Forgiveness precedes healing

I looked at the earnest face in front of me as I prepared for my second case for the night.  A regular evening at the Healing Rooms.  The gentleman was in some discomfort as he spoke and explained his ailment. I listened carefully and asked him whether He believed in Divine healing.  Yes, he said, he did believe.  I followed up and asked whether He believed God wanted to heal him, not just in the abstract.  Absolutely, he said.  OK then, I thought, onto the last question…

“Do you believe that God wants to heal you now?” I ask. Again, he answers in the affirmative.  Great, I think, a man who is squared away on his theology, primed and ready to be prayed for.  So I begin to pray.  Nothing happens.  I mean, not a thing.  Nothing, like in “the heavens were like brass”.  So I do what law-abiding prayer ministers all across the world do when “nothings” happen-I pray louder…  There’s still not much going on so, I try binding and loosing.  He’s still looking at me with expectation, so I get up and walk around, diving into diverse tongues.

Well, I begin to tire after a while, so I finally quiet down and sit.  I learned a long time ago that:

volume ?power

However, this simple equation had slipped my mind temporarily, it seems.  So I just wait.  Just as I begin to formulate the well-worn line of how healings may take time and he should keep believing, I receive a thought.  “Is there anyone you hold something against, have not forgiven?” He says no.  Well, a false alarm, I think.  Or perhaps not.  I say to him not to make up things to please me, but think over the question one more time.  I wait….and I wait.  I see a tear run down his cheek and then another.  I ask, “who is it?” He quietly answers, My sister.  I never forgave her for what she did years ago.”

He went into what the issue was, but that’s not important here.  What is important is that after a while, we managed to get him to release that unforgiveness and receive his healing.  I love Healing Rooms and will take a good Healing Room with anointed no-names over a well-known minister in a Crusade.  Why?  Because you can come back-the Healing Room ministers aren’t running off to the next town.  They can pray with you until relief comes. Hey, I love the Crusades too, don’t get me wrong.

Back to unforgiveness.  In Matthew 6: 14, Jesus said:

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

This is one of the major obstacles to healing I have encountered in Healing ministry.  After a time, I made it a regular practice to ask prior to praying for healing. The funny thing is some folks don’t even know they have unforgiveness until they think about it.  Have you had the same experiences, as a minister or as one receiving ministry?  Please share.