Leadership

“Healing in Your Hands” is the 5th song on the new CD from Passion called Awakening. The CD was recorded live at Passion 2010. The following was written by Christy Nockels describing her journey in writing “Healing in Your Hands.”
by Christy Nockels

Healing In Your Hands…

“Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all things we are made more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35 – 39

Several weeks ago I set out on the Glory In The Highest Christmas tour, ready to spend a few weeks of worship with great friends, celebrating the amazing season of Advent. I set out on the journey having just recovered from a terrible stomach virus that 11 of the 15 relatives at my parents house experienced first thing Thanksgiving morning! When I headed out on tour, I was so grateful that all of that was over and I was ready to get well and enjoy my travels…

First night in, we had rehearsals at a church in Florida and the next night would be the first concert. That evening, after dinner, an all too familiar pain in my stomach came over me. For most of the night, I kept my plight to myself, thinking surely this was just my stomach trying to get back to normal and it would be gone by morning. By morning though, I was in the local ER, writhing in pain! I stayed there most of the day and the tour left me behind in a hotel since they were only driving 150 miles or so to the next town. The next day, I arose and was able to rent a car and get to the next concert. Again, thinking, “whew…glad that’s over”…I sang that night, but as the night continued I found myself having to talk myself into staying on stage for the next song. I made it to the end and pretty much ran and collapsed on the bus in pain. This landed me back in the ER that night and the tour had to leave me, this time driving hundreds of miles away.

Long story short, some of us refer to my hospital stay as “The Twilight Zone” and my adventures there were unforgettable in many ways, including my 80 year old roommate… I stayed 3 days, wondering, pouting and pretty much whining…asking God “what sort of purpose do you possibly have in this?” I was away from my family and was supposed to be leading worship several hundred miles away from where I was lying, helpless.

For whatever reason, God took my health from me for about 10 days at the end of 2009, and made me be still before Him so I could hear Him clearly on some things…things I’m convinced were crucial for the health of my heart and my soul. During that time, I remember talking to Jesus a lot. Some of it was “help me Jesus” or “thank you Jesus” when the pain would subside for a little while…but I remember having a very real sense that He was there with me.

I’m in awe and so grateful that we have a great intercessor and His name is Jesus. He sees the stuff of our hearts and He prays for us, even when we have no clue of how deep our need is for Him. I’d love to somehow catch wind of the things that Jesus prays over His own! I can almost picture Him now, standing over me during that time, knowing how much I needed to be laying right where I was…and Him praying over my every need. Eventually the physical healing that would take place in me became much more about a spiritual healing that needed to happen… There is purpose in each peril we encounter and nothing we experience, gain or loss, could separate us from His great love over us. I’m not saying that every physical challenge is because there is a spiritual lesson we must learn…I certainly don’t know the mind of God. I do know though, that His word says “in all things we are MADE more than conquerors.” Jesus is interceding for us at the right hand of the Father and we are being “made” more than conquerors through Him. We are being “made” to overcome…be it sickness, be it sin, sorrow or even death…through Jesus, it has no sting and we have overcome. How beautiful…

There is much sickness around us these days, much hardship and trial, certainly far beyond what I experienced a few weeks ago… Some are suffering from wounding and pain from the past, addictions and secrets kept… It seems that I get a prayer request at least a few times a week from a family that has just received what feels like earth-shattering news about someone they love deeply. We pray for healing, for miracles and beg God to intervene. We pray to that end, yet fully knowing God is sovereign and He will be glorified in any outcome that He permits. What I’m most grateful for is that we can hold on to the great comfort we have in His word…it’s full of His promises! The great Physician, with the best bedside manner out there, has promised that nothing can separate us from His love…period. The best visual I can think of when I hear “nothing can separate us from His love”, is if we can’t be separated from it, it must be true that we’re very much connected to it! We’re linked, we’re bonded, we’re held together, and we’re forever attached to His love. When we walk through fire, the valley of the shadow of death…when we have sickness in our body, if we encounter warfare or even gain the riches of this world…if it can’t separate us from His love, it means we are held together (Colossians 1:15-18) and being “made” more than a conqueror through it, through Jesus our precious Savior.

We are in His hands, body, soul and spirit. John 3:35 says, “The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands”. How blessed are we that we are held fast in such a place of great mercy and healing. Let us believe in Truth today that nothing could tear us apart from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is with us, in every trial, big and small…holding us through every gain and every loss, interceding to the Father on our behalf. Past, present, future…healing is in His hands.

Christy Nockels
ChristyNockels.com

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His infinite condescension marvelously appeared in the manner of his birth. He was brought forth in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. The inn was taken up by others, that were looked upon as persons of greater account. The blessed Virgin, being poor and despised, was turned or shut out. Though she was in such necessitous circumstances, yet those that counted themselves her betters would not give place to her. Therefore, in the time of her travail, she was forced to betake herself to a stable, and when the child was born, it was wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger. There Christ lay a little infant, and there he eminently appeared as a lamb. But yet this feeble infant, born thus in a stable, and laid in a manger, was born to conquer and triumph over Satan, that roaring lion. He came to subdue the mighty powers of darkness, and make a show of them openly: so to restore peace on earth, to manifest God’s goodwill towards men, and to bring glory to God in the highest. According[ly] the end of his birth was declared by the joyful songs of the glorious hosts of angels, who appeared to the shepherds at the same time that the infant lay in the manger, whereby his divine dignity was manifested.

Excerpt taken from Jonathan Edward’s sermon “The Excellency of Christ”
Jonathon Edwards (1703-1758)

The excellency of Christ appears in what Christ did in taking on him our nature. In this act, his infinite condescension wonderfully appeared, that he who was God should become man, that the word should be made flesh, and should take on him a nature infinitely below his original nature! And it appears yet more remarkably in the low circumstances of his incarnation: he was conceived in the womb of a poor young woman, whose poverty appeared in this, when she came to offer sacrifices of her purification, she brought what was allowed of in the law only in case of poverty, as Luke 2:24, “According to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.” This was allowed only in case the person was so poor that she was not able to offer a lamb. Lev. 12:8.

And though his infinite condescension thus appeared in the manner of his incarnation, yet his divine dignity also appeared in it. For though he was conceived in the womb of a poor virgin, yet he was conceived there by the power of the Holy Ghost. And his divine dignity also appeared in the holiness of his conception and birth. Though he was conceived in the womb of one of the corrupt race of mankind, yet he was conceived and born without sin, as the angel said to the blessed Virgin, Luke 1:35, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.”

Excerpt taken from Jonathan Edward’s sermon “The Excellency of Christ”
Jonathon Edwards (1703-1758)

Powerful Praise:
“Into Marvelous Light I’m running/Out of darkness, out of shame/By the cross- You are the Truth, You are the Life, You are the Way. “
Charlie Hall has written a powerful song that many of us can identify with. The words of a broken person made whole make the song “Marvelous Light” a song we can all come around and lift up to our Lord.
In 1 Peter 2:9-10, a similar testimony was written, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you might declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are a people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Priests with Purpose:
Worshippers and Lead Worshippers, God has called us to be priests. Historically, priests are those who help connect people with God. Offering hope and love in this world is the mission that God has blessed us with. Often, we all settle for living good lives and going about our business. When we live a life of worship, it doesn’t mean to keep the good news of Jesus to ourselves. Selfishly, we keep quiet either because of fear, idleness, or lack of gratefulness. Sadly, ministers, we are so guilty of this. Time and focus slips away as we try to manage so many different things. Don’t forget the passion you had when you first received Christ! We often (myself included) fail to recognize the people God has placed in our paths to share with. Co-workers, strangers, family, friends, and neighbors are in our lives for a purpose. Pray about how you can intentionally serve them with the love of Christ. Declare His praises not just when you are singing words, but with your everyday speech!

Philemon’s Promise:
So what’s your story? How do you declare the praises of Him, who brought you out of the darkness? How does one lead another to connect with God? Your story of what was once darkness, filthy, ragged, dysfunctional, prideful, cynical, hopeless, broken, sick in your life to what God is transforming you to be in Christ is the most powerful priesthood tool you have. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, He will lead you to share your story…
This is what Paul says to Philemon about sharing, “I pray that you will be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Did you get that? God’s promise is that when we exercise our faith sharing, He will be faithful to develop our understanding of His goodness!

Happy Story-Sharing.

We would love to hear your faith-sharing stories…
prayer@fqworship.com or comment right here.