I’ve come to realize just how amazing my late mother really was.  I respect her for surviving being a single mom to five boys.  At times a memory of her will pop into my mind and it’s a like a little kiss of affection to my heart.  Loving parents are a real gift.

When we were young my mom would make us take a dose of “Geritol.”  It was wheat germ oil that was awful but supposed to be healthy for you.  I thought she was mean for making us take it, but now I know that, she just wanted us to be healthy and hated the idea of us becoming sick.

I have never met a loving parent who wished their child would get sick, or prayed that their child would be stricken ill so they might learn a lesson.  Loving parents are characterized as always desiring good health for their children.  I personally believe that God is no exception as our Father.  The Bible appears to agree.

Psalm 103:1  Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:  3 Who forgives all your iniquities,  Who heals all your diseases,  4 Who redeems your life from destruction,  Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,  5  Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

So that we understand that this proclamation of rejoicing isn’t just a sentimental moment of emotional overflow, God put a plan in place for our health and well being involving Jesus long before He ever arrived on the scene in history.   God prophesied His desire for us to be healthy and this desire is revealed in,

Isaiah 53:5  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Even the Apostle Peter acknowledged this prophetic unveiling of the character of God and the work of Jesus in 1Peter 2:23 where it says, “By His stripes you were healed.”

Before going to the cross Jesus was tied to a whipping post and given 39 lashes with a whip and many years long before that moment God spoke through the prophet and declared that the reason for it was our healing.  So our Jesus was first tied to a whipping post and then nailed to a cross.  The whipping post was for our healing and the cross was for us to be made righteous.  To me that describes a loving Father who looks out for His children.

This to me reveals more than enough reason to stand in faith on the basis of His character as a loving Father.  My encouragement is to remind you that you have a very loving Father who cares about you and loves you very much.  He has made you righteous with His own righteousness and provided physical healing along with that righteousness.  He has given Himself to you and now you have His life in you.