Healing From the Inside Out

Photography by John Neff | Shutterstock

When the Lord heals, He almost always heals from the inside out. Referring to the inside does not mean that He heals only internal disease, damage or infection. But rather, that He wants to heal the whole person, and in order to do this He must begin by healing the interior life of a person. An example of this is found in Christ’s own power impacting the life of one poor soul who had suffered for many years.

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well.” And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
(Mark 5:24-34)

This incident tells a great deal about the impact the Lord can have on our lives, but in order to fully grasp this message we have to use what Bible scholars call Exegesis. Exegesis refers to an explanation or interpretation of a verse of Scripture. Here we are asked to look for the deeper meaning of the events related to an incident in Scripture. Just as Moses’ parting of the Red Sea foreshadows Baptism and man’s escape from the the things that enslave him, Christ’s direct intervention into a life is meant to communicate something much deeper than what appears on the surface.

If we look at this situation, it is clear that what afflicts this woman is something deeply internal, defined as her internal hemorrhage or bleeding. This is so often the case for many of us, what we perceive to be only some material condition of our body or circumstances, is more often the result of some deep interior wound that must be healed. It is often something that is blocking our ability to love, but the affects of it are manifested in our external circumstances.

As we see in the circumstances of this woman, her interior condition had ultimately affected her entire life. We know that she was destitute, she had gotten worse over time, and she was likely taken advantage of, or at least not helped, by the individuals she had sought assistance from. In short, worldly remedies had failed this woman as they will so often fail us if that is all we seek.

At the same time, even in approaching Christ, she is seeking an external resolution. Look closely—she believes that all she has to do is touch Christ’s clothes and she will be healed. She mistakes the external cloak as the source of Christ’s interior power for healing. This is true for us as well. How many times have we thought, if only I can come in contact with this object or that event, then my problems will be lessened.

But what do we read about Christ—immediately upon this woman touching Him, He felt power go out of Him, a power that issues forth from the interior of Christ. He is aware, even in the midst of a large crowd, that a soul needed what only He could provide. Christ’s power is not in His cloak, as though it were some sort of talisman, the power required to heal this woman’s interior wound is Christ’s own interior power.

But that is not the end of this event; look again at Christ’s final words, “Daughter, your Faith has made you well, go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” It is Christ’s power—yes but working through this woman’s faith—that is what led to her healing.

We all need to pray that the Lord will work to heal our interior wounds and brokenness. If He then chooses to change or improve our external circumstances—fine, but we must not let the external become the singular focus of our prayer.

Our interior life and the beauty of our souls truly do represent both our own and the entire Church’s preparation for the eternal banquet. In our prayer life, we must seek to make ourselves ready for the eternal wedding feast with our Lord in Glory.