The Simple Complexity Of Healing

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles
Image by Debby Maciorowski used with permission

Image by Debby Maciorowski used with permission

The stream of Christianity I swim in holds as one of its four cardinal doctrines the following statement : “Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers.” http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_fundamental_truths/sft_full.cfm

I believe in divine healing. I have personally experienced it. I believe supernatural power to heal is found in the atoning work of Christ ( Jesus death on the cross and resurrection from the dead).  I believe that all Christians have access to this healing power. I believe it is received simply by praying and receiving by faith the healing work.

BUT IF THAT IS TRUE…

Why is it some people get healed and some people don’t?

I have a friend who has been healed of certain ailments in the past and who is seeking healing for another sickness just now. Yet the healing has not come to pass. Many well-meaning (I am certain) Christian friends are telling her that the reason she is not being healed is simply because of her lack of faith.

I find that answer a little too narrow for my liking. Healing is  simple. We pray for it, expect it and then receive it apart from any work of our own. We don’t have to jump through hoops for it or say seven different types of prayer while standing on our heads rowing down the Delaware. Yet heaing is also complex in that it fits into God’s plan like a puzzle piece. It is a part of the puzzle not the whole puzzle. God wants to heal as a part of His plan but physical healing is not the whole plan.  And sometimes I think we try to put healing in place of some other works God would do.

Sometimes the reason God does not heal is because a person lacks faith; But I am convinced that sometimes God does not heal because healing  doesn’t fit into the part of the puzzle He is working on in our lives.  We get cancer and we begin to cry for healing but God is really trying to get us to set our houses in order and reconcile broken relationships. We break a leg and cry for instantaneous healing so that we can take care of ourselves when God is trying to get us to learn to trust Him and others more so we can grow in humility. We develop chronic arthritis and begin to harangue Heaven about a pain-free life now and God is really interested in the fruit of patience He is developing through the fiery trial.

I agree, lack of faith can hold up healing.

But so can:

the process of sanctification,

God’s need to bring us into people’s lives for the purpose of evangelization,

AND

God’s sense of timing.

Dear brothers and sisters, before we throw around our platitudes about why certain people are not being healed of certain things we had best pray and realize that healing is a part of God’s very complex plan. We had also best humble ourselves and admit there are parts of that plan that are wonderful beyond our ability to comprehend. Once we have done that maybe, just maybe, we will bring a better answer to our struggling comrades than condemning their faith.

23 thoughts on “The Simple Complexity Of Healing”

  1. Very good insight. I also refer to Deut 29:29 which says “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” I know that this is “Old Testament”, and some people like to get all hung up on the entire context. However, I feel like this scripture offers a clear and simple truth. Sometimes God knows the answer to things that we will never know.
    In other words, He knows why my cousin Bobby died of cancer even though his family prayed for him to be healed. We can also verify with other scripture that it is Gods’ will for ALL Christians to access healing because of the stripes that Jesus took on His back. Isaiah 53:4-5 says “Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken 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 on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
    This passage shows us that Jesus already paid for our healing on the cross, it was already purchased when He died for us. We also have access to peace when transgressions do come. He purchased that when they pierced His side. I personally believe that when they say “through Christ”, it has a literal meaning, and an implication as well. The implication is this: That when we are saved, and walking with Christ, He makes it possible to have peace, and keep our eyes fixed on Him no matter what the sickness or struggle is. I know when I went to my cousins’ funeral, God used his death to minister to people. I know I sat there with tears in my eyes going “Wow Lord, this is what I want the pastor to say at mine some day” as there was great testimony from the pastor about how much Bobby loved the Lord, and lived for him all the time. I couldn’t help but have a degree of joy rise up in me because I knew that the Lord was using the pastors’ testimony about Bobby to minister to everyone in the room. Thats how God rolls, He is good ALL THE TIME…even in death, even in ANY circumstance, our Lord overcame the powers of death and the grave!!!!

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    • Amen Eric! This is really good thinking. God is good all the time and God brings healing all the time sometimes it is just not in our time or in our way. Yet He brings it still. I look forward to the day when you will be able to introduce me to your cousin.

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  2. good word Pastor J. It is way complex, and things like forgiveness, bitterness, stress, and circumstances way beyond what is easily visible from the natural eye.

    I am with you – Jesus healed all the time, never made anyone sick, or left anyone who came to Him sick (not recorded in scripture anyway) so clearly it is in God’s will. the trick is hearing God’s path to healing for the individual, and that is indeed tricky.

    I appreciate you bro.

    Ben

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  3. Interesting! I believe in the divine healing, blindly. God sends sicknesses and setbacks our way to remind us of Him, of his greatness and glory. I was very sick last week but that didn’t upset me because I believe I was chosen selectively, I was blessed to be remembered by God. It doesn’t work out sometimes because we ourselves have not learned the lesson yet, have not got the point of this reminder and still need to understand why us. Maybe if we work hard, change for the better forever, then we will be healed for good.

    Such a wonderful post. Great job.

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    • Thanks Ahmed. I believe that all God’s purposes are to draw us closer to His love. I don’t believe God is the author of sickness rather sickness is a result of mankind’s fall from grace into sin. Because the world is now under the power of sin, sickness and setbacks abound. Yet God will use sickness in our lives to help us change, grow and strengthen.
      As it says in 1 Peter 1, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
      An ultimate healing is coming for those who embrace Jesus Christ. Through his work of grace he forgives us he helps us become more like Himself and some day He will change us by the power of His holiness giving us new bodies which will never perish, or fade.

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  6. This was so good! Sometimes people forget that we live in an imperfect, sinful world; and we are not going to live forever on this earth. So they blame illness and tragedy on lack of faith. But in this life, there will be pain and death. However, that doesn’t mean that God can’t work a miracle… or that He can’t create beauty from ashes. As you said, God can use a horrific circumstance to teach us (or the people around us) an invaluable lesson. And so often He does just that! We see miracles as healing, but miracles can come in ways we (in our human thinking) couldn’t imagine. Only God can see the complete picture! (But all that to say, I am SO thankful that God DOES heal… and that He healed my husband)! 🙂

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    • Amen Nicole! I am happy to hear about his healing! The Lord is just plain good all the time. Even in the case of my family, my cousin is literally with Jesus right now. He is walking in a totally perfect place, cancer free. A place where sin doesn’t even exist. I believe that the Lord wants us all to have long and fulfilled life on the earth. But, being in His presence in heaven is a pretty sweet promotion I think. We will see our loved ones again! For now, we get to serve the Lord and read our “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth” (bible)….

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    • Amen Nicole. I am glad that God has done such a miracle in Nate’s life. His testimony is truly a wonder! And God has taught so many people so many lessons through his life and through the attempt on his life ( for those who don’t know Nicole’s husband was a prison guard stabbed by an inmate. Nate narrowly survived. To read the whole story go to
      http://justliveitblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/waving-goodbye-to-impossible/ )
      There is never a time when God is not working some miracle in our lives we just have to come to terms with what kind of miracle it is He wants to do specifically for us.

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  8. I totally agree! There may be an occasion when we are “appointed unto death” and it is in God’s plan that we not be healed. Whether we live unto God or die unto God, that is the important factor–our state of mind and spirit. There are many reasons someone may not be healed and it has nothing to do with their degree of faith. Thanks for bringing this topic up.

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  9. We all face trials of different kinds and we are all unique to God. They can be so difficult and when in the midst of them we just want the healing to come quickly. For me I find that is not the case. In the past I have questioned why God would allow me to suffer through things. I have now come to the place where I am beginning to understand the sovereignty of God. He is in control of everything. We can’t change His outcome or His timing. We can pray and stay in faith and wait patiently for Him. Job had the ” why me attitude” and he questioned God. It didn’t get him through his trial any quicker. In the end after much suffering Job realized that questioning God was wrong because His ways are higher than our ways. We just can’t comprehend some things. We have to remember that God loves us no matter what and that He only wants the best for us even if it doesn’t turn out the way we think it should. He is in control.

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    • This is good stuff Linda. To recognize the sovereignty of God and the complexity of His plan in the middle of our requests for healing is absolutely essential. It is so important to remember that all the time God is good and that God is good all the time.

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