Throughout my life, I’ve heard people pray, “God, if it’s your will, heal [person’s name].” I have come to realize that kind of prayer actually gives place to doubt. That statement is saying maybe it’s God’s will to heal, maybe it’s not. It’s an example of being double-minded, as the first chapter of James speaks of, and a double-minded person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6–8). Don’t misunderstand; we should always want God’s will to be done in our lives and in the lives of those we pray for. And we have to be open to God’s will because his ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). As we stay in close communion with the Lord, we learn how to examine and apply what the Holy Spirit reveals because we have the mind of Christ so that we are guided by his thoughts and purposes (1 Corinthians 2:15–16 amp). As we study Scripture, God’s will concerning healing becomes increasingly clear.
In Mark, chapter 9, when a father brought his son to Jesus, he also used the word if. He said, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” When Jesus heard the word if, he responded, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The man then realized that it was not a matter of whether Jesus could or would help him, but unbelief in his own heart was the issue. He immediately cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
So, the ultimate question is, “What does God’s Word say about healing?” Do we know from God’s Word that it is his will to heal? And, more specifically, is it God’s will to heal me? Those questions must be settled in one’s mind. And the answer is found in Scripture. As we consistently look into God’s Word—study it, receive it, apply it to our lives personally—we are transformed, our minds are renewed, and the truth of God’s Word will set us free from doubt concerning God’s will for our healing.
Another question that must be answered is, “Do you want to be healed?” That was the question Jesus asked the man lying by the pool of Bethesda and living with an infirmity for thirty-eight years. Jesus’s question, “Do you want to be made well?” only required a yes or no answer. Instead of answering the question, however, the man gave Jesus excuses (John 5:1–9, 14). The question Jesus asked makes it clear that we have a choice in our healing. We can accept healing or find excuses for why we have to stay in our current situation of debilitation. By asking this question, Jesus gave this man the opportunity to deal with the truth about what was in his heart.
Faith may not come easily to us unless the Lord intervenes and gives us revelation knowledge. Thankfully, the Lord will reveal our hearts to us. When we face the truth about what is in our own hearts, which can be a painful process at times, we can prayerfully deal with the truth about ourselves. We can then be set free and healed. One way to face the truth of what is in our hearts is to pay attention to our words and our actions. Our words and actions always reflect what we believe in our hearts. Faith is alive when we believe with our hearts as well as with our minds. When we say we believe something, but our actions don’t match, that faith is not a living faith, but a dead faith (see James 2:17–20). So, consider once again the question Jesus asked, “Do you want to be made well?” If the answer is yes, you will act on your faith, pray to be healed, and listen to the voice of the Lord as he leads you in your actions of faith.
For faith to be alive and working within us, we cannot be conformed to the world’s way of thinking by simply looking at a situation in the natural and believing the facts above the promises of God. We can learn a valuable lesson from Abraham, who faced impossible circumstances in the natural, even though he had received a promise from God that defied things in the natural. Yet without weakening in faith, Abraham continued to believe that God would fulfill His promise.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
(Romans 4:20–24 niv)
Abraham’s faith is an example for us to follow when we find ourselves wavering in our faith, because he purposed in his heart to believe God’s promise instead of focusing on how things looked in the natural.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” One example of a woman who came boldly to Jesus, believing she would be healed, is found in Mark 5:25–34. She said, “If only I may touch his clothes, I shall be made well.” She spoke those words because she first believed them in her heart. When she touched his clothes, her faith drew healing power from Jesus. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” When the woman told him she was the one who touched him, Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”
Ephesians 4:27 tells us not to give place to the devil. Let’s take this a step further and apply it personally to ourselves when dealing with an illness. Do not give place to an illness. For many years, I planned my life around rest because lupus required that. Although I did not realize it at the time, I was giving place to my illness by adjusting my lifestyle to accommodate it. We know that sickness is from the devil. He is the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Satan wants to steal our health so that we cannot function as God created us to. If we are so sidetracked trying to accommodate an illness, how can we live the abundant life that Jesus said he came to give us? And how can we be about the Father’s business to reach others for Christ, either for salvation or by sharing our victorious testimony so that they can also seek to live the abundant life that Jesus offers?
Scriptures throughout the Bible teach us that it is God’s will to heal us. Our faith is ignited and fed by the Word of God. Proverbs 4:20–22 reveals how important it is to give our attention to God’s Word because it is life to us, healing and health to our bodies. In other words, Scriptures about healing can become medicine to our bodies as we consistently take the Word in and apply its truth personally to our lives. Scripture teaches us that the righteousness of faith says the Word is near us, in our mouths and in our hearts that we may do what the Word instructs (Deuteronomy 30:14, Romans 10:8). As we hear, read, and speak the Word of God, it becomes engrafted—deeply rooted and firmly planted—into our hearts, producing faith and spiritual fruit in our lives. So, as we confess God’s Word with our mouths and declare His promises to be true in our own lives, our faith is strengthened and reinforced. Also, we must be aware of the words we speak in our conversations because our words reveal our hearts. If we hear ourselves speaking words of doubt, we should repent because it is impossible to please the Lord without faith (Hebrews 11:6). With God’s Word, we can starve our doubt and feed our faith!