As we read the Gospels, the most common method that Jesus used to heal the sick was by laying hands on them (Luke 4;40; Mark 8:23).

When Christ touched people, the healing virtue flowed out from Jesus into the person that He was touching (Mark 5:30).

Since Jesus was functioning fully as a man filled with the Holy Spirit, He was the pattern for how Divine healing happens today. When we lay hands on people, the Holy Spirit inside us flows into the other person.

But on the odd occasion, we also see anomalies to this practice, such as long-distance healing, when Jesus healed people without touching them.

We know that Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus shouting while standing outside Lazarus’ tomb (John 11:42-44). At this point, Christ was probably only a few yards away from the body.

But in another instance, the healing of the centurion’s servant, Jesus, who was traveling to the centurion’s home, though close to the man’s home was undoubtedly further away when the healing occurred (Luke 7:6-10).

In both these instances, Jesus did not lay His hands on either of these two people, but I suspect the same principle of transference was still in effect. The healing power of the Holy Spirit left Christ’s power and touched their bodies.

We also have a modern example of this type of long-distance healing, involving Rebecca Costco. In January 2023, Rebecca, 62, was diagnosed with premature ventricular contractions (PVC) after going to hospital emergency after having irregular heartbeats, Christian Learning reports.

Though not necessarily serious on their own, PVCs can be a sign of a more serious heart condition. They can also potentially cause more serious problems long term, and Rebecca was concerned because her father had died of congestive heart failure.

This was further complicated by Rebecca’s husband, who was dealing with prostate cancer.

One morning, Rebecca was watching the 700 Club, as she normally does, when CBN host Ashley Key had an unusual prayer.

“I just believe somebody’s watching with a severe heart condition and I believe God is healing you of this heart condition right now, in Jesus’ name,” Ashley said. “And I believe there’s a lot of heart palpitations because of this and it kind of takes your breath away when that happens. I believe God is touching you right now as you’re laying your hand on your chest over your heart. God is healing your heart right now in Jesus’ name.”

As soon as she heard this, Rebecca immediately claimed that healing, and as she did, Rebecca noticed immediately that her irregular heartbeat had stopped.

“Everything settled down. And I started laughing and crying,” Rebecca said. “I smiled and laughed, rejoiced and praised. I knew that that was mine.”

The very next day, March 1, 2023, Rebecca was scheduled for a stress test with her doctor. After running the procedure, Rebecca said the doctor appeared confused.

“He goes, ‘I don’t know about that, but you’re fine. I’m just telling you now, that you have an excellent cardiac prognosis. There’s nothing wrong with you,’” Rebecca said.

We have no idea how far the 700 Club broadcast booth was from Rebecca’s home, but I suspect it was probably hundreds of miles.

But Ashley had a word of knowledge, which is one of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8), where we receive divine revelation about a situation that we otherwise wouldn’t know.

By obeying and declaring, Rebecca received her long-distance healing.