There are two erroneous approaches to seeking the Lord’s healing. Some have moved God’s power, authority, and ability, along with his desire to heal us, to the lowest common denominator, and instead of seeking healing by standing on God’s promises through prayers of faith, they simply pray “your will be done.” While they get this part of their prayer right, they leave out all of Jesus’ other commands to ask for help, to pray for healing, and to rely on him to do what seems impossible. On the other hand, some have taken these promises and used them as a weapon to declare that God desires that every person be healed almost immediately, as the prayers of faith are offered. While they get this part of God’s command to pray expectantly in faith, they leave out all of Scripture’s teaching that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The solution is not to abandon God’s promises or distort them but to allow them to direct our gaze to Christ, who beckons us to come confidently and humbly “before his throne of grace to receive mercy and grace in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). We are to daily present our requests to him in expectation that he is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20), trusting that his timing is perfect, and submitting to his sovereign wisdom and will – that he ultimately knows what is best and will do what is excellent, good, true and right! This position of expectation and submission allows us to stand confidently on his promises as we offer up prayers of faith asking for healing, all the while acknowledging that he is the one in charge and will do what he’s going to do, when he’s going to do it and how he’s going to do it — because he’s God and we’re not!
Testimony
When a myriad of doctors were left perplexed over my health situation and acknowledged they didn’t know what was wrong, they issued a kind of life sentence over me that I would have to stay in this pain and suffering and take medicine to manage it. This didn’t bring the kind of hope God brings into difficult situations, so my family and I decided we would keep asking the Lord for healing, along with asking him daily to show me if there was anything I needed to do – any steps I needed to take – to walk in greater wisdom so that I could experience greater healing. God’s promises began to overshadow the hopeless promises of the medical field, reminding me that he is the God of hope who “acts on behalf of those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).
His promises speak to all of life and are powerful weapons – more powerful than anything else in this world. These are some of the promises he gave me and helped me to stand on each day. I spoke them out in the morning, throughout the day, and before bed, put them on my bedroom and bathroom walls and prayed them over and over, asking the Lord to bring to fruition what only he could do – to fulfill his word for my life (2 Corinthians 1:20). While he did use supplements, treatments and medicine, ultimately it is God who was, is and will heal me until the day appointed for me to be with him for eternity (Psalm 139:16). He alone is our true healer.
What does God promise?
“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases” (Psalm 103:3)
“The prayer of faith will heal the sick” (James 5:15)
“He sent his word and it healed them” (Psalm 107:20)
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper and be in health, as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2)
“I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26)
“By his wounds I have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24)
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness (Jesus Christ) will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves” (Malachi 4:2)
“I will not die but live and declare what the Lord has done” (Psalm 118:17)
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13)
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2)
