“…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38

The Best Doctor

If you had a serious illness and needed treatment, would you rather have a doctor who had studied the medical journals and passed his exams, or a doctor who had studied, passed exams, and had experienced that same disease himself? Of course, the latter, for you know that such a doctor could empathize with you, understand how it felt to be sick and hurting from that illness, and knew what it would take to get well. His comfort would be comfort indeed, for you could say to yourself, he gets what I’m saying and experiencing right now.

Jesus Christ is just such a doctor. He suffered the same aches and pains, rejection, temptation, discomfort, adversity, loss, poverty, tiredness, weakness, and grief as any of us. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Besides being able to relate to our needs and problems by His own experiences, He has the power and the means bring us healing and comfort. A good doctor knows what medicine will best treat our illness—and he knows what illnesses would benefit more from simple understanding and listening and being available. Just so, Jesus pours the oil and wine to soothe and comfort and heal us. He can make an empty heart full. He can speak uplifting words to the weary and broken. He can relieve us of fear by His promises and nearness.

A good doctor also tells you how to live so that you will be healthy. A healthy person fares much better than a sick person when suddenly faced with adversity. The physician of our spirit gave us His Word to follow so we will be spiritually healthy. Following His instructions won’t keep us from adversity—because life brings hardships of all sorts—but if we face those problems with a strong faith in Christ, a heart that trusts God, eyes that are focused on things above, and a mind and body disciplined by a life lived by the Word of God, then we “may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13b).

Father, we want to be spiritually healthy, disciplined in what You have told us to do, and trusting You in our weakness and sickness. You, our Great Physician, know what needs to be cut away, and You know how to apply the healing balm. It is our great comfort that You understand our afflictions. We declare our gratitude to You. Amen.