2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
In all instances when the saints are used by God to lay hands on people, it is so that His anointing and His power can be imparted to that individual. The laying on of hands is all about the impartation of God’s anointing, power and blessing. But I want you to note that faith is always involved. The simple act of one person laying their hands on another individual has absolutely no effect whatsoever, if that act is not done in faith, for it is only God’s power that changes things. No human has any inherit power of their own that they can impart to another individual. And so our bodies are simply the vessels that God uses to impart His power to others. The apostle Paul is just one example of an individual used by the Lord through the laying on of hands, to heal many sick people, to fill many saints with the Holy Spirit and even to raise the dead. But even though the Lord had used Paul in such a powerful manner, as revealed in the above quoted passage of scripture, he clearly acknowledged that it was God’s power and that he was just the vessel that the Lord used to impart His power.
Mark 6:5-6 “Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. (6) And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.”
If faith were not involved then the simple act of laying on of hands would always get one hundred percent results, but we know that is not the case, for the laying on of hands works by faith and faith alone. So if it is by faith that God’s power is transferred, what purpose does the laying on of hands serve? The answer to that question is that the laying on of hands acts as a point of contact whereby the person can release their faith to receive from God. In order for the transfer of God’s power to take place however, the act of laying on of hands requires faith from both the one receiving from God and from the one who is doing the laying on of hands, for if faith from both parties were not required then Jesus could have ensured that God’s power would have been transferred through the laying on of His hands in His hometown of Nazareth. But as the above quoted passage scripture reveals to us, even Jesus was not able to impart God’s power through the laying on of His hands, if the individuals He ministered to refused to believe. The people in Jesus home town couldn’t accept the fact that this person, who had grown up among them, was an anointed prophet of God. And so their unbelief prevented Jesus from performing any mighty miracle that He had been able to perform in all the other surrounding towns. That truth is clearly evident in this passage, for our Lord Jesus had faith in the anointing of God that was upon Him and He was ready to release God’s power through the laying on of His hands. But in His hometown of Nazareth there were not many who received God’s power through the Lord, simply because they just didn’t believe, and the scripture declares that our Lord marvelled at their unbelief. In fact, unbelief is the biggest hindrance to the power of God being made manifest through the laying on of hands. I have experienced instances when the power of God has been so strong in my hands (it’s as if raw electricity is flowing through them) that I cannot close them. And yet on those occasions when I have laid hands on some individuals who have asked for prayer for healing, nothing happened and I could feel that no transference of power took place. So what was the reason? The answer is simple, unbelief.
Michael E.B. Maher
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