If someone had asked me a few years ago whether I believe that Jesus still heals people, I would have said, “It can happen, but very rarely.” Today, I would say without hesitation, “Yes, He does.” Why? Because I have experienced it myself.
About a year ago, I suddenly developed very dry lips, something I had never experienced before. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I used lip balm as usual and assumed it would go away in a few weeks. But this time, it didn’t get better, on the contrary, it got worse and worse. The inflammation spread to the skin below my lips. We tried various ointments and home remedies but nothing really helped. Right after Christmas, my condition worsened so much that some days my whole mouth was swollen. It was difficult for me to speak or eat, simply because of the severe pain. Finally, we decided to see a doctor, but unfortunately this proved to be unsuccessful. The tests showed nothing unusual and the medication did not bring any noticeable improvement. I often prayed desperately and asked God to heal me. But nothing happened at first. I was frustrated, discouraged, and also a little angry.
Another visit to the doctor brought some brief hope: I was given a new ointment and medication that actually helped. The swelling went down, the redness disappeared, and for a moment I thought the illness was finally over. But as soon as I finished the medication, the symptoms returned, as if nothing had happened..
The frustrating thing was that neither of the doctors we consulted could determine the cause of this illness. It was like a puzzle that no one could solve. I felt helpless and desperate.
I often begged Jesus through tears to heal me, but the time just wasn’t right. Eventually, we found another ointment that at least alleviated the worst of it. My lips healed but the skin underneath remained sore and inflamed. It just wouldn’t heal, and the inflammation continued to spread. But we kept praying.
Finally, I reached a point where I surrendered myself completely to Jesus. I told Him how much I wanted healing, more than anything else. At the same time, I also prayed: “Lord, if it is Your will that I should bear this illness for a long time, perhaps even for the rest of my life, then I will try to accept it.” I realized that perhaps learning to willingly submit to His will was already the first step toward healing. For a while, nothing changed and things even seemed to get worse. Nevertheless, I continued to pray. I was often tired and discouraged by this persistent illness. But with God’s help, I tried to remain patient and trust Him.
When I came home from our youth group one Friday, my mom had a suggestion: My younger sister had been struggling with severe skin allergies for some time. It had been a hopeless case for a long time until my parents found a special ointment that greatly alleviated her symptoms. Mom suggested I try the ointment before bed to see if it would help. I hesitantly accepted her advice. I was afraid that it would only make things worse or that nothing would happen at all. But I decided to trust and applied the ointment. A few days later, the redness had disappeared. My skin looked normal again. Nevertheless, I was still skeptical. I thought it would be the same as with the other ointments, first a brief improvement, then a relapse which had been the pattern up to that point. But this time it was different. The disease did not return.
It has now been over a month since I first used the ointment. I still use it a few times a day, but the disease seems to have finally disappeared. Sometimes I ask myself: Why didn’t we discover this ointment sooner? I don’t have a clear answer but I believe that God needed this time to teach me patience and perseverance. I had to learn to accept my suffering even though it was very difficult. Sometimes God makes us wait so that our faith can grow and we can come closer to Him.
In the Bible there are also many people who were sick for a long time before Jesus healed them, but everything happened for the glory of God. And that is exactly what I want, that my story would reveal His greatness and glorify Him. Jesus still heals today! He still performs miracles today. I don’t know what the future holds, but the condition of my skin has already improved enormously. For that, I want to praise the Lord and never forget what He has already done for me.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
Stefanie Rempel
Neustädt, Mexico
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