Questions and Answers

Is It Always God's Will To Heal People?
By Adam Bartlett

There are many times this question rises and never more than when a loved one is lying in a hospital bed with some disease or an incurable disease. This is also one of those topics in which depending on who you talk to has many different views and answers. As is the case with anything it is always best to look at what the Word has to say and then draw our conclusions.

Isaiah 53
5: 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.

This verse is a prophetic description of Jesus at the time of His crucifixion. It is interesting that this statement is made in the present tense which means that it has present relevant meaning. We know that Jesus healed many times throughout the New Testament during His ministry on earth. We also know of many times that the disciples and the apostle Paul healed in Jesus' name. We also know that in the great commission we are told that all believers will have that ability to heal in Jesus' name.

Mark 16
18: They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

We know that God wants the best for us and that He cares for us even knowing the hairs on our head. He knows when the sparrow falls and said that are we not much more important to Him. Jesus makes a statement that clears up this matter giving us understanding as to who is responsible for our miseries.

John 10
10: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

It is the enemy of our souls that seeks to destroy us at every opportunity and attacks us with all sorts of diseases and illness. These are born out of sin and as a result of sin comes pain and anguish. Jesus said that He is here to give us life and not just to have life but to have it more "abundantly." That means to have it fully, to have it more meaningful and without the results of the attack of the enemy.

Obviously He knew that there would be sickness and He armed us with the power of His name to heal those ailments. It is also just as obvious that if these sickness need to be healed through the power of Jesus' name that the originator of that sickness is not Him.

Does that mean that if we get sick we are in sin, or have committed some gross sin? NO! It just means that the enemy is attacking us and that we must go to the creator of the universe and seek Him to cure us.

In answer to the question, according to the Bible it is most certainly God's will to heal people because He cares for us and calls on us to cast all our cares on Him. Unfortunately there are many that don't experience healing and we are left with many questions about the spiritual implications surrounding it. Does it make that person less spiritual because they did not get healed? Does it mean they didn't have enough faith? Does it mean the person praying for them had problems?

All I do know is this, there is a story in 2 Kings 20 about Hezekiah, a godly man that was told by Isaiah that he needed to get his house in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah pleaded to the Lord based on his walk with Him and the fact that he had always followed His ways and done what was pleasing to God. God did grant him another 15 years as a result of that. Does that mean that we can plead with God and use our works to barter more time from Him? NO! That is not my point. My point is that if we live the best we can each day and draw as close to Him as we can then we know that we have an advocate in Him. It was not God's will to take Him at that time and we never know what our future holds that is why we need to live the best we can for Him everyday.

Can God heal every illness, absolutely! There is no doubt it is His desire to do so but we cannot answer the many questions as to why it doesn't happen, just seek Him and know that He can.

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