Hearing Words That Heal

Hearing Words That Heal

He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Psalm 107:20

Many patients assume that a doctor’s primary job is to give out medication. They’d be surprised to know that our treatments are more likely to be spoken than dispensed. Most of my day is spent gathering, evaluating, and disseminating information, not pills. The number one thing that most doctors do is give advice.

Unfortunately, most people ignore their doctor’s advice. It is fairly consistent across the board for nine out of ten patients not to comply with their doctor’s recommendations. In fact, it’s so rare for patients to heed my advice that I’m often surprised when they do.

When patients come in after making a big change and I ask why they lost weight or quit smoking, I’m always pleasantly surprised when they say, “You told me to because you said it would improve my health.”

As doctors, we know what to say and how to say it, but the receiver has to be ready to hear it and act on it before a positive outcome can take place. I wish I knew how to make my words stick and get patients to act on them so they could live healthier lives.

The same is true of God’s words. A preacher can preach to us on Sunday, and we can read our Bibles Monday through Saturday and in that time hear a lot of wise words. But if we don’t heed God’s wisdom by doing what he says, it is as if we never heard it in the first place. When we come to God for wisdom, we need to make sure that our ears, hearts, and minds are open and ready to take in whatever he says. More than that, we also have to be willing to act on what he says. A failure to do both ensures that we will never truly be healed from what ails us.

TODAY’S RX

Stop, listen, and then act on the wise words of God.

Father, help me to obey your Word and implement your instructions in my life. I want to please you with all I do and say. I know that when I’m living in you, I’m living life to the full.