In Acts 1:8 we see that God wants to give us power by the Spirit to be effective witnesses. When we have this power, we can exercise gifts such as healing (mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9). Healing arrests the attention of people God is trying to reach, but He ideally desires us all to be healed. This needs us to exercise faith in Jesus the healer as the Spirit guides our relationship with Him, but it also needs us to confess any sin and to yield any breakthrough needed. In Exodus 15:22-27, healing is described in the story about the bitter waters at Marah. Healing recognises the Context by which adversity turns to triumph, the Circumstances that show us how to pray, the Courage needed to rise above negativity, the Cross by which Jesus’ salvation includes every area of our being, the Covenant by which God’s relationship provides blessing, and the Clarity by which we continue on God’s mission.
Read Exodus 15:22-27 and answer the following.
(a) What does the verse 22 image of the desert show us about contexts in which we often seek God?
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(b) Verse 23 identifies the supply of bitter water when the people needed fresh water. How dos God sometimes work amidst unhelpful circumstances to nevertheless provide for us?
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c) Using verse 24, why is courage sometimes needed when people around us are negative or critical about what God wants to do in our life? ______________________________________________________________________________________________
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d) How does the insertion of the wood into water in verse 25 speak to us of the power of the Cross? How do Jesus’ death and resurrection include power over sickness? (See Rom. 8:11 & Matt. 8:16-17).
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e) In verse 26, we see that God wants to bless His people with healing. What other covenant blessings seen, for example, in Deuteronomy 7:12-15 and 28:1-14 could speak to needs in your life?
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f) In verse 27, the people move on from the place of blessing. What clarity do we need around our service of the mission of God once healing has been prayed for?
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