People report that they go through strange things when they are miraculously healed:
-- shaking or shivering hands;
-- heat where a healer and heal-ee make contact;
-- a gift of being led as to what to pray for;
-- the feeling of being 'bathed in prayer', a sense of peace and assurance that there are people really actively praying for the person's wellness, and that God is giving a positive response to their prayers.
-- a 'parting of the fog', a sudden clarity of mind or return of awareness during illnesses or treatments that produce dizziness, extreme weakness, headache, or disorientation.
Pentecostalists dispute about whether the spiritual gift of healing is given to a 'healer' (so said Oral Roberts) or to the 'healed' (so said David DuPlessis). There's reason to suspect that the Spirit is giving matching gifts to both. There are some people who just seem to be able to bring healing with them wherever they go. They act as great catalysts for healing. Yet in order to do the spiritual healing, the Spirit must also be operating inside of the ill person to make the change happen, with or without someone else healing them. The dominant gift, I would think, would be the one to the 'healed' person, as they are the beneficiaries; however, that's by no means clear, and we don't have God's mind so we be certain of what's afoot. Whatever the case, one of the joyful rewards of being in a healing ministry is when you see the Lord bring healing in a way you didn't expect, especially when God gave you a part in what was done.
Someone can talk a lot about spiritual healing, share methods of healing, use anointing oils and liturgies at the scene, discover that they may have a healing touch, teach about intercessory prayer, and learn how to conduct healing services. That's all good, all part of a valid healing ministry. But, unless many actual healings come from that work, that person has less of an actual healing ministry than any of the tens of thousands who take part in prayer chains and hospital visitations for their congregations. Or for that matter, less of a ministry than the countless Christians who are doctors, EMTs, nurses, psychologists and counselors. These unsung heroes of the Christian faith look illness, insanity, human frailty and even death right in the eyes every day. Yet, how often is it that anyone calls big-time attention to them, or stages big church events to whip up a frenzy of praise for them, even after what they did on 9/11? How many Christian congregations fail to even acknowledge such ministries? These people are taking part in what is best seen as a 'Body' gift of healing -- the kind of gift not focused in a single person or moment, but given to Christ's followers as a group as well as to those people within it who take on these tasks.
"Honor physicians for their services,
for the Lord created them;
for their gift of healing comes from the Most High...
And he gave skill to human beings,
that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.
By them the physician heals and takes away pain;
the pharmacist makes a mixture from them.
God's works will never be finished;
and from him health spreads over all the earth."
----- Sirach 38:1, 6-8. (NRSV)
