Healing and Faith: Is There a Connection?
I have always pondered when praying for people’s healing why some get healed, but others do not see the immediate manifestation of healing.
Many want to see the immediate healing manifestation when they pray for someone. I know I have been and still am that way. I have sat back and asked God, “Is my faith wavering, or is it the person I am praying for?”
That has been a question on my mind for quite a while. I hadn’t thought about this for some time, then while my wife and I were on a road trip, I began pondering it again.
All of a sudden, the Lord popped this question into my mind: “Why did Jesus spit into dirt to make mud, put it on a blind man’s eyes, and then tell him to go wash it off?”
The blind man did as he was instructed and upon washing the mud off of his eyes, he could see. I began to ask myself why Jesus did this because He had all the power to give the guy his sight right then and there. Why then did Jesus do it this way?
Then the answer hit me, and it was rather simple…FAITH! Jesus had all the power in the world, yet He chose to strengthen people’s faith not only in Him but also to get healed. We see several times throughout Jesus’ ministry when He said, “No greater faith have I seen.” We see this with the centurion, the woman with the issue of blood, and so on. These people knew who Jesus was and the power that He carried. They knew that all He had to do was speak and it would happen.
We see that some cases like the paralyzed man that was lowered from the ceiling, Jesus told him to rise, pick up his bed, and walk. We see with the lepers that they were told to go show themselves to the high priest. The blind man that had the mud put on his eyes was told to go wash the mud off. Even with the miracle of the water into wine at the wedding. The servant had to take as far as he knew water to the master of the ceremony at which point it had turned to wine.
In each of these cases, an action had to be done to receive the miracle. The action in question was FAITH. Each one had to do something, some form of action, at which point they received their healing. We see that in some cases Jesus had to clear out the room in order to keep Faith strong. We see this in the case of the ruler and his sick daughter. Matthews 9:18-26 KJV. We see that in verse 18, a ruler came to Jesus and worshipped Him saying, “My daughter is even now dead; but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.”
I am going to stop here just for a second. There is something interesting here. The ruler worshipped Jesus and then asked Him to come and heal his daughter. How many times in our own lives have we come and asked for something from the Lord before worshipping Him first? The ruler worshipped before he even had his miracle. I want that to sink in. The RULER WORSHIPPED before he even had his miracle.
After worshipping, the ruler spoke in faith because he knew Jesus could heal his daughter. In Luke’s account in Luke 8:40-56, we see the ruler was named Jairus and he was a ruler in the synagogue. We see that Jesus was going to Jairus’ house when the woman with the issue of blood touched him. Jesus stopped and ministered to her. At about that time, one of Jairus’ servants came and said, “Do not bother the master for your daughter is dead.”
When Jesus heard it (v. 50), he said to Jairus, “Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” That word believe in the Greek translation means to have faith. In other words, Jesus was saying to Jairus, “Your faith has brought us this far; don’t give up now because of news that is contradictory to what you believe. Your faith will make her whole.”
When they got to the house, the mourners had started their wailing and weeping. This scene made Jairus’ faith begin to wane, so Jesus kicked everyone out of the house except for Jairus and his wife and three disciples. I believe the three disciples were there to help build the faith in the room. We need people like that around us.
Jesus removed the doubt and unbelief to keep Jairus’ faith strong that He was about to perform a miracle. Sometimes we have to get the negativity out of our lives if we are believing for a miracle. If we are believing for a financial miracle then we need to turn off the news that is talking about how bad the economy is. That will not help us but only hinder us.
This showed me that even when I don’t see immediate results when I lay hands on someone and pray for them, it doesn’t mean they weren’t healed. They were touched by the power of God, but they may not have been ready faith-wise to receive it yet. Perhaps when their faith rises, they will see their miracle come to pass. This could be when they go home and begin to think about the prayer, then their faith rises hearing about some other miracles God did and then BAM, they get healed. We see those that operate in the gift of healings and the gift of faith. When these gifts are in operation, people get healed no matter where their faith level is. We need to desire to operate in these gifts if we want to see immediate manifestations of God’s miraculous power.
After thinking about this, I can see that is why evangelists and others usually tell people about the miracles they have seen. It isn’t to be egotistical (in most cases but there are some that are), but rather to help build the person’s faith up to receive the healing or miracle they are desiring.
If there is anyone who needs a miracle in their lives, remember a few important things when contending for it:
- Worship God like it has already been completed
- Stand in faith and know that God can do it (expectancy)
- Get rid of the negativity in your life that is contrary to what you are believing for God to do
- Put those around you that will help you remain in faith
- Don’t give up until you see your miracle come to pass
At Radiant New Life, we are committed to stand with you and pray for your miracle to come to pass. If you need prayer and would like for us to pray for you, please send us an e-mail at info@radiantnewlife.com or go to the contact page on our website https://radiantnewlife.com, then we will reach out to you.
Keep the faith, and you will see your healing.
God Bless,
Eric Schroeder
Very insightful. I struggle to to remember to Praise God first and have patience. Trust in God’s will.
I believe now that God allows us to be imperfect people so that we stay close to Him- and find Him. God works in mysterious ways. Without our troubles and imperfections, how many of us would remain prayerful? And how many of us, when we suffer remain faithful? And how many of us when we suffer, praise God for all the other blessings and gifts he has bestowed upon us and provided for us? Not that we want to be incredibly ill, nor does He want to see us suffer. Ultimately He wants us to experience pure joy and happiness. And understanding what are best for us may not always be what we think they are. What are truly the important things in our earthly existence? What do we ultimately need to attain eternal presence with Him in heaven?
Your post is timely for me. Thank you for writing this through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Another faith-focused first person who helps people heal their bodies through their faith reminds them to praise God first. Then, ask for healing.
Are we led to becoming more holy through those imperfect times? Which is perfect? 🙂 I came to realize this by studying and oak leaf throughbdrawing one for a nature class. They leaf was not symmetrical, but asymmetrical. All leaves were also not the same size, on the same tree. God could have chosen to make all of the leaves perfectly symmetrical and the same size- but He didn’t. So equally so, perhaps He made us imperfect as well – purposely.
My own struggles keep me humble before Him, and others. Now I am practicing praising Him for those imperfections and illnesses I journey through to Healing both my body and soul.
When asking for healing while walking on the Northshore, the phrase “Heal what needs to be Healed” kept popping into my head. Maybe something there too that I need to find. Through praise, faith, prayer, and patience.
So good!!!!!