Intro
God has a lot to say about healing! This is a loaded biblical topic for sure. In this post, we won’t go over everything, but we’ll try our best to get some of the basics down.
The goal of this post is to answer the question: What does God say about healing? We will be looking at topics like: Is healing real? Does healing always mean something miraculous? Is healing for today? And how can someone be healed?
God’s Promises of Healing
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” — Psalm 103:2-3
A common theme and truth throughout Scripture is the relationship between forgiveness and healing. Forgiveness and healing are almost always put together. When you are healed, you are forgiven; when you are forgiven, you are healed. And the Lord is the one who forgives and heals us!
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5
A prophecy given by Isaiah of the coming Messiah, that He would be the propitiation for our sins and, in turn, bring us peace and healing.
“’He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.’” — 1 Peter 2:24
Peter reminds us of the prophecy in Isaiah that Jesus bore our iniquities on the cross. We can be dead to sin (forgiven and transformed), and as a result, our spirits and bodies are healed.
Healing isn’t always miraculous
“The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.” — Psalm 41:3
Healing isn’t always miraculous in the sense that it may not happen instantly. Nonetheless I believe all healing is miraculous! We have confidence that the Lord is our healer! Even if sickness comes upon us, we can be sure that the Lord is sustaining and healing us, regardless of how instantaneous it may be.
Importance of Community for Healing
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” — James 5:16
When we confess our sins to each other and pray for each other, there is a genuine healing that occurs—mentally, spiritually, and physically. There is plenty of science that supports this truth, as well as many Scriptures.
Note also that the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. When we are righteous before God, our prayers are powerful! And we are righteous before God when we believe in Jesus and live in the transformation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” — James 5:14-15
God has called us to fellowship with each other. The gathering together of the saints is so important as a believer.
Against the Misconception That Healing Was Only for Jesus and the Apostles
“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” — Matthew 10:1
Jesus gave His disciples authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. We also see in Luke 10 that He gave 72 others authority to do the same. This is significant because it shows that it wasn’t just Jesus who had the authority to heal, but also His disciples and those who believed.
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” — Mark 16:17-18
These signs will accompany those who believe! I don’t know about you, but I don’t see a time limit on that! We can be sure that believers in Jesus will be experiencing, seeing, and working in these miracles. God’s desire is for all to be made well, and He has given believers the faith and authority to carry out this desire.
Personal Testimony
There have been times when I prayed either for myself or for someone else, and nothing seemed to happen. I have prayed for sickness to go, for my feet to be healed of calluses, and for people to be healed of many things. Most of the time, it seemed to be in vain. But here is the reality:
I exercised my faith in God every time I prayed. I put into practice the Word of God. I don’t know if it was a lack of faith, if I didn’t pray hard or long enough, or if I didn’t pray exactly right. What I do know is that it is not God’s fault, like many would suggest.
Regardless of the times when “nothing” happened, there were also genuine miraculous things that did happen when I prayed. Once, I prayed for my friend’s knee to be healed, and the next morning, all pain was gone.
Another occasion, I prayed for a youth at camp, and his sickness almost immediately left him. Not only this, but I have seen countless miracles happen when others have prayed too.
My encouragement to you is to keep praying. Don’t allow a few—or even a few hundred—“failed” attempts to stop you. Because what if just one time, someone genuinely experiences the healing power of God? Wouldn’t all those lost times be worth it?
Something that gets in the way of people praying for healing is pride. You don’t want to seem weird or dumb. But what if it isn’t about us, and it’s actually about the kingdom of God?
What if you pray for someone and they aren’t healed on the outside, but something changes in them on the inside? Never discount any prayer you make. God is bigger than what you pray.
Practical Application
- Believe God – Believe God when He says in His Word that He loves you and has forgiven and healed you.
- Keep Praying – Never give up praying. Even if you don’t see it working, that is what we call faith: “the evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen.” You will eventually see it, but faith says, “I trust God even when I don’t yet see it.”
- Fellowship with the Saints – When we consistently fellowship with other believers, our faith is built, and we glorify God. We are in a place where we can come to someone when we need healing or encouragement.
- Keep God the Center – Always keep God at the center. When you or someone else is healed, don’t glorify the miracle; glorify God. If healing doesn’t come, don’t glorify the sickness—rejoice in God.
Conclusion
Our God is our healer. He is Jehovah Rapha. He healed all our diseases and sickness—spiritual and physical—on the cross. His Word is full of the truth that He is our healer. So let us believe His Word and live as believers.
Make sure to stay tuned for the next post in the series, “What Does God Say About Your Mental Health?” And if you haven’t already, check out the last post on “What Does God Say About Your Health?”
References
Bible Gateway. (n.d.). BibleGateway.com. Retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/