Counter to contemporary Western culture, where meditation is often a therapeutic exercise for self-improvement, in the Scriptures it is a path to encounter God by giving attention to His message.

Interacting with a personal God who listens to our prayers and cares about our daily affairs feels foreign to many Jewish people. Thus the Jewish healing movement is an opportunity to explore one’s spiritual beliefs and develop new ways of relating to God.

The doctor had already come in that morning to tell me about the cancer. I got emotional and cried. But I was already prepared by the time Jeff came in. Then Jeff told me that he had received Jesus as his Messiah, and that God told him I was going to be okay. And I felt pretty confident that I would be.

One of my favorite Bible stories is the unlikely tale of two lives unexpectedly entwined through terrible tragedy and profound desperation. It’s a story of surprising twists and transforming faith, and you’ll find it in 2 Kings, chapter 5. The story opens with Naaman, commander of the Syrian army, and a young Israeli servant.

“There’s one miracle that God wants to perform in every person’s life,” I told my acquaintance in the hospital room. “He wants to forgive our sins and give us an eternal relationship with him. That’s a miracle he’ll always perform.”