Note: This lesson builds on Lesson 25 – Redemption from Sickness and Disease, which lays out the theological framework for healing. This is more of a practical application.

One of the signs that should accompany the proclamation of the gospel is healing. Jesus instructed his disciples…

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.  Matthew 10:7–8 (NASB95) — 

"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:17-18 (NASB) 

Few things make us more desperate for a Savior than being sick, especially when there is nothing that a doctor can do for us. Sickness and disease are products of Adam’s sin, which corrupted creation and introduced death in all its forms. It represents an aberration from God’s original intent. The suffering it brings is a reminder of our weakness and mortality and reveals our need for a Savior.

Healing is a function of God’s mercy and love and reveals his desire to relieve human suffering.

When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.  Matthew 14:14 (NASB95) —

In Exodus 15:26, God revealed that one of His names is, “Jehovah Rapha”… “I AM the LORD, who heals you.” The literal translation of this name is: “I AM your healing.” Healing is one of God’s unchanging attributes, and although God’s plans may change, He himself never changes (see Mal. 3:6). If God’s nature was to heal then, it is still His nature to heal today. [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (pp. 37-38). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”  Exodus 15:26 (NASB95) — 

In this verse, healing depended on Israel’s obedience. In the New Covenant, however, our healing is directly connected to Christ’s obedience. He earned our healing through his suffering.

Jesus accomplished our healing by the wounds He received during His passion and crucifixion. In other words, healing is part of the atonement.

An unbiased reading of Isaiah 53 can lead to no other conclusion.

Surely he took up our infirmities [literally, sicknesses] and carried our sorrows [literally, pains], yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV)

The same Hebrew verbs refer to His carrying our sins and sicknesses. If He carried one away, then He did the same for the other. This interpretation is corroborated by Peter in his first letter.

He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

In order to make it even more clear, the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to write the following, which absolutely links Isaiah 53 to physical healing.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. All the spirits fled when he commanded them to leave; and he healed all the sick. 17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through Isaiah, who said, "He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases." Matthew 8:16-17 (NLT)

Once a debt is paid, it never needs to be paid again. Jesus paid the debt for our sins and purchased our healing in the process.

The gospels link forgiveness to healing. Both are fruit of what Jesus accomplished by his passion, crucifixion, and resurrection.

“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”  Mark 2:9–12 (NASB95) — 

While it’s true that Jesus used this encounter as a visible demonstration of His authority to forgive sin, it also illustrates the relationship between forgiveness of sin and healing. Jesus has the same authority over both sin and sickness and the grace of God deals with them in the same way. With the same proclamation Jesus forgave the man’s sin and healed him of his sickness. [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (pp. 39-40). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

Jesus perfectly represents God the Father and his heart toward people. (Hebrews 1:3) Since he often healed people during his earthly ministry and commanded his disciples to do the same, we know that is God’s heart and intention.”

And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT)

[Jesus said…] and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  Luke 10:9 (NASB95) — 

Healing is “…a tangible demonstration of God’s power, love, mercy and compassion, a means of warfare against the kingdom of darkness, a means of making people spiritually, physically and emotionally whole and a way to bring people into a personal relationship with God.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 26). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

Some say that God no longer heals because now we have the written Bible, and we no longer need God to prove the truth of his message by demonstrations of power. The Word of God says, however, that Jesus is always the same.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8 (NASB95) — 

His compassion for people has not changed. God’s desire to prove the truth of the gospel has not changed. The only difference is that we in the West believe that we only need logical arguments to satisfy our thirst for truth. This is a very “Greek” way of thinking that does not reflect God’s wisdom.

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  1 Corinthians 1:22–24 (NASB95) — 

Everyone deeply needs to experience God’s power as well as his truth. That is why Paul operated in both realms when he brought the gospel to people.

and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.  1 Corinthians 2:4–5 (NASB95) — 

Healing is kind of a dinner bell calling people to salvation. When healing takes place, people flock to hear the gospel message. Nothing more clearly reveals God’s love and personal interest to a seeker than a physical healing.

When people see that Jesus has the power to heal, they can more readily believe He has the power to deliver their souls from hell, give them eternal life, redeem them for all oppression, and restore them to intimacy with the Father.

Healing not only applies to the body: God also heals the soul (mind, will, emotions). He heals marriages, old hurts and wounds, and areas in which we have been devastated by the devil, other people, or our own sin.

As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”  Psalm 41:4 (NASB95) — 

The Good Shepherd loves people and wants the best for us. Those who have his heart for others will feel the same and do as he did.

Jesus is looking for those who will take the gospel and his healing ministry to the lost and dying.

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”  Matthew 9:35–38 (NASB95) — 

Somehow, we have concluded that representatives of Christ should only preach the gospel. I think these verses and others reveal that we are to minister physical and other kinds of healing, too. Is our reluctance to do so because we are afraid of looking foolish if healing does not seem to take place? Are we more concerned about our own reputation than we are determined to properly represent God’s heart to those who need his healing touch?

After His resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Acts of the Apostles records that the early Christians preached the gospel with signs following that confirmed the truth of their words. This has been the pattern for evangelism from the beginning of the church.

Healing and evangelism are inextricably linked.

Healing has been called the “children’s bread,” which refers to Jesus’ conversation with the Syro-Phoenician woman. She begged Jesus to heal her daughter, but Our Lord replied that it was not proper to take the “children’s bread” and cast it to the “dogs,” an analogical and perhaps derogatory term for non-Jewish people. Not to be deterred, this faith-filled woman responded that even the dogs eat the crumbs from the family table. Jesus responded to her humility and persistent faith by granting her request.

From this passage we learn that anyone who comes to the Lord with persistent faith can reasonably expect Him to mercifully heal them and their loved ones. Warning: this is not a law or a rule, but a principle.

This principle of God’s willingness to heal us is confirmed by Jesus’ words to the leper who asked to be healed.

While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 13 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.  Luke 5:12–13 (NASB95) — 

There is no record of Jesus ever denying someone who asked for healing.

“Jesus healed all who came to Him. No one was turned away. As long as people were willing to be healed, He was willing to heal them. He didn’t heal all who were sick, but rather, He healed all who were willing to be made well.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 41). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

But what about when we pray and healing does not (seem to?) take place? All sorts of theories have been advanced as to why this happens. Some have concluded that the faith of the one seeking healing or the one praying was deficient since healing has been bought and paid for already. Some have looked for other reasons, such as unconfessed sin or other such hindrances.

While all these things may play a factor, I believe it is important for us to acknowledge that sometimes we simply do not know why some are not healed.

We should not “blame” the unhealed person or the minister for not having enough faith, even though that may be the case. The blame game belongs to the devil, the Accuser of the Brethren, and could put us in the same camp as Job’s friends who said that his suffering was a punishment for his sin, when that was not the case at all. God was simply dealing with Job in an incomprehensible way. It was only at the end that it became clear what God had accomplished through Job’s suffering.

We need to disassociate ourselves from looking for deficiencies in ourselves and others. Instead, it is important for us to see ourselves as Christ’s representatives.

“The key to operating in the power of God is in knowing your identity in Christ and knowing how He wants to work in you. You must shed the false identities you’ve accepted from man and receive the identity given to you by God.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 52). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

When it comes to healing, our primary responsibility always is to love people, trust God, and hold on to what the Bible teaches, regardless of the perceived outcome.

We will never go wrong if we seek to bring glory and honor to our Lord by our attitude, words, and actions. The one who endures the adversity of apparently not being healed and does not complain or accuse God perhaps glorifies God more than the person who experiences physical healing. Who is sufficient for these things?

If we are suffering from sickness, the first thing we can do is fully surrender to God and ask Him to glorify Himself through our lives and our present situation. I believe by so doing we maximize our ability to hear His voice, know His will, and believe His Word.

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.  1 Peter 2:24 (NASB95) — 

The truth is that we already have been healed, whether it appears so or not. The price was fully paid at Calvary.

Faith receives our healing immediately without waiting for any outward manifestation. Nevertheless, the timing and method of our experiencing that healing lies entirely with God.

We still live in a fallen world. Everyone is destined to die, barring Christ’s return before that happens. (Hebrews 9:27) The most perfect expression of healing will take place at the resurrection when these mortal bodies will be replaced by spiritual ones that will never get sick or die. Until then, we live in a sin-scarred world having bodies that are still subject to the effects of Adam’s sin. Our spirits are made perfect at the new birth. Our souls are being transformed day by day, but our bodies will not be perfected until the resurrection. This means we must be okay ministering inside the tension created by the “already / not yet” aspect of the kingdom of God.

Christ already paid the price for our healing, but we don’t always see an immediate result when we pray. However, our faith always rests upon the completed aspect of healing.

Here are some practical tips for praying for the sick.

1. Practically speaking, we should expect that God will heal each time we pray.

2. Teach those receiving ministry that they play a part, too.
   • They can ask for healing,
   • Believe for healing,
   • Receive their healing, and
   • Thank God for their healing. All of which requires faith and an open heart.

3. Prior to praying, it might be advisable to share some Bible verses with the sick person to elevate his or her faith. Remind the one receiving ministry that…
   • One of God’s compound names is the Lord who heals us. It is his nature to heal.
   • Jesus already paid the price for our healing.
   • Jesus further revealed God’s desire to heal us by healing everyone who came to him.
   • Faith receives immediately what God promised before it ever sees any evidence. Faith is the evidence. (Hebrews 11:1)
   • Remember that our faith rests on the promises of God made effective by the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of our Lord Jesus.

We must understand that the power to heal resides with us. It is true that the power does not originate in us. It comes from God. But it comes to us and is released through us by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in us. We are something like portable power stations walking the earth. How marvelous it is that He has placed His treasure in these very earthen vessels. [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 84). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.] 

4. Worship is always a good thing. It brings the sick person and the one praying into the manifest presence of God. “God’s glory brings healing, deliverance, creative miracles, and much more into existence. Wherever God’s presence is manifested in this way, heaven touches earth.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 94). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]
   

5. Ask the Holy Spirit for any specific instructions.

“To operate successfully in healing it’s imperative to establish a strong, active relationship with the Holy Spirit. All that we do must be led and powered by the Spirit of God.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 103). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.] 

“Always invite the Holy Spirit to lead the healing encounter and allow Him to do with the person what He wants done. Ministry with the Holy Spirit is a dance. He leads and we follow.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 105). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

“A word of knowledge may be given to encourage us to pray for a condition we wouldn’t normally have faith to heal. One of the first words of knowledge I received was for a man with Lou Gehrig’s disease. At this point in my life I had no faith that I’d ever see this condition healed. When I gave the word to him and his wife, it boosted their hope.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 118). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.] 

“If you’d like to receive words of knowledge, ask God to reveal things to you and spend time getting to know His ways. The revelation gifts are relational and time is the commodity of relationships.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 119). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

6. It is a good idea to lay hands upon the sick, since Jesus often did it that way and the Bible encourages us to do the same. (Mark 16:18) The only place we are instructed to anoint with oil is in a command to elders in the church. (James 5:14)

7. When we pray for the sick, we should do so aloud with confidence, more in the way of a command than a petition. We represent Christ and enforce his victory by using our God-given authority to speak words of liberation.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;  Isaiah 61:1 (NASB95) — 

8. It is okay to pray more than once for a particular issue. Jesus did so in the case of the blind man who was only partially healed at first.

Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” 25 Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.  Mark 8:23–25 (NASB95) — 

 “Among my friends who have the highest success rates in healing, there is agreement on one approach that seems to work best. It involves commanding sickness or pain to leave and commanding healing to take its place. Don’t beg or plead with God to heal anyone. The most common mistake people make is begging God to heal. The second is quitting too soon. Persistence brings breakthrough. You’ll have to get used to a little embarrassment. You may look a bit foolish repeatedly commanding a broken leg to be healed when there is no outward sign that it’s helping. Yet the vast majority of healings I’ve seen came because I stood there looking like an idiot, repeatedly commanding an injury to be healed until it finally was healed.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (pp. 107-108). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

“When I started seeing people healed, most of it came after four or five times of commanding healing to happen. Be persistent and don’t quit. If you see any change in symptoms or severity of pain after four or five times, keep going. You’re making progress. If you see any change at all, you can eventually get it to go away completely.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (pp. 108-109). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

9. Consider the possibility that an evil spirit of infirmity might be present. We handle that by casting it out.

“If healing is going poorly consider the possibility that a spirit is present that must be removed.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 108). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.] 

“When praying with someone, if they suddenly experience pain they didn’t have before, or if a present sensation of pain moves to another part of the body or becomes worse, it’s a sure sign that an evil spirit is manifesting. Demons sometimes manifest to frighten their host. If the demon can create enough fear in the mind of its host they may ask you to stop praying for them, thinking you’re only making things worse. My advice in these cases is to tell them there is a spirit present and the increased pain is a tactic it’s using to frighten them. Ask if you may continue and reassure them it will eventually leave.” [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (pp. 163-164). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

“If someone receives prayer from multiple people with a good track record for healing and no progress is being made, it almost certainly points to a demonic presence that hasn’t been dealt with.”  [Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 219). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.]

10. We should not be afraid to ask the person if they experienced healing after we pray. We may discover that the person was completely healed, only partially healed, or nothing seemed to happen. Our attitude should be to stick with it as long as it takes as long as the recipient is willing. Just listen to the Lord and do what he says. Once I prayed for my wife to be healed of a headache. Afterward I asked her if it was gone. She said no, so I prayed again. The second time it left immediately.

Refuse to be embarrassed if nothing seems to happen. Our reputation is not on the line. God’s is, and he can handle it.

If after repeated prayer, no healing seems to take place, I usually tell the person to keep believing because every healing is not instantaneous.

We must also keep in mind that eventually we all will die.

Healing is always a temporary fix at best. The resurrection is the final solution for these mortal bodies, which are wearing out and proceeding inexorably toward death.

May God be glorified by our faith in His promises and our trust in his loving kindness, wisdom, and sovereign power, no matter what. May we glorify God by receiving our healing by faith and by trusting him even if we do not experience healing in this life. May the gospel be confirmed by the bold pronouncement of healing in Jesus’ name followed by healing and miracles!

For further reading, I recommend two other books. Christ the Healer by F.F. Bosworth and Divine Healing Made Simple by the Praying Medic (Dave Hayes).

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

1. Have you ever seen someone receive instantaneous healing?
2. Have you ever prayed for someone who was healed?
3. Do you have any fears or misgivings regarding praying for the sick?