As we begin Advent and prepare for the coming of Jesus, I wanted to share about the power in His holy name. I had intentions of finding all these examples in the Bible showing the importance of Jesus’ name and how often they proclaim power in it… but I am not a detailed person, and I have a deadline and a word limit, so… Go read all of Acts! There are too many examples even in that one book to share. Here is one verse I personally love: “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
When I was about 4 years into my infertility journey, I got really into The Chosen. So many scenes in that show make me cry, but one scene in particular struck me and has stuck with me since. At the beginning of season 2 episode 4, they show a boy going through various treatments for paralysis and not finding healing. His parents try everything. He eventually ends up waiting for years by this pool for healing and it's then clear he is the paralytic from John chapter 5. He isn’t healed until he meets Jesus. Here is the scene for you to watch. The part in particular that always gets me are the lines: “I've tried…” “For a long time, I know. And you don't want to have false hope again. But this pool, it has nothing for you…you don’t need this pool, you only need me.” These words feel so relatable to me as I have tried throwing everything (in line with Church teaching) at having a baby and overcoming health issues. The response of Jesus shows He SEES us, He KNOWS what we have been through, and He doesn’t want us putting our hope in anything or anyone but Him. No medicine, no special doctor, no surgery. While these things can work in cooperation with Him, they are not THE answer. It’s unclear why He chooses to heal certain people and not others, to give some a baby and not others, but when we see how the paralytic’s healing sets in motion other parts of God’s plan, it helps me trust that it all works together for His Glory and our best interest.
Shortly after seeing this episode, I led a retreat for women experiencing infertility and a week later was prayed over by a priest trained in healing ministry. I needed healing from fear of getting pregnant again after my second miscarriage (which had a lot of complications). I needed healing from resentment over friends who were due with their third living babies within weeks of my due date with the baby I lost. I needed healing from grasping at everything I could to try and get pregnant and “ensure a live birth.” Two weeks later, I learned I was expecting my son (who is now 17 months old). Three other women on the retreat became pregnant and others had immense spiritual and emotional healing. At the retreat, we used the Litany of Fertility which was so powerful to pray aloud together. Then the priest who prayed with me used specific lines from the Litany of Trust that really pulled at my heart. It was so powerful. The great thing about litanies is that they use the power of Jesus’ name over and over.
This brings me to my most recent experience on this topic. I attended a workshop for Unbound: Heart of the Father Ministries and the whole mission of this ministry is to allow Jesus to deliver us from whatever holds us in bondage and from living freely in Christ. It is about renouncing lies, fears and anything else we are holding onto, and doing so in the name of Jesus. It’s about allowing Him to do the work of healing us. Things I had been carrying for decades were healed and I felt so much freer. The day after my prayer session with Unbound (which was a raw, beautiful 1.5 hours with two incredible ministry team members), I attended a public healing service with Encounter. Encounter is also a healing ministry but focused a little more on the physical side of healing. They pray together as a group and have team members do private prayer sessions. For months, I had a lot of pain that specialists could not figure out the root of and it was causing me pain to hold my son, cook dinner, etc. My pain went from an 8/10 to a 1/10 almost immediately. I plan on going back for help with my anxiety and some other lingering issues. They also prayed over my son who was having some GI problems and his symptoms I can monitor have all improved! You can find so many testimonies through their site, but I share mine because being prayed with has repeatedly been the most effective and significant way I have received healing throughout the years. And it's always done by praying with authority in Jesus’ name!
I think this topic is important during Advent because it's a time of expectant waiting. We can stop pushing ourselves, trying to make things happen ourselves and instead slow down and receive healing from our Creator, Healer and Savior. We don't have to run ourselves ragged trying for a specific outcome but can trust that He is all we need and when we ask for deliverance and healing in His name, He will do the work for us. It may be gradual and it may look different than we imagine, but He WILL work in you.
And what’s more, in the midst of the Christmas expenses, Jesus’ healing is FREE. It only costs you openness to being healed, to naming those wounds and lies that are keeping you in bondage. There are so many places the devil sneaks in and capitalizes on. There are so many tricks he pulls. He is the father of lies and his greatest deception is convincing us that we don't have a good heavenly Father who has our best interest in mind at all times. So let’s equip ourselves with the armor of Christ (Eph 6:10-17)!
There's so much more on this topic to share, but I hope you check out Unbound, Encounter or at the very least, pray some litanies out loud. Praying audibly is so important when renouncing lies because that's when Jesus’ name has the most power. This topic ties so well with the Advent season because it was at the Annunciation, where the name Jesus is first given. It is here that Mary, who thought it not possible for her to be with child at that time, is told she will bear the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:31-32). Though the circumstances are much different, I think there's something special here to meditate on. Jesus is in each of us, and we can always have that expectant waiting in this season for His healing power to be at work.
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