A Hockey Model Of Healing

As I explained in the previous lesson, I was starting to have a lot of questions about healing and began seeking God for some answers. So the Lord gave me a new model to put things into perspective for me, and that model is based on the game of ice hockey. Some of you are already very familiar with hockey, but many are not. So I am going to explain a bit about the game in order to explain the model of healing that the Lord gave me.

Half of the team is the front line, also known as the forwards or offensive line. There are three positions on the front line: the center, the right wing and the left wing. The main job of the front line is to carry the puck into the "offensive zone" and attack the other team's net, trying to shoot the puck into the net. That would be easy if the other team was not trying to stop them from doing that. However, every player on the other team does their best to prevent that from happening.

I think that is the piece that was missing in my previous thinking on healing. Jesus sent us out to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the Good News. He wanted to advance God's kingdom through our spoken word and through our demonstration of His power (healing the sick and setting people free from the devil's oppression). That is like shooting a puck into the net--scoring would be the equivalent of a demonstration of His power.

The thing we sometimes forget when we are doing healing ministry is that the other team is trying to stop us. They don't believe that they have already been defeated on Calvary and they are doing their best to win. The devil wants that person sick, just as much as God wants them well. Many times God does not force His absolute will on a situation, He allows the devil to fight for his way. In short, God allows "spiritual warfare" to exist. That is why we have Ephesians 6:10-20 about the armor of God and the attacks of the enemy. Let's look at the first three verses in that passage: "10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." There is a battle going on and there are two sides in this battle: God's and the devil's.

God wants to advance His kingdom. He wants to heal the sick and destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b). That is why Jesus said, in Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." He also said, in Mark 6:15-18, "15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; ...; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

When we step out to obey the great commission, we are playing on God's offensive line and we are trying to score goals by "making disciples." I.e., we are trying to bring people into a saving relationship with God and to train them and help them grow in Him, so that they, in turn, can mature and go out to "make disciples."

Yes, God wants to advance His kingdom through us, but the devil wants to keep God from doing that. So he opposes us. We are not given clear shots at the goal, the devil's team is doing their best to block our shots. Sometimes things line up so that we have an unblocked shot and we can score a goal. Sometimes we take a shot at the net and the other team blocks that puck. After the puck is blocked, then there is a scrimmage for the puck. The players on both sides struggle against each other to gain control of the puck. If the offensive team gains control, they can take another shot at the goal. If the defensive team gets control, they want to clear the puck out of their zone. That way the offensive team has to leave their zone and can't come back to shoot at the net until they once again bring the puck over the blue line.

The bottom line is that not all shots go in but you have to keep shooting at the net.

It is the same in healing ministry. Not everyone you pray for is healed the first time you pray for them. A lot of people come for healing prayer once and if they are not healed, they say "I guess it wasn't God's will to heal me," and their level of faith for healing goes down. They are not aware that the healing prayer is like a shot at the goal and the other team is doing their best to block that shot. Most of the time, healing is not a "one shot" deal. Not all shots go into the net. Many get blocked, so you have to keep on shooting the puck at the net. You may have to shoot multiple times to win a goal.

Sometimes when you shoot the puck, one of the players on the other team puts their body between the puck and the net to deflect it. Your shot does not get close to the goal and it looks like nothing happened when you prayed.

Other times the other players don't block the shot and it gets through to the goalie. The goalie stands in front of the net and his job is to block goals. He will either try to catch the puck with his glove or to deflect it with his stick or with part of his body. If the offense makes a good shot and the goalie stops it from going into the net, that is called a "save." When the goalie makes a good save, the television or radio announcers calling the game will usually say something like "The goalie robbed ____ of his goal." And the devil wants to do his best to rob us of our "goals," to block the healings that God is willing to release through us.

(Personally I don't understand why God allows this to happen, as He is much more powerful than the devil. He has already defeated the devil on Calvary, so why allow him to continue to kill, steal and destroy here on this earth? If it were up to me, I would have God lock away the devil now and not allow anyone to ever be tormented by Him again. But I am not God. I don't always understand God's motives, but I am sure that God knows what He is doing. He sets the rules and I should not stop playing the game just because I don't like one of the rules.

I would like to see everyone I pray for healed with no exceptions. I do not like it that the devil is allowed to block some of my shots. I am not sure why the Lord permits this. I am not sure why God allows there to be spiritual warfare. But God does allow the warfare and He has drafted us as soldiers in His army. He has given us His armor to defend ourselves as we fight the battles He calls us to. He will give us the victory as we obey Him and follow Him and do the things He commands us to do. But for the time being, there is a war still going on and the devil is allowed to oppose the plans and purposes of God. That means the devil has a goalie in net, trying to prevent the very healings we pray for and not everyone is healed the first time we pray for them. We need to keep praying, to keep shooting the puck at the goal.)

As I already said, when we do healing ministry, we are not shooting at an empty net. The enemy goalie is in place, trying to prevent us from making a goal (seeing a miraculous healing.) Even the best of the best of the hockey offensemen will have to take multiple shots on the goal in order to score. The same is true in healing ministry. Even the people who walk in the strongest healing anointings don't see everyone healed at every meeting.