Healing Is the Dinner Bell

December 21

And they departed, and went through the towns,

preaching the gospel, and healing every where.—LUKE 9:6

Healing Is the Dinner Bell

As a young pastor, just before my twenty-fourth birthday, I

remember hearing Rev. Raymond T. Richey (a man who was

used mightily by God in the area of healing) say, “Divine healing

is the dinner bell.” I knew exactly what he meant when he said

that. At that time people living out in the country had a big bell

on their back porch, and when dinner was ready, someone

would ring the bell to let everyone in the fields know it was time

to eat.

When I heard Rev. Richey say that, I wasn’t having healing

services at my church on a regular basis. But I said to myself,

“I’m going back home, and I’m going to start ringing the dinner

bell.” We had Wednesday night, Saturday night, Sunday

morning, and Sunday night services. I told the congregation,

“Every Saturday night is divine healing night. I’m not going to

preach on anything but divine healing.” So I started ringing the

dinner bell.

Initially, the crowd on Saturday night became smaller, and, as

far as I could ascertain, no one was getting healed. I would

anoint them with oil and lay hands on them. I would have a

healing line every Saturday night. Still, no one was getting

healed. But I kept on ringing the dinner bell! Finally, after six

months, things started happening. People started getting

healed.

I didn’t understand it then, but I know now that when I first

began teaching on healing, I was planting seed. I had to keep

watering that seed, and that takes time. I could have become

discouraged and stopped holding healing services. Or I could

have resigned the church and left. But when the harvest came, I

wouldn’t have been there to enjoy it.

Confession:

I plant the seed of God’s Word in my heart. And I continue to

water that seed. Eventually, I will see a harvest of health and

healing.