What does the Bible say concerning God's will in healing the sick?
We receive many answered prayer requests
here at Answers2Prayer and we do rejoice with people who
were healed through the stripes of Jesus Christ. "This is
fine and well, but I am sick and was wondering if Jesus
cared enough to heal me. Is healing God's will for my life?"
Excellent question, which I will try to answer using God's
Word.
1. Faith is crucial
In anything we do, we need faith. If I don't have faith that
a certain chair will hold me, I will not sit down in it. The
consequences may be painful, as I will have to stand if no
other seats are available! The same is true is that if we do
not have faith in God, God cannot bless us.
James 1:6-8 "But when he asks, he must believe and not
doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he
will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all he does." NIV
Heb 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." NIV
"But does God want to heal me? If He really wants to, I will
put my faith in Him." It is true that you cannot have faith
in obtaining something from God if you do not know if it is
His will. Is healing God's will for you?
2. God's Word: Revelation of God's Will
To know God's will, we need to study God's Scriptures. In it
His character is revealed. In it only truth, God's truth can
be found.
Rom 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the
message, and the message is heard through the word of
Christ." NIV
Faith needs to be build on God's Word. We cannot rely on
others. We cannot rely on our pastors. We cannot rely on our
church. We can only rely on God's Word to know the truth!
God's Word guarantees that Num 23:19 "God is not a man, that
he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and
not fulfill?" NIV God will never lie to you. It's one of the
things He just cannot do. It is against His nature.
King Solomon discovered that 1 Kings 8:56 "Praise be to the
LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he
promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises."
NIV
We can trust God's Word. It is the only source that will
never lie to us. Ps 119:89 "Your word, O LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens." NIV
3. Depending on God's Holy Spirit
We can boldly ask for anything that God has promised us
through His Word. If it is not specifically mentioned in the
Bible, we need to depend on His Holy Spirit. "John 16:13
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you
into all truth." NIV God's Holy Spirit however will never go
against God's Word!
Depending on the Lord will bring you many blessings. Prov
3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths." KJV
4. Clear Biblical issues
There are some issues where the Bible is clear on:
a. We do not need to know God's will concerning someone's
salvation: 1 Tim 2:3-4 "God our Savior, who wants all men to
be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." NIV
b. We do not need to know God's will concerning baptism by
water. Acts 2:38 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins." NIV
c. We do not need to know God's will concerning baptism in
the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38-39 "And you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children
and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God
will call." NIV
d. We do not need to know God's will if whether we should
pray. 1 Thess 5:17 "Pray continually." NIV
e. We do not need to know God's will if whether we should
study His Word. 2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth." KJV
f. We do not need to know God's will if whether we should
lead a moral life. 1 Thess 5:22 "Avoid every kind of evil."
NIV
But what is God's will concerning healing?
5. Book of Psalms
The book of Psalms let us know what God's will is concerning
diseases. Ps 103:2-3 2 "Praise the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits-- who forgives all your sins and
heals all your diseases." NIV
The Hebrew word for diseases is "tachaluw" and means
physical disease, sickness.
6. Jesus
What is amazing in Jesus' ministry on this planet, is that
He never refused to heal anyone. He never turned away and
said that it wasn't God's will to heal a certain person. He
never once said that a certain sick person needed to be
sick, so that he could learn some spiritual truths. He never
once said to a sick person that he would be eventually
healed when he got to heaven. Never once!
Healing was a priority in His ministry. Jesus' message of
salvation went hand in hand with His ministry of healing.
When the pastors of his day opposed Jesus' healing ministry,
He continued to heal people that were brought to Him. He
never used restraint in His healing ministry.
Matt 12:13-15 "Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your
hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely
restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went
out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this,
Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he
healed all their sick."NIV When threatened, He withdrew, but
never stopped healing the sick. Notice the word "all". Jesus
did not play favourites. He healed all the sick.
When the crowd would press around Jesus, trying to touch
Him, Matt 14:36 "all who touched him were healed." NIV
Jesus was always willing to heal. Luke 4:40 "When the sun
was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various
kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he
healed them." NIV
Have you notice that the gospels like to stress the word
"all" when referring to Jesus' healings? Notice this in the
following texts:
Luke 6:19 "and the people all tried to touch him, because
power was coming from him and healing them all." NIV
Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and
healing all who were under the power of the devil, because
God was with him." NIV
Matt 4:23 "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and
healing every disease and sickness among the people." NIV
7. Jesus' healing power was not reserved for only Himself
Jesus clearly gave authority to His disciples to heal
others. Matt 10:1 "He called his twelve disciples to him and
gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal
every disease and sickness." NIV
This healing power was not reserved to just the disciples of
Jesus. Luke 10:1-2, 9 "After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to
every town and place where he was about to go. He told them,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the
Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his
harvest field…Heal the sick who are there and tell them,
'The kingdom of God is near you.'" NIV
This healing power was given to all believers. Mark 16:17-18
"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my
name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new
tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when
they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they
will place their hands on sick people, and they will get
well." NIV
After Jesus had risen and was taken back to heaven, His
disciples continued His healing ministry. Acts 5:15-16 "As a
result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid
them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might
fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also
from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and
those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were
healed." NIV
Jesus directives to us are clear. His healing ministry must
continue!
8. Jesus willingness to heal
Most of those that encountered Jesus assumed that He wanted
to heal them. Only one man questioned Jesus' willingness.
That man was a leper. Matt 8:2-4 "A man with leprosy came
and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing,
you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and
touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." NIV
Is Jesus willing to heal you?
"I am willing,"
Case closed.
9. The word "Will"
The use of "will" in reference to healing is further
evidence that God wants to heal. Notice the use of that word
in the context of salvation, as well as in the context of
healing.
Acts 2:21 21 "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved." NIV
Mark 16:18 "They will place their hands on sick people, and
they will get well." NIV
James 5:14-16 Is any one of you sick? He should call the
elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with
oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith
will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.
If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. NIV
Do you need any further evidence? God is willing to heal us.
Jesus died on Calvary so that you could walk in perfect,
divine health. 1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." NIV
10. Diseases in heaven
Notice how many diseases there will be in heaven: Rev 21:3-4
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with
them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with
them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain, for the old order of things has passed away." NIV
If you are suffering right now, just look towards your
Saviour. He wants you to be healed. He guarantees your
complete healing in heaven. You can trust Him. He can and
will heal you now.
Rob Chaffart
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Firstly we should understand that it is not
God's will that any should be sick, however, just as we die
so do we get sick. It is our inheritance from our first
mother and father and their disobedience that brought all
such things upon the human race.
The bible has many stories of the sick being healed and
indeed, any reader of our prayer and praise newsletter will
have been informed of miraculous cases of healing. Yet it is
also obvious that the majority of requests for healing do
not get answered. Why? I wish I could explain that!
We have been given instructions to follow when requesting
healing. How many follow these instructions?
Jam 5:14 Is any sick among you? 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:
Jam 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and
the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins,
they shall be forgiven him.
Jam 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one
for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Note that it says 'the prayer of faith'. When Jesus healed
the sick He used the words 'Your faith has made you whole'.
The key is faith. Both of the aflicted and the ones praying
for healing. If then someone is not healed is it an
indication that there was not enough faith? Not necessarily.
The faith we need is that God 'can' heal. Having faith that
God 'can' heal does not mean that He will.
God is not a servant that we can call on and He must do our
will. It is us that must do God's will.
God knows the future, and He knows us. If we have faith in
God we should also be willing to leave to Him the decision
to heal us. We should ask; and then relax, knowing it is in
God's hands and that it will all work out for the best. Not
necessarily for the best for us, but the best for God's
purpose for us.
There is a story of a minister of religion, a man of great
faith, whose baby son became seriously ill such that he was
going to die. This minister fought against the death of his
son with all the prayer he could muster from members of his
congregation and of other churches. The matter became one of
public interest. It was as though the minister made such an
issue of it that God's credibility was at stake if the boy
was not healed. Against all the odds, the boy survived and
the minister gave many testimonies to the power of prayer to
influence God. However, as the boy matured, he became
lawless, committed murder and was hung for his crimes. The
minister then regretted his action in organizing such
widespread prayer when the child was sick. He realised then
that had he simply prayed that God would do what was best,
and left the matter with Him, the boy would have died and
become part of the Kingdom of God, but now was lost.
I tell you this story to point out that it is better to
leave these life and death decisions to God and accept the
outcome as being the best. Even if it is difficult to know
that at the time. That is the sort of faith one needs.
Often I have seen prayers for healing for someone who is
elderly and with a terminal illness. Are such prayers
submitted out of concern for the best interest of the
elderly person, or from the selfish interest of the relative
who does not want to face their loss? We must understand
that death will be the last enemy to be defeated. Death will
not be defeated until the last of the wicked, together with
Satan and his wicked angels, have been extinguished in the
'lake of fire' following the judgement at the end. We will
then go on to a world made new in which there will be no
more death. We must all face our end of days and most of us
will be sick when this happens. Prayer for healing of
someone whose time has run out will probably not succeed. I
say 'probably' because of cases where it has. Good king
Hezekiah for instance pleaded with God for more time after
God told him he was at his end. He was granted another 15
years during which time he sired his successor, the worst
king Israel ever had. Had Hezekiah accepted his death
instead of pleading for more time, Israel's future may have
been quite different.
Another aspect is a promise of God;
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh
reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life everlasting.
If you have misused your body it is quite possible that you
are only reaping what you have sown. Your degenerative
disease is not only a lesson to you but is a witness to
others around you. If your children see the suffering caused
by your long use of tobacco, for instance, it should have
the effect of warning them against such for themselves.
Healing of your illness may not be in the best interests of
yourself or those close to you. This you should accept and
leave the matter with God. You are assured that if you stop
sowing to your flesh and sow to the Spirit, you will inherit
life everlasting.
So in answer to the question, I would have to say that it is
not always possible to know God's will in healing the sick,
even for esteemed men of God. We should have the faith to
submit our will to God and let the final decision rest with
Him. We should then be able to praise Him for the outcome,
knowing that it was for the best, even if it is not the
outcome we would have wanted. Thoughts of self and our
concern at possible loss we will suffer should be put aside
and replaced with inner peace, knowing that both us and our
situation are under control with God. We should realize that
our reward is not in this world but in the next, and that
here, we are to place ourselves at God's disposal, to use
us, even as martyrs if need be, to save as many as He can.
Do you have such faith dear reader? Are you able to say,
"Here am I, send me!" ? If not, if your focus is on personal
concerns, cares of this life and material possessions, and
you would like that inner peace I spoke of, answer 'The
Savior's Call' in this newsletter.
Lance Wearmouth
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You need to have FAITH
that God WILL heal. He wants to heal all people.
Mtt.17:14-21 says~ I tell you the truth, if you have faith
as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,
`Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you.
Heb. 13:8 says~ Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and
today, and forever.
Be assured, God’s Word is clear, IT IS GOD’S WILL to heal,
ALL the sick who call on Him in FAITH.
Mtt. 7:8 says~ Everyone who asks receives.
God has promised to heal everyone who asks, just as He’s
promised to forgive everyone who asks. HE will NOT break His
promises. It is always His will to keep His promise. That is
why we can ask in absolute FAITH and expect God to fulfill
His Word. Faith is knowing God WILL do what He said He will
do.
James 5:14 says~ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for
the elders of the church, and let them pray over him...and
the prayer of FAITH will save the sick, and the Lord will
raise him up.
Exodus 15:26 says~ I am the Lord who heals you.
Psalm 103:3 says~ Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not
all his benefits. Who forgives all your sins and heals all
your diseases. That includes you if you believe God's Word.
FAITH is the key hear. FAITH in God's word, His promises and
in Jesus Christ our Savior. Faith with ALL your heart and
soul and being. Faith with all that you are and all that you
have. 100% FAITH! MAY ALL BE BLESSED!
Love DeeDee
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I believe God's wants to heal all the sick: "I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers".
Dave
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God is Jehovah-Rophe - Jehovah heals.
God is our healer. It is his will for us to be healed.
God changes not!
Healing is for today! God is the same today, and he was
yesterday as he will be forever!
The blessings of Abraham are ours!
Galatians 3:14 and the first half of the 28th chapter of
Deuteronomy!
Satan's dominion over us as new creatures in Christ has
ended. Jesus is our Lord!
Confession: By HIS stripes I was healed! God’s Word tells me I was healed almost 2000 years ago by HIS stripes. If I was healed then I am healed. Healing belongs to me because I am in Christ.
Confess that Christ is your redemption. Confess that you are redeemed. Confess that Satan has no more dominion over you---and hold fast to that confession.
Confession: the law of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
James 4:7 . . . Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you. . . . Oh, the devil's not so afraid
of you as an individual. But when you find out what
your rights and privileges are in Christ . . . When you find
out the name of Jesus belongs to you . . . When he knows
that you have learned what that name will do . . . Then he
will run from you as if in
terror.
Confession: Because I am in Christ, the greater one lives in me. He is great then the devil. Greater then disease. Greater then circumstances. And He lives in me!
"God is in me now." Your confession of faith will cause him to work in your behalf. He will rise up in you and give you success. The master of creation is in you.
Confession: I am a conqueror! Sooner or later you will become what you confess.
Confession: Through Christ, my Lord, I can do all things. He strengthens me. I cannot be conquered. I cannot be defeated. I can do all things through Him.
Flesh and natural human reasoning would
limit us to our own ability. We look to the
circumstances, the problems, the tests and storms and say
that we can't. The language of doubt, the flesh, and
the senses is,
"I can't. I haven’t the ability, the opportunity, or
the strength. I'm limited."
But the language of faith says, "i can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." the strength of God is ours. We do not trust in our own strength---the bible says nothing about our being strong in ourselves. It says that God is our strength.
Healing scripture
1. Deuteronomy - Chapter 28
2. Galatians - Chapter 3
3. Epheisans - 1:16-23 and 3: 14-21
DAILY CONFESSION
According to Deuteronomy 28:61
___________sickness of ___________ is a curse of the law;
but according to Galatians
3:13 CHRIST redeemed ___________ from the curse of the law.
Therefore, ___________ NO longer has __________ disease.
Healing scriptures
Proverbs 4:20-23
Joshua 21:45
Philippians 2:13
Romans 8:2,11
2 Corinthians 1:20
Matthew 8:2,3; 8:17; 18:18; 18:19
Exodus 15:25; 23;25
Deuteronomy 7:15; 30:19
Malachi 3:10
Psalm 103:1-5; 107:20; 91:16; 91:10; 34:7; 112:7
Isaiah 53:5; 43:25-26; 27:5; 55:11
Jeremiah 30:17
Mark 11:22-24; 16:17-18
John 9:31; 10:10
Galatians 3:13-14
Hebrews 10:23; 10:35; 13:8; 4:12,14
Joel 3:10
3 John 2
James 5:14-15; 4:7
1 Peter 2:24
1 John 5:14-15; 3:21-22
2 Timothy 1:7
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Ephesians 6:10-13, 16
Revelation 12:11
Nahum 1:9
Praise God for his healing power.
I happen to be a witness that God heals. Praise his
holy name. God bless you, abundantly, over and above
that which you could ever ask or think, in Jesus precious
name.
Love you lots,
Your friend, always,
Jeannie
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Praise the Lord!
I pray that God will open the eyes of our understanding about God's will for divine healing.
I John 5:14-15 says "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. God's will is found in His Word. In fact God's will IS His Word. Therefore, we need to search His Word to find out His will for divine healing.
Psalm 107:20 says "He sent his Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. We know that Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-2). According to Isaiah 55:10-11, God's Word will not return to Him void. Therefore, when God sends a Word of healing to us, we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5 says "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." This passage is referring to Jesus. He already paid the price for our sins. I heard that there are thirty-nine major categories of diseases in the world. Jesus took thirty-nine lashes with the whip. Therefore, Jesus paid the price for EVERY major category of diseases. We do not have to accept any form of sickness (physical, mental, emotional or spiritual). We need to accept what Jesus did for us at Calvary.
Mark 16:18 says "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER."
James 5:14-15 says "Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." If we examine the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will find that He healed many people. He then transferred the same power to His disciples who transferred the same power to other believers. If it were not God's will for us to be healed of any sickness, then why did Jesus heal all of those people? Why did He give us the same power to heal people?
III John 2 says "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prosper."
It appears that it is God's will for us to be made whole (spirit, soul and body). However, our prayers could be hindered by a number of factors such as unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, hatred, sin, etc. Mark 11:25-26 says "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Please do not let anything hinder you from experiencing God's best for your life be it healing, deliverance, prosperity, marriage, etc. May God richly bless you as you receive His Word concerning healing.
Melvin Lewis
