Physical and Spiritual Healing

Why did the Savior spend so much time healing and blessing the sick and afflicted during His mortal ministry? Well, obviously a significant reason was for the immediate relief and succor of those who were suffering and helpless, but almost as importantly, I believe He performed those miracles as a teaching experience not just for those who were there to witness them firsthand but also for us in our day. When we feel like we’re wandering through the mists of darkness and can no longer see the glory of the Lord, we can look to the man who was born blind and have hope that just as Christ was able to heal his physical blindness, He can heal our spiritual blindness. When we can no longer hear the whisperings of the Spirit, or when we feel like we can no longer utter even the simplest of prayers, we can look to the deaf whose ears the Savior unstopped, or the mute whose tongues He loosed. When we are feeling dirty and unclean and shunned from society, we can look to the lepers that Jesus cleansed, and have hope that He can cleanse our souls. When we can’t even summon the strength to get out of bed, we can look to the man who was stricken with palsy, who couldn’t even get out of his bed, but had to have his friends take him to the Savior. “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?” (Matthew 9:5). If we feel overwhelmed by the storms of life, Christ has the power to calm the storms. If we feel like our life is over, Christ has to power to call us back from the dead. Christ has made it clear that He has just as much power to work miracles over our spiritual or emotional ailments as He does to miraculously heal us physically.