For the longest time I tried to figure out the hows, whys, and whens of divine healing. I wanted to be able to boil everything down to a step-by-step, one-two-three healing formula so I could say, “If you want to get healed, all you have to do is follow these steps.” But I finally concluded that it doesn’t work that way.
If two people followed the same steps, one might get healed and the other might not. No two people are exactly alike, and God works differently in each of our lives—not only in the matter of healing, but also in our circumstances, the lessons He teaches us, the tests He puts us through, and the blessings He gives.
When we realize this, we can better understand why in some cases He heals us and in other cases He doesn’t—at least not right away.
Divine wisdom at work
Each of us is a complex physical and spiritual being. Our Maker knows everything about us—our every thought, our every weakness, our every joy, our every need. He knows what tests and trials we need to endure to become all we can be, and He measures these things out to us in the exact portion He knows we need. So it is with our afflictions.
Two people could have the same affliction, they could both pray to be healed, and one could get healed immediately and the other not. Does this mean that the one who gets healed immediately is stronger spiritually or closer to God than the other? Not necessarily. The reasons God allowed these two people to be afflicted in the first place may have been completely different. If His reasons for allowing the afflictions are different, then His reasons for how and when He chooses to heal are different as well.
Faith for healing
I’ve suffered from a serious and supposedly incurable eye problem for over 20 years, yet I consider that I have faith for healing. I’ve made a partial recovery over the past several years—far greater than my doctors said was possible, in fact—but I still don’t know when my complete healing will happen. I have no doubt, though, that sooner or later it will. If God doesn’t want to heal me completely right now, then He’s not going to give me faith for immediatehealing, but I do have faith for eventual healing.
I can trust my life and health and eyes to God, because I have faith in His love and know that His ways and thoughts are far above mine.1 I believe that He knows what’s best for me, and that He will heal me according to His plan and His timetable. To me, that’s the best kind of faith—knowing that God is in complete control, trusting Him to make it all turn out the way He wants it to, and expecting Him to carry me through till it happens.
It’s not just a question of having faith for healing; it’s a question of having faith to accept God’s design for our lives, whatever that may be. We have to find and accept the Romans 8:28—“All things work together for good to those who love God”—in our situation. In each and every case where we trust God and don’t give up, it will eventually bear good fruit.
In God’s time
Sometimes God may not heal us right away because He knows we’re more open to what He’s trying to teach us when we have an affliction. If He isn’t ready to heal us, then how can we have faith for healing? Faith is a gift of God, and He’s not going to give us the faith for healing until He’s ready to heal us. In such cases, what He wants to give us is faith to endure and see our situation in a positive light. Then, when He’s ready to heal, He’ll give us the faith for that.
Perhaps you are weak in faith for healing, but that can be remedied through the Word—faith is built by studying the Word. Or perhaps it’s not yet God’s time to heal you because there are things He wants to teach you first. Or perhaps He wants to use you as a good example to others. Whatever the case, real faith is trusting God and doing what He shows you to do in your situation, whether you get healed or not.
Do what you can
God is able to intervene when we are sick, to restore health, to alleviate discomfort and pain, to reverse damage from disease, and even to remove the cause of the sickness. Sometimes He chooses to do this supernaturally, as millions of people have experienced, but usually He chooses to work within the natural laws that He has set up, which He expects us to follow as best we can. That includes eating properly, exercising appropriately and consistently, getting enough sleep, minimizing stress, keeping clean, taking precautions to prevent accidents, and giving our bodies what they need for healing when we do get sick. He will rarely override His natural laws to do something for us that we could have done for ourselves.
When something goes wrong in the body, understanding the problem and what might have caused it is usually one of the first steps to healing. The best place to start is in prayer. Ask God to show you what physical or spiritual problems may be involved and what you can do to correct them. Good doctors are specialists at diagnosing physical problems, so seeking one or more medical opinions is often also part of doing what we can. That doesn’t take away from the roles of faith and God’s power to heal miraculously. Rather, gaining a clearer understanding of our situation and options puts us in a better position to understand how God might want to work in our particular case, so we can make informed decisions and channel our faith and prayers accordingly.
Personal comfort
One thing that can make your physical afflictions easier to bear is knowing that you can pray and receive personal, specific words of love, comfort, encouragement, and guidance. You don’t have to be in the dark about what God is doing in your life, or be plagued by unanswered questions. You can pray and receive His help in the form of personal messages that will be exactly what you need at the time.
He can show you why, in His love, He has allowed your illness to continue, as well as what He wants you to do about it—how to go about securing His healing. Faith comes by hearing the Word, and that is true not only of His recorded Word, the Bible, but also the words of specific encouragement, instruction, and guidance that He can give you personally.
He’s eager to speak to you. He wants to lighten your burdens and make your ailments easier to bear. He loves you and He will never suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, but will always make a way to escape.2 That way of escape often comes through His personal comfort and encouragement that will lift you over the storm and bring you to the light of a brighter day.
Sometimes one such message is all it takes, but if you’re fighting a serious or long-term illness, you’ll want to pray often for any further instruction or encouragement God may have for you, because circumstances and conditions change. And if you ever have questions about the words, promises, or explanations He gives, just ask Him about them. He never grows weary of answering your questions. He delights in making it as easy as possible for you, because He loves you so. Let Him bear your burdens, ease your pain, and lighten your load by letting Him speak to your heart through prophecy.
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James 1:5 ESV If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
James 3:17 ESV But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
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