What does the Bible guarantee when it comes to healing? God is doing something with your pain.
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Just what does the Bible guarantee when it comes to miraculous healing?
Well, hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and for more than 55 years since I began that journey of seeking healing, I have spent decades reading and researching what the Bible has to say on this important subject. And so, right here I’m going to cut to the chase, because here’s the conclusion I’ve come to: God certainly can, and he sometimes does, heal people in a miraculous way today. But the Bible does not teach that he will always heal those who come to him in faith. God sovereignly reserves the right to heal or not to heal as he sees fit. Look, disease and disability are part of the curse that fell upon earth when man first sinned, but God did not abandon mankind to the curse. Right away, back there in the garden, God promised that one day a Messiah would come to reverse the curse over the earth, and rescue those who would place their trust in him. So, when Jesus walked on earth, he began the good work of reversing the effects of the Fall. He healed the sick and disabled, all of it to back up his Good News of the Gospel. But what about all those who did not get healed during the ministry of Jesus? Did he just forget about them?
Well, no. The healings that some experienced while Jesus was on earth were just a taste of the restoration that he was going to bring about when he comes again. They were intended to whet our appetite for that time when the kingdom will be completed. So why does he make us wait for that glorious day? Why does he ask you to wait for that time when everyone will be healed? When every blind eye’ll be opened, and every paralyzed person will walk? Well, if Jesus had ushered in the final kingdom back then and healed everybody, most of the world would never have heard the Gospel, including you and me!
Disease and disability are a result of living in a sinful world, and although Jesus has begun the work of restoring everything around us, he is not finished with it. James 5 invites us to pray for healing, and the Lord welcomes those petitions. But because we do not yet live in that new heavens and new earth, when everybody’s going to be healed, we should not automatically expect to be made whole. He is fully capable of healing us, but sometimes the answer is no. God does not always give us an explanation for our suffering, but he does have a purpose for it. And so, when there is no healing, we need to trust the Lord and lean on him for strength to persevere even when we often don’t see the good that he is working through it.
Not being healed doesn’t mean that something’s gone wrong with your faith – instead, it means that God is doing something with your pain – in fact, he’s doing what’s best for you, even if what is best often feels miserable. So press into him in prayer not only for healing, but for strength to bear your suffering in a way that honors his will and respects his work in your life. Is it hard? Yes. But Romans 8 says that we do not groan without hope. Hope makes all the difference! Friend, I talk a lot more about this in my pamphlet “Where’s My Miracle?” Get your copy today at joniradio.org. Just ask for “Where’s My Miracle?” at joniradio.org. Let us pray for you at Joni and Friends. Our staff meets every morning to lift up your prayer requests, so tell us your prayer needs at joniradio.org. Again, that’s joniradio.org, where we share hope through every hardship. God bless you today, and thanks for listening.
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