A “rhema” is a Bible verse that leaps off the page into your heart, and when it does, the truth that it conveys is to the reader what a bonanza of gold is to a miner. The “rhema” the reader receives uncovers a ‘golden’ truth and feels much like the miner who finds a bonanza, throws his pick aside, raises his arms high. and shouts “Eureka!”
Both reader and miner feel that their ‘find’ has secured their future prosperity. “Prosperity”? You would agree that prosperity is assured for the prospector. But would speaking of prosperity in terms of the future good health of a believer be carrying the analogy a bit too far?
The answer is found in 3 John 2, a verse that had a powerful effect on a man named Oral Roberts. Those who’ve become Christians in recent years might not know the name, but Oral Roberts was a powerfully anointed 20th-century evangelist. During the 1960s, meetings held by Oral Roberts resulted in a million people coming to Christ yearly. Countless thousands of sick and injured people were healed when the evangelist laid his hands on them and God healed them.
Of course, there were those who derided the evangelist for making “so much out of so little”: a major theme from a single verse – and that from an epistle only 14 verses in length. “Was not the prosperity of soul and body merely John’s wish — not necessarily God’s will?”
Many knew what a “logos” (written word) was but had no idea of the inspiring and energizing power of a “rhema” revelation. Sadly, today it’s much the same, and maybe accounts for why many Christians lack spiritual energy these days, and why so few are healed.
Was John’s “wish” God’s will? According to scholars of ancient Greek, the word “euchomai” means, “to make a wish or to vow”. In 2 Corinthians 13:9, Paul writes, “…what we wish is your perfection.” Again, the Greek word is “euchomai”. Would any Christian doubt that Paul’s prayerful wish was also God’s will in this matter?
James uses the same Greek word when he writes, “Confess your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16) In NT Greek the word “pray” is “euchomai”. Was James instructing his countrymen in the benefits of wishful thinking? I don’t think so! But you don’t have to take my word for it because the second sentence in this verse sums up the first: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” A prayerful wish!
W E Vine comments: “The indication is that prayer is involved [in the apostle John’s “wish” that prosperity would be holistic — that it would be seen in good health as well as a spiritual blessing].” I believe so. Otherwise, the idea of our faults being healed by wishful thinking would make “the prayer of faith” a hopeful wish.
What happened in the case of Oral Roberts was that John’s “prayerful wish” became a revelation. A verse read many times suddenly came to life. The idea that God wants to “prosper” believers physically as well as spiritually was in line with Oral’s scriptural preaching of God’s goodness. This theme raised the faith level of believers around the world, who saw that John’s “beloved” was them as well!
Have you ever had a “rhema” revelation from God’s “logos”? To put it another way, has the truth of a verse suddenly leaped off a page in the Bible into your heart and presented to you a possibility you’d not before considered? The difference between those who have had a “rhema” about God’s will to heal them and those who haven’t become apparent when a need for healing arises. Countless Bible-reading believers have been raised from despair to faith by a timely “rhema” revelation!
But let’s go back to the beginning, to the analogy of the persistent prospector. Think of prayerfully exploring the “logos” persistently until a vein of thought ends with a “rhema” bonanza revelation from the Lord — one that promises to prosper you not just spiritually but physically and financially. When that happens, file your claim with the Lord!
God wants to link your “prayerful wish” to His powerful will. Why? Because, according to 3 John 2 and the testimony of not only Oral Roberts but also millions of others worldwide, the Lord who inspired John wants each and every one of us to be enriched by daily “rhema” revelations!