Healing Love
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
32 Mary went to where Jesus was. Then as soon as she saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw that Mary and the people with her were crying, he was terribly upset 34 and asked, “Where have you put his body?” They replied, “Lord, come and you will see.” 35 Jesus started crying, 36 and the people said, “See how much he loved Lazarus.” 37 Some of them said, “He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?” 38 Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance. 39 Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, “Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.” 40 Jesus replied, “Didn't I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?” 41 After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. 42 I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so the people here would believe you sent me.” 43 When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
John 11:32-43
Memory Verse
Ecclesiastes 4:10
10 If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.
“Mom, Dad, I heard some bad news today,” Joshua told his parents at dinner. “My teacher, Mr. Williams, has cancer. He won’t be in school for a while.”
“Oh, Joshua, I’m so sorry,” Mom said.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Dad asked.
“Not really,” Joshua said. “I just wish we could do something.”
Have you ever felt like Joshua? Sometimes difficult situations impact the people we love. John 11 records a time when Jesus’ friend Lazarus got sick and died. Verse 35 shares Jesus’ first response to this terrible news: “Jesus wept.”
Then Jesus goes to the tomb where Lazarus’ family laid him to rest and miraculously restores Lazarus to life. What a celebration Lazarus and his family must have enjoyed!
Sometimes we focus on Jesus’ power to physically heal people, but that’s only part of the miracle. Restoring Lazarus’ life also healed his family’s broken hearts. It restored their joy.
We might not be able to physically heal those we love, like Jesus did. But, like Jesus, we can come alongside them and demonstrate God’s never-ending, always-present love. Even small acts of kindness, attention, and care remind others that we see them in their pain.
You might be wondering how Joshua’s story ends. Since Mr. Williams couldn’t teach for a while, Joshua and his classmates collected some of their own money to help Mr. Williams and his young family. Their choice set off a chain reaction, and soon the whole community pitched in—offering money, meals, rides, and more.
Mr. Williams still had cancer. The treatments still made him very sick. He still missed most of the school year. But he never felt alone. He never lost hope.
Like Joshua, you will have many opportunities in your life to both give and receive healing acts of love.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the example of Jesus in the Bible, who shows us what it means to love others in their times of struggle. Give us wisdom to know when we can help, and the imagination to know how we can help, remembering that, sometimes, our presence is the greatest gift we offer. Amen.Related Resources
Sara Korber-DeWeerd
Sara Korber-DeWeerd is a freelance writer, teacher, and Down syndrome advocate. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband Mark and their three children, plus one dog and seven chickens. When not teaching or writing, Sara enjoys exploring the mountains, lakes, and rocky coastlines of New England with her active family (though they usually leave the chickens at home).