Does God Heal Today? - Alpha Course 13
Video of the complete Livestream where Anna asks, “Does God Heal Today?”
Talk: Does God Heal Today?
I want to begin by saying that I'm super grateful to everyone working in the medical sector. I think our National Health Services (NHS) is just amazing. It's not perfect, but it's amazing. I work in the system, even though I'm not medical. So I see firsthand the incredible work that NHS staff do every day, mainly during the pandemic. So, I just wanted to start by saying this talk on healing is not about undermining that hard work.
On the contrary, God directs people into the medical profession to work in health care, in the NHS and other systems like it across the world. All healing, whatever form it takes, ultimately comes from God. So for doctors and surgeons and nurses, they're simply using their God-given ability and gifts to support a healing process within the body that is part of God's process, too.
So I'm grateful for healthcare and advances in medical science. Did you know that in the last 100 years, life expectancy in the UK has doubled? Isn't that just incredible? And when you think about everything that's been achieved, even within the last year or two with Coronavirus, and how quickly we got lifesaving vaccinations available to everyone. It's just incredible how much science and medical science can do now to help people stay healthy and prevent ill-health.
Can medicine heal all sickness?
Despite all of those advances in medical science, I think many of us have also discovered that there are times when medicine can't heal. And it only goes so far. There's still lots of sickness and pain in the world that has yet to be solved. I know this firsthand.
Over the past few years, I've walked through a season of recurrent miscarriage. And I've been unable to have more than one child. As a result, I'm incredibly blessed to have one little boy, but our family can't have any more children because of that. And so, I'm painfully aware of the fact that although God does heal, sometimes, healing doesn't happen. I have lived and am still living in the tension of knowing that medicine doesn't always provide a cure. Recurrent miscarriage is something that medicine can't cure and can't fix. And there's no real reason for it.
And so I'm very much talking on this subject today, as someone who understands that healing can happen. But also, I don't find this an easy topic. I've seen many people healed physically in front of my own eyes. And yet, my family and I live with the reality and tension space that God doesn't always seem to heal us when we want him to and when we ask. And that's hard. And I don't want to make light of that in this talk. I still have so many questions about this whole topic of healing. But I want to unpack a few fundamental principles that have helped me in this entire area of praying for healing.
#1 - Healing in the Bible
So firstly, I want to look at healing in the Bible because that's a perfect place to start looking at what the Bible says about healing. And whenever I read the Bible, I see that it's in God's nature to heal, that he is a healing God, and that he loves to heal and wants us to experience wholeness as people. In the Old Testament, there's this verse in Exodus 15:26, which says this,
“...for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
And t's not just an emotional, psychological or spiritual healing it describes, but it also looks at very physical forms of healing, particularly in the life of Jesus. 25% of the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life are taken with examples and stories of when He healed people. I find that quite incredible. That's a lot of time that Jesus spent physically healing people.
But perhaps the most incredible part of it is that, according to the Bible, it wasn't just Jesus healing the sick. He also said that the disciples, ordinary people like you and me, who believed in him and followed him, could have the authority to heal and see sick people made healthy. And so, healing isn't just for exceptional people who are called to be healers. It's for every Christian.
Jesus told his disciples, His followers, to go and preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God and heal the sick, and the two very much go hand in hand throughout Jesus' ministry. That's what the early followers of Jesus did in the book of Acts, which gives an account of the early church. They went around healing people regularly. And as you read through early church history, down through the centuries, that's what you continue to see. Christians see people healed when they pray for them. And that's still happening in churches today. God is still healing people today.
#2 - Healing today
So how does healing happen today? Last week, June told the story of her neighbour's healing.
“It was our neighbour, a young mother with two young kids. And God just laid on my heart to bless her with a bag of groceries. And so I did that. I knocked on her door, and there began our friendship. And I would go over for coffee. With the limited language we had, we just became good friends. And we got on very well. And I shared, in simple language, who Jesus was, and she was very open. And so she decided to receive him.
And a little while later, one day, she woke up with horrible back pain. And she told me my back hurts terribly. I can't stand; I can't sit. And so I went over that evening to her apartment, and she was in great agony. And I just said, Okay, let's pray for you. And her two sons were watching. And honestly, I must confess, I thought, Okay, I'll lay hands and pray. And let's see what happens. And all I can say is, she got instantly healed, and she jumped off the couch, and she went around the room, and she could not believe what had happened. And I just said, God's healed you. This Jesus, whom you now are beginning to understand, has done a miracle for you. That incident marked her life. It's her own story, her testimony. She can't deny it.”
- June
So that's great! That lady was healed from her physical pain. But then, what about other things like anxiety or poor mental health or hurts from our past? Well, I believe God heals those too. Here's Ben's story,
I grew up surrounded by Christianity and started following Jesus at a young age, believing that God wanted a personal relationship with me. But I needed forgiveness for my wrongs in life to have this relationship. Through Jesus's perfect life of obedience, His death and resurrection, He offered forgiveness in a personal relationship with God. So I had committed my life to Him. But despite that, life was honestly hard as a kid.
My dad travelled for weeks together in the early years, and when he was home, I often experienced his fierce anger directed towards me. I felt like I was the only problem in my family. On top of this, I was bullied at school consistently by my friends for my weight. I felt like I couldn't fit in anywhere. I say this not to blame others for their actions but to be honest with the reality that I was profoundly hurting as a kid, constantly feeling that something was wrong with me. So I shut down. I felt so alone for years.
By the age of eight, I was riddled with anger, feelings of worthlessness and developed all kinds of mental health issues like depression and anxiety. I began to doubt the existence of God in fear that he too would reject me upon death. And I began to wish that I had never been born because I thought that would have been more bearable than the torture and fear I was living with.
I began comparing myself to others and thought I'd be more valuable if I could be thinner and get the body I envisioned. Eventually, I needed something more to medicate, cope, and escape the pain in my life. I soon found something that could give me a high like a drug, and it was free - Pornography. And I didn't think anyone would ever have to know. I became addicted. I wanted it gone. But at the same time, I felt like it kept me alive, not knowing it would cost me 12 years of my life.
And after years of struggling with all these issues and wanting out, I hit rock bottom and began to accept that I had all kinds of struggles and needed support. I began to reach out for help rather than acting out through these different struggles. So I started this healing journey with a fantastic therapist, a structured programme that addressed many of my struggles, and a group of men who supported me every day.
I began to understand the unmet longings deep within my soul, driving many of my struggles. And as I encountered God for who He truly is, I experienced freedom as Jesus healed my wounds and replaced deeply rooted lies with truth. And as I continued on this journey, I've now been free from porn for over six years, and all of the mental health issues have lessened drastically. So my encouragement for anyone watching would be to get help. Reach out to a safe person, share your story and struggles with them and reach out to Jesus. He wants to bring healing and freedom.
- Ben
The kingdom of God & Healing
Luke 10:9 says,
“Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
What does that mean, this whole idea of the kingdom of God? Well, the kingdom of God is like God's sphere of influence, the area where he's close. So, in other words, he's saying that God's presence and healing go hand in hand. So when God's sphere of influence is total and complete, as it will be one day, the Bible says that there'll be no more sickness or pain, or cancer or death at all. Isn't that an incredible thought?
There are over 300 references in the New Testament to the return of Jesus and the total healing of the earth, people, and the order that we live in that will be healed and changed, restored and renewed when He creates a new heaven and earth. Over 300 references in the Bible to that healing that will come. So there's a very future aspect to this kingdom of God. There are many "One day" promises that we still wait for but haven't materialised yet.
At the same time, Jesus says there's a very present aspect to this too. It's like, right now, we're living in an imperfect world. But we do get a foretaste of what will happen in the future when God's sphere of influence is total and complete on the earth.
The analogy of weather
So a good analogy of what this foretaste looks like is that when you think about this time of year, we get some fantastic sunny days, but then it's pretty cold on other days. We've had a couple of weeks like this just recently. And a chilly day doesn't necessarily mean that it's wintertime yet. It's technically still summer for a few more weeks. But it's like we're having a little foretaste of what's coming. It gives us a clue that autumn and wintertime are already on the way that they're beginning. And it's a foretaste of what's to come.
It's a little bit like that when someone's healed. So like June's friend or Ben, that's a foretaste too. It tells you what the future will be like when God's rule is complete on the earth. And it's also a glimpse, a reminder and an encouragement that it's coming. And it's already on its way. But right here, and right now, we don't experience that total healing.
So let's unpack healing today a little more because how do we see healing now then?
Healing through medicine & healthcare
Firstly, there is the medical side. And if God calls you into a medical profession, or perhaps into counselling, or therapy, or another domain that is all about helping to heal people, either physically or emotionally, then do it. That's an incredible calling. And I have so many friends who are paramedics, GPs, hospital consultants, nurses, physios, and so many other professionals who are all about helping heal people. That is a great life, a great thing to give your life to.
Healing through prayer
Sometimes, God also heals people more directly. And so, I think we shouldn't stop praying for that at the same time. That brings us to the next question. How do we pray for healing? How do we heal people? Well, the truth is that we don't. It's God who does the healing, not us. So it's not like there's any unique trick or technique involved that you could guarantee that when you pray for someone, they get healed. It just doesn't work that way. And fortunately, God doesn't give us a recipe for it or a three-point plan for guaranteed healing anywhere in the Bible.
But there are a few clues when we look at the life of Jesus in how he went about healing.
1. Pray with love for people.
So a good place to start is with love. Jesus always prayed with love for people. He had compassion for people, and he prayed for their healing because their pain and hurt moved him. And that should always be our motive too when we pray for people. We pray for them with love.
2. Never blame people
Following on from that, it's also important to say that if it doesn't happen, or it doesn't happen right away, we don't just try and explain that away or put that burden onto someone else. We don't say, Oh, well, it's your fault you weren't healed, you didn't have enough faith, or you didn't believe enough. If someone's not cured, it doesn't mean that God doesn't love them or that he's punishing them in some way. We don't always understand why God sometimes heals and sometimes doesn't. But we don't put it on someone else and act like it's their fault.
3. Listen to God
Another good point is to listen to God when we're praying for healing. So when you pray, sometimes, as a Christian, you can get words or pictures or insights that just come into your mind at that moment. And sometimes this can be God communicating to the person, wanting you to speak to the person in front of you through you. That doesn't happen to me quite often, but occasionally it does. And it's always worth listening to. If it doesn't, that's okay, but it's always worth tuning our ears and trying to see if God wants to speak to that person through us.
4. Never stop praying
So praying for people is always a bit risky. Because there's always that risk that we pray and nothing happens. And then we're left disappointed or wondering why not? But someone once said that FAITH is spelt RISK. And I think that's true. So I want to encourage you to keep praying for people and praying for healing even if it doesn't always work out or work out right away.
Sometimes you do need to pray more than once. And this was even true of Jesus in the Bible. There's an example in the Gospels when Jesus prayed for a man who was blind, and he laid hands on him and prayed for him. And then he said afterwards, well, how are you doing? And the man said, I can see a little, but people look like trees walking around. So clearly, his vision was blurry. He had some sight returned, but it wasn't fully restored. So Jesus lays hands on him again and prays for him a second time. And the second time, he could see clearly.
And so I find this encouraging because if it didn't always work fully and completely the first time for Jesus, how much more should we not always expect it to be instant but keep trying again? And I love the fact that Jesus' example encourages us to do that.
5. Pray for yourself
Finally, I want to remind you that we can pray for ourselves too. While it's so great to pray for other people, we can also ask God to heal us when we're sick. Or perhaps when we're not feeling great or having a great day, we can invite the Holy Spirit to come and heal our bodies or our minds. The same way that we'd invite him to do that for other people at any time. Here's Joe's story,
I learnt what it's like when you're pushed in every way to the end of your rope. And you discover you're alone in this world. Whoever you are, without hope, everything goes. It was Friday the 30th of September. I was sitting at my computer, and this pain, out of nowhere, just turned on in my neck. Pretty soon, I discovered that at 25 years, I was going to have open-heart surgery.
I put my iPod in and cranked it 100%. All I do is focus on my breathing. After about 15 minutes, my eyes are closed, but these thoughts fill my head. "You're not going to make it; you're going to die. Give up. It's over." I was so weak, and I was under attack. I started praying. And that's when everything turned around. This hope came back 100 times stronger. And I had this rock-solid titanium promise from God, for God's sake, you're getting out of this. Like there was not a shred of doubt, I have never been so sure about anything in my life.
To cut a long story short, I was out of intensive care within four days. My oxygen levels were a hundred per cent, and I was off the breathing mask. I was walking without a frame. Within five, six days, I was out of the hospital. And I can trace it back to that Wednesday. In my heart and spirit, something turned around. And then my body very quickly followed.
When I lost my hope and hope in everything else, the doctors, medicine, my body, the only thing that brought me back was my faith in God. So the faith then led to hope. You can have hope and faith in God because He's a good God.
- Joe
So that's Joe's story. Hope is everything. And I agree. So whether I'm healed yet or not, whether I still struggle or don't, hope is everything. It's a great place to start. So start there, start with hope, as Joe did, and maybe you and I will find healing too. And that could be today. It could be tomorrow. Or it might even not be until we get to heaven. The truth is we don't know when healing will happen for sure. And that is challenging, or at least I find it to be. But at the same time, we can have absolute confidence in asking God for our healing because he promises total healing is ahead. I want to finish by praying for us today.
A prayer for Healing
Lord, You are the God who heals, and I can't put my arms around the person reading this right now or be with them in person. But you are, and you know their needs. So I ask would you stretch forth and bring your healing to all of those places of sickness or pain that they have right now in their lives? Would you touch them and bring your healing to those areas because you love them? In Jesus' name, Amen!
CONVERSATION STREET
Questions we ask this week
Conversation Street is part of our live stream, where the hosts (in this case, James & Anna) chat through Matt’s talk and answer questions that were sent in through the live stream. You can watch the conversation in the video, it starts at 34 min 43 seconds into the live stream, or you can go straight there by clicking the button below. This week’s questions and topics of conversation are:
Have you ever experienced praying for someone and they got healed?
Do you know of anyone being miraculously healed by God?
How do you deal with loved ones struggling with health issues or terminal illness?
Is there hope in the midst of pain? How has your experience been?
How can you avoid becoming fatalistic and surrender control to God?
How can you deal with grief and the loss of a loved one?
