Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 30– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed.'”

–Jeremiah 17:14

“I [the Lord] have seen his contrite ways and will heal him.'”

—Isaiah 57:18

It is the sole prerogative of God to remove spiritual disease. Natural disease may be instrumentally healed by men, but, even then, the honor is to be given to God who uses medicine for his purpose and empowers the human frame to cast off disease. As for spiritual sicknesses, they can only be cured by the Great Physician alone; it remains his prerogative. The Lord says, “I kill and make alive; I wound and heal.” One of the Lord’s choicest titles is “Jehovah-Rophi,” which means, “the Lord who heals you.”

“I will heal you of your wounds” is a promise that cannot come from the lips of man but only from the mouth of God. On this account, the psalmist cried unto the Lord, “O Lord, heal me, for my bones are aching.” And elsewhere, “Heal my soul, [O Lord], for I have sinned against you.” Because of this, the godly praise the name of the Lord, saying, “He heals all our diseases.” The One who created is able to restore.

What a great comfort it is to know that in the person of Jesus “dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily!” My soul, whatever your disease may be, the Great Physician can heal you. If he is God, there can be no limit to his power. Come then with the blind eye of darkened understanding; come with the limping foot of wasted energy; come with the injured hand of weak faith; come with the fever of an angry temper. Come just as you are, for God can certainly restore you from your illness.

No one can restrain the healing virtue which proceeds from Jesus our Lord. Legions of demons have seen the healing power of the Great Physician. All his patients have been cured in the past and will be in the future. And you will be one among them, my friend, if you will but rest yourself in him tonight. [M&E]