at Kelsie. “Kelsie, you asked a lot of questions last week about whether God could heal people today. Will you tell the class what happened this week?”
“I sure will!” she beamed. “Some of you probably know that my mom has been sick. I found out last week that the doctors felt she didn’t have long to live. Last Sunday she was really bad, and that was why I asked so many questions about healing. I wondered if God really could help when the doctors hadn’t been able to do anything.
“Well, last Sunday after class I talked to Teacher Jennifer, and she told me that the pastor would come out and pray for my mom, and she would put in a prayer request. That afternoon he and another minister and Teacher Jennifer came to our home. They prayed for Mom.
“That night she slept for the first time in a long while. The next day she felt stronger than she had for weeks and even wanted to get out of bed. My dad called the doctors, and they asked her to come in. This week they gave her a lot of tests, and they said she looks fine. They can’t find anything wrong with her except that she is a little weak. God healed her!”
After class, Kelsie had one more bit of good news to pass on to her teacher. “The best news is that Mom said she and Dad might come to church. She’s been praying some. She says she knows it was God who did this for her.”
Jennifer hugged her student. “That is just great, Kelsie! We’ll keep praying for your folks. I believe God is going to work another miracle!”
%402x.svg){kind=icon}
%402x.svg){kind=icon}
