Maria #408CM/FM 315311/97

By Maria

Dear Family,

1. God bless you! I love you so very much! For the longest time I tried to figure out the "how-to's" of healing. I had wanted to be able to boil everything down into a step-by-step, one–two-three healing formula so I could say‚ "If you want to get healed, all you've got to do is follow these steps." But no matter how much I tried to find a simple formula for healing, I couldn't.

2. If two people followed the same steps, one might get healed and the other wouldn't. The more we studied various situations, the more we saw that each one was different. The Lord seemed to handle each individual differently, tailored to their particular needs and His will for them personally.

We're All Unique Individuals!

3. Some time ago, Peter and I were discussing a number of different healing cases from around the world. We took various situations one by one and discussed how the Lord had worked in each situation. We marveled at how even though the affliction had been the same in several instances, the healing came about in different ways. The more we discussed it, the more I saw that we had been trying to fit everything nicely into some kind of box or formula.

4. But we finally concluded that it doesn't work that way, as we can see when we look at how the Lord works so differently in each individual's life—not only in their healing, but in their circumstances, the lessons He teaches them, the tests He puts them through, the blessings He gives them, etc.

5. Trying to give universal counsel on how to get healed is just not possible, because the Lord doesn't have a set pattern for everybody's healing. That's probably why when you read the many MO Letters or quotes on healing, they can seem so conflicting at times. Dad has covered the entire spectrum of possibilities in his Letters—everything from instantaneous, supernatural healing to ultimate healing through deliverance to Heaven after a long time of illness. He has dealt with total healing by God alone, and also God's healing using doctors and hospitals. He's made it clear that sometimes the Lord can use natural remedies‚ sometimes He uses doctor's prescriptions and skills, and sometimes He does it without any natural help.

6. No two people are exactly alike, and the Lord doesn't work in any two people's lives in exactly the same way. Each case is different and He handles each person's healing in a different way.

7. If we would look at it that way and understand that in every case the Lord works differently, we would have a greater comprehension of why in some cases the Lord heals us, and in other cases He doesn't—at least not right away. I believe that if we can grasp this point‚ it will help to keep us from feeling condemned when we aren't immediately healed, and it will also help us to have more compassion and be less judgmental of our brothers and sisters when they're sick or they suffer long–term afflictions.

8. Each of us is a complex physical and spiritual being. The Lord has bestowed on each of us different gifts and talents, different physical and spiritual attributes and deficiencies, different strengths and weaknesses, and no two of us are alike. The Lord, our Maker, knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows everything about us—our every thought, our every weakness, our every joy, our every need. He knows exactly how to teach us the lessons He wants us to learn. He knows what tests and trials we need to endure to make us into what He wants us to be, and He measures these things out to us in just the exact portion that He knows we need—never too much and never too little—and so it is with our afflictions and our healing.

9. Two people could have precisely the same affliction, they could both have prayer‚ and one could get healed immediately and the other could continue to be afflicted for years! Does this mean that one is stronger spiritually and closer to the Lord than the other? Not necessarily. The reasons the Lord allowed these two people to get the affliction in the first place may have been completely different. If His reasons for allowing the afflictions are different‚ then His reasons for healing or not healing are different as well.

10. Perhaps the first person needed to be humbled a bit, so the Lord allowed them to be afflicted. When the affliction had accomplished its purpose, the Lord healed them. In the second case, the person isn't necessarily doing anything wrong, or not doing something right. Maybe the Lord just knows it's not time yet, and that they have to endure the affliction longer in order to have it work in their life and accomplish the purpose that He wants to bring about—blessings which take patience. The Lord knows this is a gift from His hand that can be brought about in this person's life in no other way.

11. The afflictions of this life are good things in disguise, which bring about great spiritual blessings in our lives. Delay in healing is not a denial, but is part of the Lord's plan for that person's life.

Having Faith that the Lord Is in Control!

12. So if we realize that the Lord may or may not heal someone, depending on their need and His plan and will for their life, then how do we encourage people to have faith for healing? I consider that I have faith for healing‚ faith that the Lord is going to heal my eyes—in His time. The reason I have faith that He's going to heal me in this life is because He's promised, and I believe His Word. Faith comes by hearing the Word, and I've heard the Word and I believe it.

13. I don't have faith to know exactly when it will happen, because the Lord hasn't told me when, but I have no doubt that the Lord will do it sooner or later. When the Lord said in prophecy that He would heal me, He also said that the time had not yet come for Him to do so. So although I don't have the faith for His immediate healing, I do have the faith for His eventual healing, at the time He knows is right.

14. You might say that I don't have faith for healing, because I've had my affliction for years and I haven't gotten healed. Well, in one sense you'd be right!—I don't have the faith for immediate healing. Faith is a gift from God‚ but if He doesn't want to heal you right now, then He's not going to give you the gift of faith for immediate healing. But the fact is that I do have faith for healing—eventual healing. I know the Lord will heal me when He's ready.

15. The kind of faith I have is to completely trust my life and my health and my eyes to the Lord, knowing that He will do whatever is best for me. I have faith that His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts than mine (Isa.55:8-9). I believe that He'll heal me according to His plan and His timetable‚ that He knows what's best for me, and He knows when it's best to give me complete healing. To me, that's the best kind of faith—to know that the Lord is in complete control and to trust Him that He's going to make it all turn out the way He wants it to—that He'll carry me through it all some way.

16. It's not really just a question of having faith for healing, but it's whether or not you have faith to accept the Lord's plan and design for your life and for whatever He brings your way. Those of you who've had long-term illnesses or injuries have just had to keep on going, even though you weren't healed. If the affliction persisted month after month, you just had to hold on and trust the Lord to either eventually heal you, or to give you the grace to bear the affliction and to teach you whatever it was He wanted you to learn through it. You've had to accept the Romans 8:28 in your situation, and yield to the fact that this was a cross that the Lord wanted you to bear for the time being. And in every case where you trusted the Lord and hung on and didn't give up, it bore good fruit in your life through the lessons you learned.

17. Who really has the most faith?—The person who is instantly healed of an affliction, or someone who has to bear that affliction and still carry on loving, serving and trusting the Lord even though they don't understand why they haven't been healed? They both have faith, but the one who has had to suffer the affliction has had to have enduring faith and real trust in the Lord day by day. They've had to have faith, not necessarily specifically for healing, but faith that the Lord is going to take care of them and bring them through.

18. I think we need to realize that it's not the Lord's time yet to heal some people‚ because He knows they're more useful or more yielded or more open to His lessons when they have an affliction. If the Lord isn't ready to heal you, then how can you have faith for healing? If He intends your infirmity to be long-term, if He's made you that way and wants you to stay that way, should you be condemned because you don't have faith for healing or because you don't get healed? No! Because under those circumstances, the Lord doesn't want you to have faith for it.

19. Faith is a gift of God, and He's not going to give you the faith for your healing until He's ready to heal you. In a case like that, what He wants to do is give you the faith to endure it and to praise and thank Him for it and to be a good testimony to others in your affliction. On the other hand, if He's ready to heal you‚ He'll give you the faith for it.

20. If He doesn't choose to heal you, you shouldn't feel condemned over it. Neither should you look down upon someone else or consider them weak in faith just because they don't get a quick or immediate healing, or because they have to go to the hospital or take some kind of medication. Perhaps‚ as we've pointed out, they are weak in faith for healing, because the Lord is not ready to heal them. But perhaps they're very strong in faith that He's going to help carry them through the difficult times, and they show their faith by asking for prayer, trying to be cheerful, not murmuring, etc. Real faith is doing what the Lord tells you to do for your situation, and knowing that He knows best, whether you get healed or not.

21. We've talked about how sometimes people don't have the faith for their healing because it's not the Lord's time. However, other times people don't have the faith for their healing because they're not immersed in the Word‚ they're not claiming the Word. Maybe they're not even being obedient to the Word. In any case‚ you've got to get in the Word before you can have faith in order to obtain healing—whether it's immediate healing, healing that occurs a little way down the line, healing when He takes you Home to be with Him, or healing when He comes back for all of us! You still need the Word to have faith. If you're not in the Word‚ you won't have the faith for anything!

Situations Differ, and Yours Is Tailor-made Just for You!

22. Those of you who have long–term afflictions or who have had to go to the hospital can tend to compare yourselves with others who've gotten healed, or who've decided not to seek any medical help. You read the Letters and see that very rarely did Dad seek treatment from doctors or hospitals. I also rarely seek professional medical help when I'm afflicted. And then you look at others who've made a similar choice, and you feel very bad and very weak in comparison.

23. What you need to realize is that situations differ, and each person's situation is tailor-made just for them! No other situation in the world is exactly the same as yours. The Lord uses your own unique situation to teach you the lessons He knows you need to learn, and to teach them to you in the way most suited to your own needs and personality.

24. I can think of four of our top women leaders who've had fallopian tube pregnancies. Three of them had emergency operations and the other was healed naturally, without the intervention of doctors. Does that mean that the three who had operations weren't as spiritual as the other? I don't believe it! Perhaps the Lord wanted those three to go through the experience of being hospitalized for various reasons‚ such as to make them more compassionate on those in their areas who are ill, or to help them focus more on the need to help our pregnant mommies.

25. Perhaps the one who didn't go to the hospital needed to experience a life-and-death stand in order to help others in her field have the faith for the same. Perhaps she needed to be convinced that the Lord was in control of every aspect of her life. She sought the Lord each step of the way during her fight for healing. There were times when she considered having an operation, as she visited four or five doctors, clinics or hospitals. At one point the circumstances that she found herself in (in a remote part of India with very poor, dirty medical facilities) were definitely anything but ideal. She seriously considered and prayed about the doctors' counsel, but after being convinced of the Lord's will, she took a stand of faith. In sharing this testimony, I am not necessarily recommending that those who experience fallopian tube pregnancies do as this woman did. You have to go according to your own faith‚ and if you were to do as she did, you'd need to be very sure of your faith, because such an emergency can be life-threatening!

26. Each of the situations of these four women leaders was different, and I'm sure the Lord had His way in each of them, teaching them exactly what He wanted them to learn from it. I don't think we should compare these cases and say that one person had faith and the others didn't.

27. Neither do I mean to say that I think that every Family member who goes to the hospital is in God's highest will by any means. There are those who go to the hospital wanting to be healed through human intervention, even if it isn't the Lord's time yet. Sometimes, however, it could be the Lord leading in that direction. Maybe He has some humbling to bring about in someone's life, or maybe there are people in the hospital that wouldn't be reached with the message any other way. There could be any number of reasons why the Lord wants someone in the hospital. However, before running off to the hospital I believe you should definitely find out that it's the Lord's will for you to be there, because there are many dangers that can arise from hospitals and doctors, such as misdiagnosis, receiving the wrong medicine or treatment‚ the greater concentration of communicable diseases at hospitals and clinics, etc.

We're in It Together!

28. One of the things the Lord is trying to do is to get us to understand that we're in this all together. Instead of questioning some afflicted one's faith or self-righteously looking down on some person in our Home who we don't think is getting healed fast enough, we need to rally around them and help them and pray for them. We need to pray for their healing and that the Lord will give them the grace to endure until they receive it.

29. We need to realize that the entire worldwide Family is a body, and when one of our members suffers, our whole body suffers. We need to remember that on the most uncomely, weak and sickly parts we are to bestow the greater care and the greatest prayer. If someone isn't getting healed‚ it could be that the worldwide Family isn't praying enough for them, or that your Home is not praying enough for them.

30. I don't think we can place all the responsibility for healing on the person who is sick, because the Lord is requiring us all to be one, a body fitly joined together. He's not expecting any one person to be off in a corner on their own trying to muster up faith for themselves. These sickness and healing situations are going to have to be a team effort, and the Lord is going to hold everybody responsible. We all need to be praying for those who are afflicted. We all need to be seeking the Lord's will for the situation and we can't just leave it all up to the poor one that's sick.

31. Remember, there are many different reasons why someone gets afflicted, and the lessons may not just be for the one who's suffering. (See "Maria's Christmas Letter to Her Parents," ML #2809:9, GN 524, where she lists 27 possible reasons for sickness.) There may be some lessons that the Lord is trying to teach the whole Home, or the shepherds of the Home. If someone ends up going to a hospital or doctor out of the Lord's will, it does not necessarily mean he's totally at fault. Maybe his Home neglected to pray with him and ask the Lord what to do. Or maybe they didn't pray together enough for his faith and for his healing. Maybe the person had some major spiritual problems that caused his sickness‚ and his shepherds didn't recognize that or pray with him enough. Or it could be some other reason or combination of reasons. But you won't really know what the reason is unless you seek the Lord about it.

32. There are a multitude of factors involved‚ and I think we're seeing more and more that, because this healing matter is so complex, we all need to pray and counsel together. We need to hear from the Lord in prophecy and teamwork with the sick person and try to find out what the Lord is trying to do in each specific case. We need to be open to all of the options‚ including the possibility of seeking medical help, realizing that each particular case is different from any other, and that we need to seek the Lord specifically for the one at hand. And if the Lord does lead to go to the doctor or the hospital or to take medication—and there do seem to be a number of cases where it's necessary—then we should not self-righteously judge the person, and neither should the person feel condemned. Maybe the Lord wants him to seek medical treatment as an opportunity to make contacts and win souls.

33. Now this is not to say that I'm advocating that everyone seek medical help, or that whenever someone is sick that they say, "Well, I can just go to the hospital and doctor. There's no need to pray about it or to ask for prayer or to expect that the Lord might want to heal me by faith alone." What I'm saying is that when someone is ill, we need to counsel with the afflicted person as well as unite with him to ask the Lord what to do. There's got to be a lot of soul–searching, a lot of Lord-seeking, and a lot of bonding together and supporting the one who is sick.

34. Of course, even to this there are exceptions. If the Lord allows some serious medical emergency or accident to happen in your Home, you'd have to act immediately. For example, if someone gets hit by a car and it's an emergency, are you going to just let him remain there on the road while you're praying for him for two hours before you take him to the hospital? Of course not! Or if your child has a serious fall, is unconscious and having trouble breathing, are you going to wait before calling an ambulance to see how things develop? Of course not! Any serious emergency situation should be dealt with immediately by getting the person to a hospital right away—unless you can lay your hands on him and get him instantly up on his feet and healed! If you don't, you're going to have legal problems. In a case like that‚ if the Lord doesn't perform a supernatural, right-on-the-spot miracle, then you'd better get him to the hospital quick!

35. But in non-emergency situations, where you're facing a sickness or affliction that's not so critical, I don't think we should just run off to the hospital and doctors without first desperately seeking the Lord's will. The shepherds‚ the Home and the person all need to cry out to the Lord to see what the Lord is doing and what action, if any, they're supposed to take.

36. They first need to get together as a body and lay hands on the afflicted member and ask the Lord to heal them. There also needs to be private prayer and hearing from the Lord in prophecy about why the person is sick. This can be done either by the afflicted person, or by the teamwork, their mate or loved ones, or others. Is the Lord trying to teach that person something‚ or is He trying to teach the Home something, or perhaps both? Does the Lord want the Home to get serious about seeking the Lord for him? You need to try and find out what the Lord is doing and His will in each particular situation.

37. When someone is ill‚ especially when it's a serious illness which might require hospitalization or surgery, we need to understand that it's a very grave matter. We need to approach it with desperate prayer, realizing the seriousness and soberness of the situation. The Charter states that the decision of whether or not to go the medical route is ultimately up to the one who has the affliction ("Basic Rights of Individual Members," The Charter, point 2.C.‚ pg.12), but it's still the Home's responsibility to pray for him‚ and the shepherds' responsibility to counsel with him and pray with him about the decision.

38. Although the final decision concerning medical matters must be made by the individual concerned, the person‚ the shepherds and the Home need to try to get something specific from the Lord about what the Lord wants done, and then they need to try to support the afflicted one's faith for the direction the Lord is leading. Of course, neither the shepherds nor the others in the Home should be pushy or attempt to override the afflicted person's individual choice in the matter. You can counsel with the person, pray for him, hear from the Lord for him and help him as best you can to prayerfully and wisely interpret the messages from the Lord, but the decision about what action to take or not take is up to the person who is ill. It is your duty to continue to encourage and help the sick member, even if you feel he or she made the wrong decision.

39. With all the Lord has said in His Word and the Letters about His power to heal, as well as from the experience of our Family around the world, I'd be quite surprised to hear that when Homes start really seeking Him about what to do for their ill members, that He shows many of them to go to doctors and hospitals. I believe He wants to miraculously heal us, and for the most part He usually does‚ without our seeking any outside help. But we do need to be open to the possibility that in some cases He may want someone to go that route. And if He does, then they shouldn't feel condemned about it, and neither should you condemn them.

40. In fact, even if the Lord wants to heal someone and indicates that He will, if the person loses faith, or they feel that the affliction is more than they can bear and they don't have the faith, patience, and endurance to wait for the miracle, so they decide to seek medical help, they still shouldn't feel condemned. Of course, they may not be in God's highest will, having chosen their own plan of action instead of following His, and there is certainly some measure of risk involved when you choose to put yourself into the hands of the doctors, especially when you're not in God's perfect will for you, but to feel condemned on top of all that isn't going to serve any good purpose. If you find yourself in that kind of situation, where you've chosen your own way instead of the Lord's, you should ask the Lord's forgiveness, and then carry on with renewed determination to trust Him in every area of your life.

41. Even when we don't choose the Lord's highest—what He knows would be best for us in the long run—He is still there for us and He will always try to get the most out of the new situation we have created for ourselves—including‚ in most cases, a whole new set of lessons. He says "according to your faith be it unto you," but also "I have loved you with an everlasting love" and "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Matthew 9:29; Jeremiah 31:3; Hebrews 13:5). Romans 8:28 also applies to wrong choices—or apparent wrong choices. We may miss His opportunity to have our faith for healing increased, but gain other things that will benefit us far more in the end, such as a better understanding and appreciation of His unconditional love and patience with our human frailties.

Looking into the Causes

42. Another important factor in the picture is the cause of the affliction, both the physical and the spiritual reasons. On the physical side, you should talk with the person about whether they've been eating right and getting enough exercise and rest. Have they been obeying the health rules? If you find out they haven't been, then when you look at the spiritual causes‚ perhaps the first place you should look is in the area of obedience. Because if they are falling down in any of these areas, then they're certainly not obeying. Or maybe they're not to blame. Maybe it's your Home that isn't obeying! Perhaps an overly full schedule has made it difficult for them to take get-out. Or perhaps the Home's lack of faith for finances has kept them from getting a well–balanced, nutritious diet.

43. So you need to ask the Lord why the person is sick and be open to anything the Lord wants to tell you. Is the Lord trying to do something in their life through the affliction, and is He therefore having to let them suffer for a while? Or is it the Enemy attacking them and trying to hinder or stop their work? Or are they now reaping the effects of past excesses, difficulties, or stressful circumstances that they experienced, either within or beyond their control? Or is the Lord trying to get through to your whole Home about something—your schedule or diet or eating habits; your lack of cleanliness, ventilation or exercise; your laxness in the spirit, your disobedience to the Word, your need to pray more desperately, redeem the time more diligently, and be more fervent in your service to the Lord? You need to look into the causes of it and ask the Lord to show you the reasons for it. Often that has a bearing on how soon the person can be healed, and helps you to know exactly what to change and what to pray for.

44. If it's the Enemy attacking them and trying to hinder some very important work, we can be pretty sure that the Lord wants them to get healed pretty quickly‚ one way or the other, however the Lord wants to do it. On the other hand, maybe the Lord knows the job isn't as important as the lessons the person needs to learn. Maybe He knows the job can be done by someone else, even if you may not think so. Maybe He wants to show you that He can raise up someone else to do it, or maybe He wants you to train a back-up or have an understudy.

45. It may be that the person who is afflicted has some major spiritual problems and the Lord is trying to deal with them and to help them overcome them through these afflictions—in which case perhaps the Lord is not going to heal them so quickly, knowing that a little more time is needed to work in their life and do the job the Lord has in mind. Or, it could be that the Lord has a bigger job for the person to do in Heaven and it's their time to prepare to leave this life entirely. God in His wisdom does take some people Home quickly, but as I said earlier, He has others "endure hardness," perhaps to test and try them with the fires of affliction to make them even better gold or to use them to be an encouragement and example to others. Sometimes when it is the Lord's will to take someone Home, He delays their death to give them the opportunity to grow and mature spiritually before graduating, as well as to give their loved ones the time necessary to prepare for their departure. So we need to try to determine the cause of the affliction so we'll know how to direct our prayers and how to help the person through counsel.

Point-form Summary

46. In summary, some of the main things we all need to understand and remember about healing are:

1) That the causes for the illnesses that people get can be different in each person's case, and therefore we need to seek the Lord to find the causes.

2) That the Lord's purpose for the affliction is different in each case. And although the Lord is certainly able to heal, in some cases He may delay the healing for the benefit of teaching a lesson—either to the afflicted person, or to others, or both.

3) That sometimes it's not just to teach a lesson, but to accomplish some other purpose—like to keep us from making some move that we would have otherwise made‚ or to be a sample of "the power of weakness" to see how much God can accomplish through afflictions, with greater closeness to the Lord‚ greater prayerfulness, more time for intercessory prayer‚ and so many other victories.

4) That we should not look down upon or self-righteously judge those who don't get instantly or even quickly healed, or who seek or require the help of doctors for their healing.

5) That when someone is ill, it's not solely their problem but it's our problem, and that we need to pray and seek the Lord together with them for the solution.

6) That those who are sick and who don't receive rapid healing should not feel condemned, but should rather seek the Lord as to why He hasn't healed them and learn whatever He has for them.

7) That the most important thing to do is to trust the Lord completely‚ to have the faith to commit our lives into His hands, knowing that whatever comes our way is of Him—whether it's sustained illness or quick delivery; whether it's "natural" healing or doctor-assisted healing—and that we should praise and thank Him in any case.

The How-to's of Healing Prophecy!

47. During a time when I was getting very weak due to excessive bleeding, we asked the Lord what was the purpose of this in my life, and He gave the following beautiful prophecy:

48. (Jesus speaking: ) This sickness is not unto death, but that the glory of God may be revealed! That which I have promised I am able to perform, but it requires faith, trust, and patience. Such matters require faith—faith to trust Me even unto death, or even unto the door of death. For they that come before Me and seek My healing come in faith and must believe, and thus must trust.

49. Some I heal there, and some I heal by bringing them Here. Some I heal by faith. Some I heal by doctors. Some are healed by the illness running its course. Through each healing I bring forth the lessons that I wish people to learn. Some I teach faith‚ some I teach patience, some I teach humility. Not all are the same, but you must pray for all that My will will be accomplished. All are not healed, because it is not always My will. And some have need of patience and faith to trust that I will do that which I say I will do.

50. Some I lead to doctors. Some that go to doctors are not healed, that they may see that it is I that heal. When I say I will heal‚ then I do heal. But you must have patience, and you must understand that the mind of God, the thoughts of God, and the ways of God are higher than yours.

51. Some that I have said I will heal, I have taken Home, and this causes doubt. But, I say‚ they are healed. They're full and whole. They're completely healed, for they're with Me.

52. When you come to Me in faith, praying for your healing, you must come in complete yieldedness, putting yourself in My hands, knowing that I love you and care for you, and I will do that which is right for you, that which you need. For some, that will be a miraculous healing; for others, that will be a prolonged disease; for others‚ that will be death; for others‚ that will be doctors. But when you come to Me, you put yourself in My hands‚ and the way My hand chooses to move is not always the way that your mind thinks.

53. So trust Me. Pray. Come to Me in faith and know that I am able to touch and to heal. But know that besides being the Great Physician, I am the Good Shepherd, and I lead you in the path that you need to go. Put yourself in My hands and don't take matters into your own hands. Come before Me and seek Me. Ask for My healing‚ and be yielded to what I have for you. Don't take matters into your hands; put them in My hands. Let Me lead you and guide you.

54. Healing comes of Me and through the method of My choosing. So if I plan to heal you by a miracle, you will not be healed in any other way. If I plan to heal you after a prolonged illness, you will not be healed any other way. If I plan to heal you through the hand of a doctor, you will not be healed any other way. Thus you must come before Me and seek Me‚ and thus I will show you what you should do, and thus it will be the channel of My healing.

55. So as in all matters, come before Me. Seek Me. Claim your healing through My Word, and I will heal you. I will choose the manner of healing‚ the degree of healing, and the time of healing. But you must put your will in My hands, your life in My hands, your faith in My hands‚ and then trust Me.

56. As for you, My dear one, My beloved, My darling, I have spoken these Words over you and these Words shall come to pass. Be patient, for your healing is in My hands. All that I have said to you will come to pass. Be patient and believing‚ that you may see the promise of God. (End of message from Jesus.)

57. (Mama:) What marvelous Words of comfort. The Lord is so good to us! One thing that can and should make physical afflictions easier to bear is knowing that you can go to the Lord and receive His personal, specific‚ Heaven-sent Words of love and encouragement. It's a marvelous comfort and relief to be able to hear from the Lord in prophecy. You don't have to be in the dark about what the Lord is doing in your life, or be plagued by unanswered questions‚ or under the condemnation of the Enemy. You can pour out your heart to the Lord, either individually, or with your shepherds, or with your whole Home if you prefer, and you can receive the help from Heaven that you need today.

58. He can show you why, in His love, He has allowed you to be afflicted‚ and what to do about it—how to go about securing His healing. Faith comes by hearing the Word—not only the written Word, but also the Words of specific encouragement, instruction and guidance that your personal loving Shepherd can give you through prophecy.

59. So don't neglect to take your heartaches, burdens and questions to Him. He's more than willing to answer; in fact, He's eager to speak to you! He wants to lift your load and lighten your burdens and make your afflictions easier to bear. He wants to free you from the condemnation of the Enemy and help you to learn precious lessons through these tests and trials.

60. I certainly know that afflictions are not easy to bear. They can be discouraging, disheartening, and painful. They can cause you to miss the sleep that you desperately need. And at times they can make it almost impossible for you to do your ministry and fulfill your responsibilities in the Home‚ which I know is an added burden and concern. And the more tired you get and the sicker you feel, the more it wears and tears on your relations with others—your co-workers, mate or children.

61. When you're afflicted, there are so many ways that the Enemy can come in to try to cause you to be discouraged or to doubt the Lord's love. But if in your hour of darkness, pain and testing you turn to the Lord and you seek Him—not only in prayer and the Word, but also by hearing from Him in prophecy—He can defeat those attacks of the Enemy and bring beauty for ashes.

62. So please‚ my precious ones, don't neglect to go to the Lord, to cast your burdens on Him and to let Him lift you up. Let Him carry you. Let Him speak to your heart and comfort you as the wonderful Lover and Husband that He is to you, His bride. He loves you and He will never suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but He will make a way to escape. And the way of escape He offers you may often come through His Words of comfort and love and encouragement, which will lift you over and above the clouds and stormy weather, and bring you to the light of a brighter day.

63. If you're being tested with an ongoing affliction, go to the Lord frequently and hear from Him in prophecy. If you're fighting a serious or long-term illness, it may not necessarily be enough just to hear from Him once. I recommend you go to the Lord often to hear any further instruction or encouragement that He may have for you, because circumstances and conditions change‚ and often the Lord has more to tell us if we're willing to go back to Him and hear from Him again and again. And if you have questions about the Words, promises or explanations that He gives you, just ask Him about them. He never grows weary of your questions, He never grows tired of answering. He delights in making it as easy as possible for you‚ because He loves you so.

64. Let Him bear your burdens, ease your pain, and lighten your load by letting Him speak to your heart through prophecy—frequently, regularly and specifically. He loves you so very much, and so do I. God bless and keep you always trusting Him.

Love, Mama

65. P.S. I know this Letter is not a complete dissertation on the subject of healing, but at least it addresses some very important points that you need now. It could be amplified, and instead of being a short little GN‚ it could be a 50-page GN on the subject of healing! But when I asked the Lord if there was anything else important that needed to be added right now, He had Dad give the following message, which I thought would be of interest to you, and which gives excellent counsel on how you can handle any questions you might have that are not specifically covered in this Letter.

66. (Dad speaking: ) Honey, healing is such an enormously complex subject that you couldn't possibly address all sides in one little Letter. But even to get this much out to the Family will be a blessing and will answer some questions. It will help those who are suffering the condemnation of the Enemy to find faith and to have a greater understanding of how the Lord's working in their lives.

67. So don't be afraid if you can't cover the subject from A to Z in one Letter, and don't hold it back just because you can't make it a complete picture. Go ahead and get it out‚ just like I did! I just got out what I could time and time again. And eventually‚ over time, the Family had a fairly well-balanced picture about healing‚ witnessing, raising funds, child-rearing, or any number of big subjects that we tried to teach the Family about.

68. You're learning as I had to learn, Honey, that sometimes you just have to get out what you can. Because if you try to make it so complete and so well-rounded and touch on all sides of the subject, sometimes you just never get around to it! You just don't have the time, or there are other more timely subjects that come up—not necessarily more important subjects, but more timely.

69. So just get out what you can on this subject of the how-to's of healing, and if and when you can come back to it, fine! But if you can't, well‚ at least the Family has gotten something. They've gotten enough, and if they have any further questions, they can take them to the Lord themselves, and He can lead and guide them in their situations. At least you've given them the general principles. The picture is painted with a fairly broad brush in this Letter, but at least the picture is there! And then the Family can build on it through their own personal communication with the Lord.

70. So don't worry about it and don't let it get bogged down with lots and lots of clarifications and additions until you finally just have to set it aside. It's better to get out a little now than to get out a lot later—or a whole lot maybe never! For those who are suffering afflictions, or whose loved ones are‚ even these few pages and paragraphs and these few Words from the Lord will be like a lifesaver!

71. So just get it out, Honey, as much as you can, as fast as you can! Time is short and it just can't always be so perfect or well-rounded. The Family's learning to rightly divide the truth. They're learning to apply the Word, and if they have questions, they can just ask the Lord.

72. It's like the Daily Might book project that Peter and you have been working so hard on. (Referring to the "From Jesus—With Love" books, coming soon!) Not all of those prophecy excerpts are going to be perfectly explained, so the Family's going to have to be Spirit–led in understanding and applying those Words. But look at the multitude of Words that you're getting out! It's wonderful! It's marvelous! You never could have processed all those prophecies had you tried to put them in a perfectly balanced, well–explained, well-applied format. But at least you're getting them out. They'll be in the hands of the Family, and the Lord can use His Word to speak to their hearts.

73. Time is short and you just have to get it out. In some ways the Family is just going to have to fend for themselves. Those who are really hungry will read it and pray about it and the Lord will help them to understand it. And if they just can't get it, well, they can ask the Lord!

74. God bless you, Honey! Thanks for pumpin' it out! Keep up the good work! I love you! (End of message from Dad.)

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family