Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. – James 5:16 NLT
The Need for Healing
There are many reasons we may need God’s healing work in our life or the life of a loved one. God wants us to bring our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pain to Him. The Bible calls God Jehovah Rapha––the Great Healer. He cares for you, He hears you, and He’s with you.
Why Am I Hurting?
Many people ask, “How can a good God let bad things happen?” Maybe that’s how you’re feeling during this time of need. The existence of an illness doesn’t mean the sick person sinned. It isn’t a result of God’s punishment. It doesn’t mean God isn’t working, caring, or loving. Our world is broken because of sin, and that brokenness shows up in our bodies, relationships, mental health, and more.
But nothing is outside of God’s ability to redeem. When we bring our pain and suffering to Him, we’re trusting Him to use it for His glory and our good. Sometimes that looks like God healing us in this life to show us His miraculous powers. Other times He may decide to teach us things through the sickness that we couldn’t have learned otherwise. However He chooses to respond, we can have confidence that He is in control, and that means we can praise His Name through both times of affliction and good health.
Jesus’ Ministry Shows Us God’s Heart to Heal
Approximately one-fifth of the Gospel narrative is devoted to Jesus’ healing ministry. At the start of His ministry, “Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness“ (Matthew 4:23).
Jesus came to bring us healing in every way—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. His sacrifice on the cross defeated the power of sin and death on our behalf.
First Peter 2:24 says, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed” (NLT).
Can God Heal Me?
God has not lost His ability to heal, and His love for His people has not diminished. God is still at work in the world. But we should also recognize why Jesus healed so many during His ministry. During His time on earth, Jesus used miracles to prove His heavenly authority over all of creation and as an outward reflection of the inward healing He wanted to bring.
Today, Jesus wants to bring healing to His people––first and foremost spiritually. But that doesn’t mean He still doesn’t heal physical and mental ailments on this side of eternity. Divine healing may come through traditional medicine or direct intervention by God in response to prayer.
If healing hasn’t come to you yet, don’t lose heart. It’s not because God doesn’t care for you. Rather, there’s likely something else He wants to do in your life at this time.
What Else Does the Bible Say About Healing?
Although physical, mental, and emotional healing is not a guaranteed work of the atonement (Isaiah 53:4-5), healing holds a prominent place in the Bible. Scripture tells us that Jesus, the Apostles, and the early church leaders were frequently involved in healing ministry.
God is the Great Physician, and all healing is accomplished through Him. We believe that God is still in the business of healing. Psalm 103:3 says, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases” (NLT).
God wants us to exercise our faith and authority in Him by praying for healing for ourselves and others. At the same time, He wants to grow our trust in Him, believing that He will work according to His perfect plans and timing.
Healing is a time to connect with the Lord, to be satisfied in Him, and to grow as a follower of Jesus. Continue to pray and seek His face. Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him. He is working in the waiting.
So take heart, for in Him we find healing of the heart, mind, body, and soul.
Additional Verses About Healing:
Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. – James 5:14-15 NLT
But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. – Isaiah 53:5 NLT
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2 NLT
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. – Psalm 103:2-4 NLT
“It was not because of his sins or his parent’s sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” – John 9:3 NLT
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. – Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT
