(This blog article was written by healinggraceofGod.org) There are many ways in which the Bible speaks about healing, and this is a topic that has been of deep interest to me over the years, due to my own personal health and most especially because of loved ones near and dear to me having to go through hard health trials. I pray what you read below comforts and encourages you today.
God bless!
Why is the Lord allowing this?
As you know, and all can attest to, is that trials and hardships are a part of this life. And they aren’t just a part of this life, they are actually a guarantee in this life, for all, including Christians. Most especially for Christians.
Whether those trials are a result of our own sinful choices, the poor choices of others, or for the glory of God to be seen, it is of God’s mercy and love that He does allow us to experience and go through such afflictions.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” (Psalms 119:67)
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” (Psalms 119:71)
“I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” (Psalms 119:75)
Now this isn’t to say that God desires any of us to suffer, no, that isn’t the case one bit. He simply knows what the very best thing for us is. If God is allowing grief, then He is doing it with compassion, for He doesn’t willingly afflict us. “But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:32-33)
No good parent wants to punish their children, but they also know that the very best thing for their child is to discipline them, hoping they will learn their lesson and be better for it. All the more does our perfect Father in Heaven, desire what is the very, very best for us…and correction is one of the many ways in which the Lord shows His love toward us.
“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:5-13)
Many are walking contrary to the Lord’s Commandments and His perfect will; they live life as they please and as they deem right and so the Lord allows such afflictions. He longs for all those walking contrary to His will to turn from their wicked ways and come to Him; for He knows that He is the very best thing for them.
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)
All of those made in God’s image are indeed promised healing, but this is on account that they repent, give their lives to Him and by His grace and strength obey His Commandments, (How do I give my life to Jesus?) but that promise isn’t guaranteed to come on this side of eternity.
So, why doesn’t everyone receive physical healing when they come to the Lord?
“In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.” (2 Kings 20:1-7)
Notice that the Lord said He would heal Hezekiah, but there was also a test for Hezekiah. Hezekiah was by faith to listen to God’s instructions and “take the lump of figs” and lay it on the boil. If, by faith, Hezekiah was obedient to what the Lord instructed Him to do, he would receive healing. By faith in what God had promised, Hezekiah took the lump of figs, and he was healed.
There are many times in life when the Lord has shown us what He would have us to do, and specific to our to health, He has shown us the best steps to take for healing to come. Yet, for one reason or another, whether that be fear, lack of understanding, unbelief, wanting the “quick fix”, lack of trust, etc…we often miss hearing the very way in which we could receive true healing as the Lord would desire to give us. In our pride, fear, and often misunderstanding of how the Lord answers such requests, we can refuse or miss the very thing that would bring us the true healing we need.
Submitting our will and our lives to Him, also means letting go of control. And when we let go of control, we have nothing to fear. The fear of the unknown is something that has been used to prevent people from following the Lord as completely as He wants them to. However, studying the Bible daily and bearing witness that it is to God that we are surrendering our control brings about confidence that, though we do not know what lies ahead, He certainly does. This assurance that He loves us and has everything under His perfect control allows us to rest, and be still, knowing with absolute certainty that all will be well so long as we merely let go of our own control, and give it all to Him.
Take also the example of Naaman spoken about in 2 Kings 5:1-14: “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”
It was according to the Lord’s will that Naaman (who wasn’t a Christian) the leper could indeed receive healing on this side of eternity, but here again we see that Naaman was tested to see if he had faith that God could indeed heal him by heeding the instructions he was given by God’s prophet Elisha.
After the Lord gave instruction, Naaman initially refused to do as the Lord said. “.. Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper..” It was because of Naaman’s pride and the false expectation of how HE thought the Lord would deem fit to provide the healing. And because the Lord knew the pride that Naaman had, in how he was known as this “mighty man of valour”, the Lord tested Naaman’s pride when He chose the river of Jordan over the classy rivers of Damascus, which were “..better than all the waters of Israel..”
We have sadly all done this at some point or at many points in our lives and even in our walks with the Lord, not only in regard to specific health needs or physical healing, but in many aspects of life. We often think WE know the best route or the best decision to make. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
We all have made many decisions without asking what the Lord would deem best and what He would have us to do. And the times when we have sought the Lord, how often have we lacked patience to wait for His answer. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
It is God’s mercy and longsuffering toward us that He has provided this story as an example for us to refer to and learn from in multiple ways.
We also see that Naaman received a kind rebuke from his servants, “..My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” Just as God will often, in His longsuffering toward us, send people into our lives to encourage and remind us of what He had already instructed when we ourselves fail to realize that the Lord has already told us the very thing, by faith, we need to do to receive the answer to our concerns and many prayers. It’s simply up to us to humble ourselves and listen.
But then the question is, do we truly want to be healed?
Sounds like a question with an obvious answer. You may be thinking, “Of course! Someone that is sick wants to be healed”, so the better question is: “Are they looking for true healing?”
Physical, mental, and emotional healing of any sort is always great and is much more preferable than being sick. But again, why is it that we desire to be healed? What would we do with our lives if we received the healing for which we pray?
Is it so we can go back to the very things that God was trying to rescue us from in the first place? Partying, being promiscuous, partaking in dangerous activities, seeking after money and financial success, spending too much time working, neglecting our own health, neglecting our family, pride of life, fame, fortune, etc.?
Do we truly desire to be made whole, not only physically but spiritually? Are we willing to do whatever it takes to receive true healing? Are we willing to give up and let go of the very habits and sins that may be the direct cause of (or at least contributing to) our many ailments?
Do we want to be healed so we can live as the Lord would desire us to? In quietness and meekness, with reverent and obedient hearts wanting to live for Him and please Him in all that we do, denying ourselves daily? Or are we expecting to receive healing instantly?
Take the man that struggled with the ailment of palsy: “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.” (Matthew 9:2-7)
This man longed to receive physical healing; think of all the things that he wasn’t able to do, let alone never had the chance to do because of his palsy (paralysis). Yet, what he longed for more than any physical healing was to know and have the assurance that his sins were indeed forgiven. He longed for the hope of salvation, hope of eternity, hope of there being something better than what this world could provide. Just as Jesus prioritized this man’s spiritual healing, Jesus does the same for you and me. And just as Jesus read the heart (mind) of the man with palsy, and the scribes’ thoughts, the Lord sees and reads the hearts of you and me. And if He deems that it is best for our salvation’s sake to not receive full physical healing on this side of eternity, then we must trust Him and believe that He is allowing it for our good.
Here is another example of how the Lord prioritizes a person’s spiritual healing above their physical healing. This is a noteworthy example!
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
“Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” (Galatians 4:15)
Ever since Paul was struck with blindness at the pure light shown to him on the road to Damascus, he had vision problems and referred to it as his thorn in the flesh. Yes, the Lord did heal through Ananias, but Paul never received his full vision back though He sought the Lord three times for. And that is why the Galatians were heartbroken toward Paul. They knew he was doing a mighty work for the Lord, and they felt as if he was being hampered by his vision problems.
But as we see, he was not hindered in any way. In fact, it was due to his vision problems that he strived all the more valiantly in his ministry. He was thankful for his diminished vision and other people were edified by seeing him work so diligently for the Lord despite his physical limitations.
God answers each and every one of our prayers according to what He deems best and in the time that He deems best. By faith, if it be according to the Lord’s will, healing can and does often times happen immediately, yet the Lord will also often answer our prayers by guiding us to a Biblical diet and the proper lifestyle changes that would bring about the best results. Yet, in our often desire of instant gratification, in our impatience and unwillingness to take the path that takes effort, discipline, and self-sacrifice, we often put it aside and then get frustrated or even blame God again when we still don’t feel any better. Or we even decide to take the “easier” route, refuse to change our ways, and take a medication hoping that it will heal us. Yet, a few weeks/months later we find ourselves back in the doctor’s office feeling worse off than we did before and needing another medication to relieve the new symptoms that are the result of the previous medication, for sadly the root cause didn’t get addressed, nor was the root cause healed.
The Lord sees what it is we truly desire, and our willingness to do whatever it takes to receive that healing.
Even for the born again Christian that desires nothing more than to please and obey their Father in Heaven, God sees who will have the strength to make it through tough trials ahead. He sees what they will be able to handle and therefore may allow a Christian to go to sleep (die) earlier than expected, whether through sickness or another trial, to make sure that son or daughter of His will indeed be rising to meet Him in the air when He returns. God sees the whole picture, while we only see parts. Because we can only see small bits of the whole picture, it is sometimes very difficult to understand why He is allowing sickness or injury. So, we take comfort in the Scriptures, knowing that His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. We are comforted in the knowledge that our loving Father knows exactly what He is doing, and it is all to His glory and our salvation.
And if we aren’t desiring true healing, God knows that if we received healing from that ailment, we may run even farther from Him.
Take these two stories (God has allowed me to hear and share such stories as a warning):
My dear friend’s mother was very ill, and the doctors said she was most likely going to die soon, my faithful friend and other obedient Christians prayed fervently to the Lord asking for His interceding and that if it was His will, He would heal her. And praise the Lord, her mother was completely healed!! It was amazing! My friend knew that this was the Lord indeed that had answered her prayers, even her mother’s medical tests came back that she was completely healed, but sadly after God in His mercy healed her…her mom didn’t give credit to the Lord. She gave credit to the medicine and the doctors instead. And ended up sick again just as she was before and died a few days later.
Or take the story about a man that was in liver failure due to alcohol addiction. Obedient Christians laid hands on him, and he was completely healed, praise God!! All the medical tests proved he had been miraculously healed. God was allowing him to receive complete healing on account that he would repent of his sins and be done drinking, but a few months down the road after he had been clean, an old drinking buddy that claimed to now be Christian told him that he could indeed drink and still go to Heaven … that man started drinking again and passed away shortly thereafter.
If God deems it best to not heal us physically, has He forsaken us?
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Just as we read earlier, the Lord may not heal a precious soul from their many physical ailments, but when they do come to God desiring more than anything to be cleansed and to be made whole spiritually, with readiness of heart to obey and submit this life to Him, He doesn’t leave them to bear their burdens alone.
The Lord can and will indeed perform the most amazing miracle of them all! Healing the human heart.
He will abundantly bless them with joy and peace that they have never experienced before in the midst of their difficult circumstance. God will comfort their hearts, bless them with the faith and strength needed each and every day and give them hope; the hope of Heaven and joy knowing that the One who healed their broken hearts, and carried them through, they will finally get meet face to face … never to be apart again.
“But He (Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:1-6)
Though we often forsake Him, if we stay close to His side, He will never forsake us. May we cling to Jesus and never let Him go. Praise His Name!
It’s all about perspective.
I love reading testimonies of those that have faithfully clung to Jesus through the hardest of times, because it so beautifully shows the strength of Jesus in them while in the midst of the toughest circumstances. For I know that I am so very weak and on my own when immense trials happen. Without Jesus, I would never make it through.
One of my favorite stories is about a lady named Annie Flint; she suffered through immense physical pain. Yet, in the midst of her worst pain, (link – to read more about her story) though she wasn’t physically able to write at this time, someone wrote down her words. This is her beautiful poem:
“He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!”
Those that have suffered through the most trying pains and experience the greatest grief, they have also had the blessed opportunity to relate all the more to what Our Precious Saviour suffered when He was brutally beaten and crucified on the cross for something He didn’t deserve. And not only did He not deserve what He suffered through, He suffered because of our sins! We caused His suffering! And it is in our many times of weakness, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, His strength is so mightily seen and shown!
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
It’s also important to understand that the trials we experience aren’t always a result of our own sins, but rather for the glory of God to be seen and known by many.
Take the story of the man that was born blind, “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (John 9:1-7)
Or take the story of Job: Job was perfect and righteous in the sight of the Lord, yet the Lord allowed him to lose all that he had but his life. (Read Job chapters 1-3) And what was Job’s initial response after he lost all of his children, health, abundant livestock, garden, and servants? Job said: “..Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
It is such stories like Job’s that God has blessed us with to teach us many wonderful lessons. It wasn’t because of any sin that Job committed, that God allowed such trials. Yet, we see Job’s response. We see His faithful trust in God regardless of the immense suffering. What an example! In fact, his faith was so strong through these trials that he said the following: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)
May we all, by God’s grace, have such faith as Annie did, as Job did, as so many other faithful Christians we have read about and most especially, may we all have the same faith as our blessed Redeemer did.
“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:2-12)
If we faithfully, day in and day out, follow the Lord in hope, waiting for Jesus’s soon return, we will be filled with joy. As we, with patience and faith, wait to see the Lord in all His glory and majesty, and wait for what is soon to be revealed, may we take hold of He who is faithful and cling to Him! And may we also cling to the many promises of God that He has for those that love Him and obey Him now, and each day that He blesses us to receive breath in our lungs. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
So, how does the Lord heal?
If it be according to the Lord’s will that He would deem it best for us to be healed on this side of eternity, there are many ways in which physical healing can come, but regardless of which way the Lord deems fit, it is by our faith that any healing will occur in the first place. Simple faith.
Healing can happen immediately, in the midst of or right after being in prayer. It can even happen after a faithful and obedient Christian lays hands and/or prays for that sick person. (But the recipient of those prayers, themselves, still needs to have the faith that the Lord can indeed heal them.)
Take the lady who was plagued with the issue of blood for 12 years and had spent all of her money seeking physicians. “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:43-48) Praise His Name!
Or take the man that was blind from birth or the man who suffered with palsy as we mentioned earlier. Or the man that had an infirmity 38 years. “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.” (John 5:5-9)
Or even take the man that was crippled from birth, that was healed because of his faith; “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” (Acts 14:8-10)
There are countless amazing healings that Jesus did all throughout Scripture and there are many amazing testimonies of His healing power today!
Jesus perceived that many precious but struggling souls had the faith to be healed; for they truly believed that Jesus had the power to heal them. If we too believe (and it’s according to the Lord’s will), we can and will indeed receive healing! We simply must believe!
“And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.” (Mark 9:20-27)
Remember when we read earlier about Hezekiah and Naaman? They were both promised healing … IFthey, by faith, followed through with what the Lord had instructed them to do. For Hezekiah it was taking the lump of figs and putting it on his boil. For Naaman, it was dunking in the Jordan river seven times. We too must be willing to, by faith, listen and do our part. Even if the answer given isn’t our preference or what we are accustomed to.
Appetite (not just our physical appetite) and food is something that has always been a tool that Satan has used time and time again. It was appetite that Satan used to get Eve to sin in the first place.
Specifically, when referring to appetite in regard to the food we consume day after day; think about how we conveniently have so many options of unhealthy choices available at every corner of every town. Whether it be gas station food, fast food, restaurant food, bakeries, our grocery stores, and the list goes on. The standard American diet (SAD) is what most people have been used to eating most of their lives and many don’t even realize the negative effects they reap, whether it be early in their life, or later down the road.
Sadly today, the overall standard of what a healthy diet consists of has been diminished and often misunderstood. This isn’t all due to the fault of the consumer, but rather it’s another deception and twist that the enemy has been successful in deceiving many over the years through our healthcare system. Again, the choices that so many people make are often due to what they have always been taught and how they have been raised. It’s what their parents did or it’s what their doctors have told them, and why wouldn’t we naturally want to trust what, not only most of our loved ones say, but also our doctors as well?
That’s why it’s so sad! It’s another fulfillment of the times in which we live. Evil has become good and good has become evil. Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
The healthcare system as a whole is a business at the end of the day. Those in charge care about the amount of money they bring in, rather than the care of the patient. I have heard it often said that people feel just like another statistic and another number, especially when they are given such little time to express their genuine needs and concerns during regular doctor visits. And to an even greater degree, how often are those same patients automatically given a prescription drug that may bring some relief to the symptom at hand but have such a huge list of side effects that they very soon find themselves back in the doctor’s office for another appointment because they feel worse than they did before due to having even more symptoms.
To become a medical doctor, they have 8 years minimum of school and in these 8 years they receive very little/next to no training in nutrition and lifestyle. When it has been proven that two of the biggest contributors of true and long-lasting healing, recovery, physical prevention of disease and injury are a healthy diet and lifestyle.
This isn’t to say that all healthcare providers are evil, not at all. For I know there are many that are very genuine and do truly care for their patients and do all they can for the betterment of their patients. I have witnessed the quality care many nurses and doctors have shown to my loved one’s time and time again, but I sadly have also witnessed and heard the opposite more commonly. I am also not diminishing the fact that there are absolutely amazing advancements in our healthcare today. Take the amazing and intricate surgeries that can be performed within the brain, heart, and all throughout the body. The skills, talent and increase of knowledge that God has blessed these surgeons and those creating such advanced medical inventions is truly amazing!! And how many lives have been saved and prolonged due to the Lord allowing such advancements and giving such wisdom and skill to so many surgeons. I don’t want to belittle that one bit, for there are many lifesaving advancements that we take for granted today, that not too many years ago wouldn’t have been possible.
Which, praise the Lord, this advancement in knowledge is another fulfillment of prophecy and another sign that we truly are in the end times, as God said that in the last days, “..knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4) Again, it’s the healthcare system and food system as a whole that has become so corrupted.
My point in bringing all of this up is to speak about another common way that the Lord allows someone to receive immense physical healing, through a healthy diet and lifestyle. Specifically, the Biblical diet.
If letting go of certain foods and a certain way of eating is something that seems extremely difficult for you, ask the Lord for His help, seek Him in prayer.
Will it be hard at times? Definitely, but if we truly desire to overcome sin, a poor habit, or a certain way of eating, the Lord will bless us with the strength to follow through and overcome when we seek Him in prayer. Before I came to the know the Lord, making those healthy choices and starting new habits were always extremely difficult, but that changed when I learned that with Jesus’ strength and for His glory’s sake we can indeed overcome! He has helped me every time. Praise His Name! “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
And as I watched more videos, did more research, heard more testimonies, and learned more about the benefits of a plant based diet as it was spoken about it in the Bible, this helped to not only confirm that the path the Lord was leading me was indeed the right one, but also made me appreciate and thank the Lord all the more for the direction He was taking me.
I wanted to feel better and ultimately serve Him better. The additives put into modern foods are there to make food addicting. What is so neat, is that as I began making the necessary changes to my diet, the healthier I ate, the more my body and tastebuds lost the desire for those purposely flavor enhanced foods. At the same time, I began to crave the very foods that were good for me.
Many could receive healing not only from cancer, but also other common health ailments as well like high blood pressure, digestive issues, constipation, sore joints, acne, fatigue, etc. If by faith, they started eliminating the many processed foods and fast foods that so many are accustomed to and started following a whole food, plant-based diet, they would experience tremendous relief and outright healing from the things they suffer through.
When all meat, artificial sweeteners, alcohol (which includes vinegar also), caffeine, dairy, eggs and all processed foods are eliminated, and they start making the healthy lifestyle changes needed, they drink a sufficient amount of clean water every day, they get enough rest, they consistently exercise (if physically able), they get adequate amount of fresh air and sunshine, and take the consistent healthy steps needed for proper healing to occur, they will receive the blessings of a healthier life.
Significant changes can and will indeed happen when implementing the things mentioned above, but all the more will a precious soul begin to receive healing when, by God’s grace, they submit their lives to the Lord and obey His Commandments; including His blessed Sabbath day, wherein every seventh day (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) the Lord calls us to abstain from working including secular work and house/yard work and instead spend that day with the Lord, keeping this day holy according to the Fourth Commandment. (Click here for more information)
“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26)
Psalm 103:3, “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;”
Before I surrendered my life to the Lord, I had sought new age methods (a form of false light and false healing), for many ailments whether they be physical, emotional, or mental. I had even started doing new age work on my own clients.
I had struggled with many food allergies most of my life, and as I got older and began to pursue nutrition and learn how the body had been designed with the amazing ability to heal through diet and lifestyle choices, I saw the many wonderful benefits of the foods I wasn’t able to eat, and this discouraged me. Though I had, by God’s grace, an understanding of how blessed I was to be able to eat all of the foods that I could and though I knew how blessed I was to have the health I did…as I learned about nutrition, and as my physical, mental, and emotional health seemed to decline more and more, I became determined and quite obsessed with seeking out how I could heal those many allergies, health issues, and the many emotional things as well. But no matter the techniques I tried, the number of different practitioners I saw, and no matter the diet plan I tried, (I tried all but a whole foods, plant based diet) I was unsuccessful.
In my searching for healing, by God’s grace, I came to realize that the work I was doing and the work I was receiving from other practitioners wasn’t Biblical and was actually demonic. I came to realize that Jesus Christ was the only One that could truly heal me. No therapy or “healing method” could truly heal me of what was truly plaguing my heart … the unforgiveness I still carried toward others and the burden of my sin.
And it was after the knowledge of what Jesus did for me on the cross entered in my heart, and I came to know of the love of Christ in shedding His own blood for me, which led to me surrendering my life, health and all things at Jesus’ feet, that my health and wellbeing significantly increased.
This was all SOOO amazing!! I will never forget it. For the first time, I brought everything that ever burdened me to God in prayer. The words and thoughts that I had been waiting to speak, but didn’t know how, nor did I want to tell anyone else finally spilled out. By faith, for the first time, I knew who it was I was kneeling before and truly understood for the first time, that by Jesus Christ’s selfless sacrifice, I could with boldness approach His glorious throne. And that it was only because of what Jesus did for you and I, that I could be in God the Father’s wonderful presence.
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Then shortly after I started walking with the Lord, I came to learn about the Lord’s Seventh day Sabbath, and God’s requirements for us to keep it holy. And when, by God’s grace and strength, I started obeying the Lord’s blessed Sabbath day according to the Fourth Commandment, the Lord healed many of my allergies!! Praise His Name!
We still live in a sin fallen world, but it is through the many wonderful herbs and plants God created during creation week, that He has given us all that we need to thrive. The healing that I personally can attest to while on a plant-based diet, and the healing that continues to happen, cannot be compared in any way to all of the other diets and healing methods I tried!
Submitting our will and life to Him also means letting go of control, but in letting go of control, we do not have to fear. Though it can feel so fearful because of how foreign something new may feel, looking to the Bible to see who it is that we are surrendering our control to, can reassure our hearts daily. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
Cast your cares, worries, burdens, and fears at the feet of Jesus today! He cares so much for you. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
In our limited understanding of God’s perfect will in all things, He knows exactly what scenarios and circumstances best fit for that precious soul to repent and submit their lives to Jesus. He knows what amount of hardship may soften their hearts toward Him and help them to see that He has been right there all along, waiting for them to hear His voice, let down their defensive walls and weapons of rebellion and humbly come to Him. Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I can speak personally that if it wasn’t for the many trials that I went through, before giving my life to Christ, I may have never wanted to know if there was more to life than the hopelessness I often felt during those times. It was those hard trials that often brought me to my knees. I was so desperate, so tired of the repetitive trials and wanted something more to cling to and hope in, even if my circumstances didn’t change.
Between the trials back then that I couldn’t control because I couldn’t control the actions of others, along with the burden/guilt of my sin, the poor choices I had made in the past, and my health declining at a quicker and faster pace…the trials seemed like too much. They were too heavy. I couldn’t bear them as I had been attempting to, any longer on my own. I needed help so desperately. And Jesus Christ was the only One that could satisfy my aching/longing heart and every need.
Though I don’t understand why my heart was receptive and willing to soften to the Lord, I can’t thank Him enough for the trials then, now, and the trials to come, because I know that just as they were used for my good back then … the trials ahead will be used for my good again and again and for His glory’s sake!
Thank you for taking the time to read this today. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
God bless you.