Psalm 107:20 He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

Like Psalm 106, this Psalm is a recounting of Israel’s history, but rather than tying in specific events, it describes generic situations that happened many times to many people. Thus, it is less limited to Jews and more applicable to all mankind. This particular verse has been widely quoted, particularly since the Pentecostal Movement brought attention back to divine healing from the beginning of the 20^th Century. However, each one of the scenarios mentioned in this Psalm, though not using the word, focuses on repentance as the way out of difficulty. The particular terminology used is “crying out to the Lord.” If we are going to do that, we need to acknowledge not only our own inability, but also our own unworthiness. After all, most of the time we really deserve the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into! There are exceptions, of course. The whole book of Job was written to deal with that issue. Even so, God is to be approached with humility and gratitude for His mercy and grace. And all of that brings us back to this verse. We know that God spoke the universe into existence, as it describes in Genesis 1, but we lose sight of just what that means. The Centurion with the sick servant got it right: “Say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Luke 7:7) The Lord also brought that out to Isaiah: “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) When God speaks something, it is done. We can’t dictate His timing, but we can be totally assured of His faithfulness.

This is very appropriate for us at this point, with Cathy in the hospital. The procedure that will be done on her this morning is by no means guaranteed from the human perspective, but there is no question from God’s perspective. We need to rest, relax, and rejoice in God’s good plans, even before we see them materialize in our time frame. This is a training exercise in faith! In Christ, Cathy is already healed, (Isaiah 53:5) and we need to be grateful. That’s far easier for me than for her, when she is experiencing the physical pain, but it is a truth that is above and beyond our human perception.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. Thank You for the prayer meeting that will be held here in less than an hour. May all of Your plans for today be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!