By Gervais Crouch – Olney, MD
The fall when I brought our son home from his one-year check-up, I was shaking. Our son had ‘failure to thrive.’
Not even his head had grown in the previous three months, and he had completely dropped off the growth charts. His blood work showed kidney and liver damage.
I sat down on the sofa in our living room and did the best I could to pull myself together. My husband John was at work, and I called him. He immediately quoted Psalm 103:3:
“Who [God] forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” Psalm 103:3 KJV
That settled me so we could pray, and we certainly needed to pray, not only for our little boy, but also for our daughter. Two months earlier, she was found to have a severely damaged nervous system.
Don’t Give Up
At least we were then certain of the cause of the troubles—an allergic reaction to the childhood inoculations. We called our friend Ken Petty and asked him to minister healing to our children.
Both children showed marked improvement, but our troubles did not end there. Particularly with our daughter, who had received the full series of shots, troubles continued to come.
As soon as we took care of one challenge, another showed up. We needed a healing breakthrough: both to receive healing for our family, and to be able to minister effectively and consistently to others.
How did Jesus Heal?
For me, the journey began in the gospels. Jesus Christ preached the Good News and ministered healing when people came to him. He ministered deliverance right from the beginning, and when spirits left, people were healed.
He did not pray before laying on of hands, but spoke directly to the situation. He did his praying beforehand, and then listened for His Father’s instructions. God got the glory!
Soon after, I was introduced to Derek Prince and his book They Shall Expel Demons. Reading his story allowed me to follow without any fear or agitation.
There was no shame or condemnation, just the account of what he saw and did. And God did the work every time in the name of Jesus Christ.
The Power to Heal
I got involved in deliverance ministry, and whenever the deliverance session ended, I laid hands on the person and commanded healing where the spirits had been.
The power and authority in the name of Jesus Christ prevailed every time. The people received healing!
This was what I had always wanted to be able to do for God’s people. Persisting, I continued to search out teaching on healing and deliverance.
I shared privately on these topics with anyone who would listen, and prayed for people at every opportunity. I allowed others to pray for me.
What all of this built in me was confidence: confidence that it truly is God in Christ in me… in us!
Testimony Time
We expected success: one young man who was in a car wreck recovered instantly from severe back pain when I merely touched him.
Another, paralyzed on one side following surgery for a brain anomaly, moved his foot when John and I prayed.
When Nancy Davis invited all of us to start sharing in the fellowships, giving testimonies of what God had done, others got excited and began to minister, too.
Today, our area has many mature believers who know how to minister and pray effectively. One is John Blum, a man who simply desired to teach God’s Word. This is his healing breakthrough:
Fundamentally, if you do nothing, nothing happens. I decided to get busy sharing the healing that we have in Christ.
After some “practice time” here, God opened a door to preach and minister in Kenya. There was a middle-aged woman who came for prayer who had a broken thumb. She was in much pain and could not move it.
So, I gently cradled her hand in mine, told her how much God loved her, and that her healing was paid for, and that she could receive immediately.
After a few moments, she started crying. She said that all of the pain was gone. Wow! So, I encouraged her and told her that God was working and for her to allow Him to do more.
God doesn’t need time – but people often need time to accept and to receive. I prayed with her a bit more and then went on to the next person.
Ten minutes later, she came over to me and was moving her thumb back and forth. She declared that she had no pain and could use her thumb just fine.
Praise God for His incredible gift that ALL of us, as Christians, have!
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.” John 14:12 NKJV (Jesus speaking to his disciples)
Let’s get busy doing those works and greater!
For more testimonies of healing, check out You’re Never Too Old for God to Do a Thing, The Wonderful World of Healing, and Put On Your Ministering Clothes.
Gervais Crouch and her husband John live in the D.C. Metro area. Married almost 40 years, they have two grown children and two grandchildren. The Crouches have been studying the Bible, teaching and ministering for more than four decades.
John is currently interested in Biblical structure and chronology. Gervais loves reading about Biblical history and culture. Besides Scriptural studies, each has a variety of interests including gardening, cooking, amateur radio and astronomy.