Healing Process

When belief in healing for what seems to be the "normal things humans battle with" comes before God, I do not observe His direct involvement. I believe I can safely say, in most cases, God allows the natural healing process to occur like medicines, doctors, rest, fluids in addition to our request to be healed totally by God in prayer.

At this point in my walk with King Jesus and His Holy Spirit, I believe Christians should use their God-given common sense when sicknesses arrive or a major disease attacks or surgeries are required. Wellness has been practiced for a very long time. Luke was a physician and even the Lord goes by the title Great Physician as depicted in Luke 5:31.

I see healing as two fold - (1) a gift God has available to give according to His purpose and (2) an act of faith on our part whether it be as small as a mustard seed or a leap of faith to acquire the healing.

But alongside common sense should be the believer's faith. In Mark 10:52 a blind man sees due to faith in Jesus as the miracle-worker. 

In Matthew 9:22, the woman with the issue of blood simply desired to touch Jesus for her healing to manifest. Her faith was married to her action but Jesus credited her faith. 

In Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26, on either side of the event of the woman with the issue of blood is a father who reaches out to Jesus in faith, fame of Jesus and fear of losing his daughter. However, Faith moves him to seek and ask Jesus for the miraculous.

In Matthew 9:27-30, two blind men were asked by Jesus concerning their healing - "Do you believe I am able to do this?" They replied, "Yes, Lord." Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be done to you." Their faith was enough and their sight was restored.

In addition, there were times in Scripture when Jesus rebuked His disciples because they did not have enough faith. One such instance is found in Matthew 17:14-21. 

There was a father whose son by all appearances had epilepsy because of the terrible, physical fits that he would display. Apparently at this point in time the disciples were out on their own and could not heal the boy. When the boy was brought before Jesus, the condition was revealed to be worse than epilepsy, the boy was demon possessed and Jesus rebuked the demon and it fled, returning the boy to his right mind and the boy to his father. 

After finding out it was a demon, the disciples ask Jesus, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" - in essence, why could we not heal this boy? 

Jesus instructed his disciples - "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, 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."

I can hear some say at this point, but if you tell someone they don't have enough faith you are condemning them and scripture says there is "now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." This is a mis-applied verse and concept.

Romans 8:1 - "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - needs to be read and understood in context. This verse and idea of condemnation must be followed by the remaining paragraph of Paul - 

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

This "condemnation" therefore is speaking to the sin humans are under until they accept God's love-gift of Christ's life, death and resurrection for their eternal security with Him. This "condemnation" is not talking about, nor should it be applied to - the amount of faith for healing.

This being said, the amount of faith someone has is not the sole criteria for the healing needed. Sure, the measure of faith in Christ will influence a needed healing, but I believe the most important aspect is The Will of the Lord.

Some people believe the second that you vocalize an issue you give birth or more energy to it. This is nonsense. The problem was already there waiting for you to recognize it and do something about it. Speaking about it is not going to make it worse, it is going to aid in the healing process and provide steps for overcoming your condition or situation. Acknowledgement of a physical, mental or spiritual ailment or challenge is not the same as surrendering to it.

This fact of recognizing the issue then doing something about it is what makes seeking out God's Will during our dilemma so important. What do you think confessing our needs and shortcomings one to another within the family of believers is all about in James 5:16? Healing. Also 1 John 5:14 states - "This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us."

Notice a few things here. Because of our relationship with Christ, believers are privileged to boldly come before God's throne in prayer. 

Secondly, no request is unreasonable, but the petitions that really get His attention are the one's that align with His will. 

Finally, "he hears us". Our request has been heard, now the answer and the timing thereof must be totally entrusted in the hands of The King.

"Paul himself had a physical ailment that the Lord declined to heal (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).
The twelve apostles did not heal everyone, either. Often, there were Christians left unwell in spite of the apostolic power. Paul says to Timothy, “Use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Why didn’t Paul just lay hands on Timothy and heal him? It wasn’t because Timothy didn’t have enough faith; it was because it was not God’s will to heal Timothy that way. The healing ministry was not for anyone’s personal convenience; rather, it was a sign from God—to the Jews of the Old Covenant primarily—of the validity of the apostles’ message."
[https://www.gotquestions.org/God-heal-everyone.html]

In conclusion, mental, physical and spiritual healing is helped tremendously by -

1. Seeking God first and His will; petition Him about it. There is no name it and claim it, otherwise we all would be well all the time.
2. Use your God-give common sense to utilize God's aids or helps He has given us at our fingertips. In other words, take your medicine.
3. Surround yourself with faith bolstering people, music, places and things. 

We all live in a fallen, imperfect world with imperfect bodies, demanding more attention as we age. For me, I have no issue of trusting God. My struggle is God withholding wisdom and understanding many times concerning the "why" of my experience or delay in healing. 

I whole-heartedly believe if I had a grasp of this why part to the equation I could make sense of my suffering and accept it more. But I look at Job's life and I am in awe at his response to all that happened to him. He lived before Christ and Christ's promises and yet said, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21)

The matter boils down to acceptance of God's sovereignty despite what challenges we all are in the middle of and outcome we may be praying for. This reverts back to a trust in God's will and His healing plan. His plan and trust in it must be center to our prayer-life.

Until that healing comes, whether it is this side of Heaven or the other, I find myself, like the father with the convulsing boy doing what I can in the here and now and seeking Jesus, as the dad did, saying to Christ - "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." (Mark 9:24)

The Mystery Of God's Healing Process

The fact that Jesus healed and had compassion on those that needed a miracle of some sort in their lives, be it for themselves or another in their family, before He paid the price with the flogging and crucifixion is amazing and wonderful. 

Jesus solved all kinds of problems for people because of His great compassion. He healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mute, those with leprosy, those demon possessed and those dead just to name a few conditions. Matthew says it like this - "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matt. 9:35-36)

What catches my attention is the speed at which the healing took place. Many, if not most of the curing encounters with Jesus included the word "immediately" or sense of that word to convey healing from Him. This is opposed to today, where I only hear of pockets of testimonies where "immediately" was the answer to someone's request of God for healing.

Matthew records one with leprosy that had no problem with Christ's ability, He just had a question about the willingness of Jesus to heal his plight. Matthew says, "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'" (Matt. 8:2) See how the phrase "you can make me clean" emphasizes Christ's ability is not in question but is tied to the Lord's will? Matthew then recalls, "Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy." (Matt. 8:3) There is that word immediately.

Right after this meeting, Jesus engages with a centurion soldier that recognizes Jesus has authority, His words are powerful and His immediate presence bedside is not required. 

"The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.'" (Matt. 8:8-9)

This faith impresses Jesus and He lets those around them know plus Jesus heals the centurion's servant "at that moment" - "'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.' Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that moment." (Matt. 8:10, 13)

Then there is the purposeful delay of Jesus to visit Mary, Martha and the one Jesus loved - Lazarus. Of course John would have something to say about that in John 13:23, 20:2 and 21:20 - calling himself "the one Jesus loved" or "the disciple Jesus loved". For the record, Jesus loves the whole world. 

As far as Lazarus was concerned, Jesus got word of the status of Lazarus when Lazarus was on his deathbed. Knowing that Lazarus died because Jesus is the Son of God, He tells His disciples twice the reason for returning to just outside Jerusalem.

"After he had said this, he went on to tell them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.'

His disciples replied, 'Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.' Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.'" (John 11:11-14)

This was a time where Christ waited a specific amount of time that seemed the end-all for us, death, but was no match for the Creator, the Word of God in flesh. 

As time has marched on society has gotten worse about wanting things instantly to the point where we expect immediacy with the technology and people skills we have acquired. I can testify that God still works in delay fashion as well as the immediate and sometimes He says, "No".

With all the Scripture there is about 

• the price He paid for our healing, 
• the promises of His healing touch, 
• power there is in His name, blood and spirit, 
• His nature that is still the same today - compassionate, 
• asking and receiving in His name 
• and being persistent in the seeking - why does God delay the cure we seek and pray for?

With some instances of healing being immediate, others through the process of doctors and medicine that God has blessed us with and still other situations where our prayers have been answered with the death of a loved one - all we have left to lean on is trust in the sovereignty of God as we work out on this side of heaven - The Mystery Of God's Healing Process.