God's Medicine Bottle

For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:22

Proverbs 4 gives us God’s prescription for healing and good health. The word "health" (4:22) literally means medicine. God is Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals—and He has a divine medicine that can cure all diseases. This divine healing comes by the power of the Word of God: "He sent His word and healed them" (Ps. 107:20). God’s Word produces physical healing. Whenever a doctor prescribes medicine, he expects his medication to be taken regularly and according to the directions. The same is true with God’s "medicine" in Proverbs. The directions are "on the bottle" and no cure is guaranteed if you do not follow it.

Proverbs 4:20-22 outlines four steps in receiving the healing power of God’s Word:

1. "Give attention to my words" (4:20a). So often, we read God’s Word with divided attention. Our minds are so preoccupied by the "cares of this world" (Matt. 13:22), that it causes the Word of God to become unfruitful. For God’s Word to produce the healing effects in our bodies, we must shut out the things of the world and give our complete attention to God.
2. "Incline your ear to my sayings" (4:20b). An inclined ear implies an attitude of spiritual hunger, humility and teachability. Stubbornness and unbelief limit the effects of God’s Word in our lives. Jesus warned us against the traditions of men that make God’s commandments of no effect. Traditional religious ideas, prejudices and preconceptions often stop miracles from happening. Therefore, always stay open and hungry to the Word of God.
3. "Do not let them depart from your eyes" (4:21a). To receive the benefits of physical healing promised in God’s Word, it is necessary to keep both eyes totally fixed on the promises. A double-minded Christian will receive no miracle from the Lord (James 1:7-8). Do not be overly concerned by the symptoms of the sickness. Instead focus on His Word with unwavering faith.
4. "Keep them in the midst of your heart" (4:21b). The heart is the inward center of the human personality. Our heart controls the whole course of our lives and all that we experience (4:23). As such, if we allow the Word of God to enter our spirit regularly through our ears and eyes, it will have the power to effect life to our souls and health to our fl esh. Therefore, give time to the Word of God, because it is "life to those who find [it], and health to all their flesh."