I was reading Luke 4 the other night to the kids and they selected verse 39 to meditate on. During the times I was reading the verse slowly out loud to them, I realized there was a depth of understanding in this verse about healing prayer that I was just now seeing.

(NKJV) Luke 4:39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

I have learned to pay attention to every word in scripture especially every word that describes what Jesus did. I know that there is not a single frivolous word in scripture and that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. So when it says that “He stood over her”, I know that Jesus is presenting a model for prayer.

He isn’t just praying for her healing He is in a position of being over her. This isn’t just an interaction with the fever but an act of spiritual authority over her life. He stands over her in authority and from that position speaks with authority into her life situation and causes change.

Maybe this is why James 5:14 says “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” It might be because the elders are already in a position of spiritual authority over the people and in a great place to speak into the life of anyone who is sick.

What does this mean for us? Well, keep in mind this is just one model of praying for the sick we see from Jesus. Other models emphasize different dynamics, but in this model we see that spiritual authority can be very useful for healing prayer. If you are a father, mother, teacher, aunt, uncle, grandparent, godparent, coach, boss, mentor or are in leadership or a position of authority in any way then the authority that has been delegated to you and your compassion for the condition of those in your influence may be just as vital as faith when you pray for healing.

Now I shared this for two reasons. The first is because it makes known one of Gods ways of how He works through us. The second is because it is an example of how insight can come to us as we meditate on God’s word. Be expecting a link in a future post to an exercise that will help you read and meditate through all of scripture.

Jim Driscoll