Have you ever had the experience of doing something you’ve done a million times before and then you suddenly have a new awareness of it? When something you’re saying or doing suddenly takes on a new meaning?
This happened to me this morning. I was at 9 o’clock Mass in a semi-conscious, pre-caffeinated state. It was right before communion and the congregation responded, “Lord, only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”
I’ve prayed this response countless times before but never really heard what I was saying…”Lord, only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”
Those are amazing words. We are all in need of healing. Most people go through life seeking countless ways of healing the battle-scars of life…pop psychology, self-help books, counselors, doctors, vitamins, and medicine. All of these can offer good and effective means of healing and growth. Sometimes though, we leave out the “God factor.” Sometimes, we forget that along with the body and mind, the soul needs healing too.
So, when we say, “Lord, only say the word and my soul shall be healed,” we are asking for profound things to happen because when God speaks, His Word makes things happen.
“For the word of God is alive and active” (Heb 4:12).
And, kind of like an action-hero verb, it actually accomplishes that action which it describes. Permanently.
“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11).
So, if God “says the word” we can be assured that it will heal the soul.
When we seek out healing ourselves, it is usually a process, and often a lengthy one. However, God operates in ways that are completely different from our ways. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:8). So, if God “says the word” we can be assured that it will heal the soul and it will be a profound healing and it can happen over time, or it can be immediate.
And, all we have to do is ask. There are no complicated formulas. God doesn’t demand perfect faith. He just wants us to trust Him.
His Word, and all that it will accomplish, is free and available to us if we simply ask and trust.
Rebecca C. Ruiz 