The problem of sickness and disease intersects with the difficulty of sin and death. Since the consequences of the fall, humanity has the opportunity for redemption through the Son of God. Whereas medical science views the cause of sickness and disease in psychological or psychosomatic terms, the Bible presents two spiritual causes as the underlying problem. The first is sin: the immoral action that affects our spiritual and physical makeup, and the second is Satan.
God’s provision in redemption is as extensive as the consequences of the fall. For sin, God provides forgiveness; for death, God supplies eternal and resurrection life; and for sickness, God provides healing. In this manner, during Jesus’ earthly life, His threefold ministry was teaching God’s Word, preaching repentance for the sin problem, and the blessings of God’s kingdom for life, and healing every kind of sickness, disease, and infirmity among the people.
What is the revelation concerning God’s will? God’s will concerning healing reveals four main ways in scripture. God’s pronouncement is the first of the four. In Exodus chapter fifteen verse twenty-six, He promised health and healing for His people if they remained faithful to His covenant and His commands. God continued to be the healer of His Old Testament people whenever they earnestly sought His face or obeyed His Word.
The second is the ministry of Jesus Christ. The Son of God is the exact representation of God’s nature and character. In His earthly ministry, Jesus reveals God’s will in action showing conclusively in His Father’s heart. The nature and purpose of God are to heal all who were sick and oppressed by the devil. Although Jesus did not heal every sick person in the Holy Land, the gospels revealed that He healed individuals, groups of people, and all that were sick and brought to Him. Healing was a part of Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God.
The provision of Christ’s atonement is the third where His death was complete and adequate for redeeming the whole person: the spirit, soul, and body. As sin and sickness have become the twin giants designed by Satan to destroy us, forgiveness and healing are redeemed blessings designed by God to restore us and make us whole. The believer should press on in humility and faith to possess the full promise of Christ’s atonement. The affirmation includes the healing of the body.
The fourth is the ongoing ministry of the church. Jesus commissioned His twelve disciples to heal the sick as part of their proclamation of God’s kingdom. Later, He authorizes seventy disciples to do the same as stated in verse one of chapter ten from the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament. After Pentecost, the early church carried on Jesus’ healing ministry as part of the gospel.
The New Testament records three ways God’s healing power and faith imparts through the church: the laying of hands, confession of known sin, followed by anointing the sick with oil and the prayer of faith, and spiritual gifts of healings given to the church as prescribed in First Corinthians chapter twelve verse nine. Biblically, the elders are to pray the prayer of faith and the laying of hands as described in James chapter five verse fourteen.
Divine healing is a breakthrough for God’s people. However, there are hindrances to healing which is the opposite. Sometimes there are hindrances to divine healing: the obstructions could be unconfessed sin, demonic oppression, bondage, fear, or anxiety, past disappointments that undermine present faith, people, unbiblical teaching, failure of the elders to pray the prayer of faith, the lack of the church to seek and obtain the gifts of miracles and healings as God intended and self-centered behavior. At other times, the reason for the persistence of physical affliction in godly people is not readily apparent. In other cases, God decides to take His beloved saints to heaven during an illness.
What can you do when praying for and seeking God’s healing of your body? Be sure you are in the right relationship with God and others. He knows the hearts of all. Seek the presence of Jesus in your life, for it is He who will give your heart the faith you need. Saturate your life with God’s Word because He sends forth His Word to heal. God watches over the promises of His Word to fulfill them. Let His promises about healing enter into your spirit as a revelation. An active faith can unite them with God’s word for a creative miracle. Call for the prayers of the elders in the church (that is free, no cost or fee). Biblically, the use of the anointing of oil is in James chapter five, verse fourteen, where a God-fearing Bible-believing person could pray for you that cares along with the support of family members and friends. Attend a service where a person with a respected healing ministry is present. In Acts, chapter five, verses fifteen through sixteen and chapter eight, verses five through seven, respectively, are examples of healing service. However, if they request to give to get healing, leave immediately. We should expect a miracle: trust in God’s power. Rejoice if healing comes to this day. Exult even if it does not come to fruition in that present hour. If you are not finding healing, continue to remain in Him. Examine your life to see what changes God may desire to work in you. Know that God’s delays in answering prayers are not necessarily denials of those requests. Sometimes God has a larger purpose in mind that, when realized, results in greater glory and in good for us.
Realize that if you are a committed Christian, God will never forsake you or forget you. He loves you so much that He has engraved you in the palms of His hands. There will be times proper use of medical care is needed, as acknowledged in Matthew, chapter nine, verse twelve, or Luke, chapter ten, verse thirty-four.