Does God Heal?

Does God heal? This is a question that often goes unanswered. It’s a question that causes confusion and debates. The simple answer is: yes, he does.

I believe that God does still and always will heal … IF that is what’s best for the situation. It is his choice. He is God and he gets to choose what is best for us. He is Jehovah Rapha; the Lord who heals. He heals physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I’ve seen Jehovah Rapha heal many times. I’ve also seen him choose to say no to healing. I have also seen him heal in ways that we wouldn’t choose.

I’ve seen God heal physical bodies. He healed me of my allergies when I was 27 years old. I used to get so sick from allergies that I could hardly function. Every fall and every spring I would sometimes be to the point of being in bed, sick. I had been asking God to heal me of my allergies, then one Sunday morning a lady named Marilyn prayed for healing for me. God healed me right there! I haven’t had issues with allergies since that Sunday morning.

I believe that He healed my feet when both of them were broken back in 2004. Someone prayed for them and I felt tingling in my feet while he was praying. I felt the Holy Spirit on my feet. I believe He set me bones in position to heal correctly so that I wouldn’t have pain in my feet today when I walk or run. God knew that I would need to be able to care for my children, pain-free.

I’ve seen other physical healings happen in front of me. I’ve also watched God say “no” to healing people. God has chosen to not heal my son JM’s physical body … his spinal cord injury. He still isn’t able to walk almost 10 years later. Many people have prayed for his physical healing. Many people. I never have. I never believed that God wanted to heal him in that way. Have I liked it? Not really. I would prefer to have my son be whole physically but ultimately I want what God wants for my children. It's been a process but today I’m grateful for His answer to the many prayers of healing. I’m ok with it. So is JM.

Sometimes God uses the people in the medical field to heal. He has given doctors, nurses, surgeons, chiropractors, dentists, etc. the ability to help people heal. He has given them the knowledge and skills to know how to treat those of us to need to get better. Sometimes it would be so much easier to just have God heal us on the spot through prayer but he has given some people the gifts and knowledge to use the medical field to bring healing.

I have also seen God heal emotionally abused and hurt people. I’ve seen it over and over. His heart’s desire is to heal the hearts of his children and bring them to a place of wholeness. I have also seen him say no in this area. It’s not an easy thing to watch or hear him say. When it comes to emotional healing, so much of it is our choice in being obedient to the Holy Spirit. Many times we need to be in a place of being willing to forgive someone in order for healing to come. I’ve been there many times.

I have walked through a lot of emotional healing… a lot. Much or all of it was my willingness to say yes to Him. He wants to heal my heart, I need to be ok with that and accept his love for me. I am a new person today because of saying yes to and receiving His healing truth.

My children have been able to experience God’s healing truth too. My prayer has always been that my children would be able to walk in the truth of who God created them to be. In a conversation with JM recently I know that He has answered those prayers. My prayer for JM has always been the God would heal his heart – his emotional hurt - and that I’m ok with Him not healing JM physically as long as his heart would be whole again. He has! Having a recent conversation with my son about how God has brought healing to his heart was healing to my mom-heart.

Spiritual healing often comes along with physical and emotional healing. Sometimes it simply takes the choice to come into relationship with Jesus Christ. He can do a lot of healing with that choice alone. When we have an encounter with the Lord who heals, our spiritual healing comes. Reading the Word of God is healing on many levels.

I have also seen God choose to heal in a way that would be our last choice for him to heal. Sometimes He chooses to heal by death and taking the person to live in eternity with him. He did that with my husband John. I remember vividly John saying to me a few months before his died that he wanted to experience the pure joy that only comes from God. His is now experiencing that joy. God also chose to heal my mother in law by her going to heaven. She had heart/physical issues for a long time and now she is whole again. My father in law died of a massive heart attack. It would have been nice to spend more time with him even though he wasn’t able to do things that he did before but that wasn’t God’s plan for him. I had a miscarriage 25 years ago when I was 20 weeks preganant… a baby boy. His fragile little body wasn’t developing correctly. God chose to heal him by taking him to live in heaven. Would this have been my desire for healing? Not at all. I miss them all. God knew that this would be what is best for them. It’s hard for those of us who are left behind but He also brings healing in it if we allow Him to heal our hearts.

I love that God chooses to love us. He really does love each of us. That’s why he wants what’s best for us. Sometimes saying no is what’s best for us. It doesn’t always make sense to our little human minds. It’s ok to not understand the God of the universe. In the big picture we can trust Him and know that he loves us through it all. It hurts sometimes and it feels uncomfortable sometimes but God is still trustworthy. He is faithful. He is loving and gentle.