8 Answers to Your Burning Questions About Supernatural Healing

The subject of divine health and healing has raised no small stir among believers of all denominations. Most of them want to believe that God can and does heal people today. But there are a variety of questions, opinions, experiences, and misconceptions about this subject. There are questions such as: Isn’t God sovereign when it comes to healing? Doesn’t God use sickness to teach or humble us? Isn’t salvation more important than healing? What about doctors, hospitals and medicine? What about good Christians who are sick or have died? If sickness isn’t God’s will, how are people going to die? What are afflictions, sufferings and chastenings? Is it God’s will to heal everyone all the time? We will look at each of these questions here.

If you are just beginning to learn that God desires His children to be healthy, this will help introduce you to the precious truths in God’s Word concerning healing and the benefits that are yours because of Jesus' finished work on the cross and your position as a New Covenant believer. If at one time you believed in divine healing but for whatever reason have been discouraged about it, this study will help you regain your confidence in God’s Word on healing. If you already believe in God’s willingness to heal, you will be further strengthened and established in God's wisdom and in your faith for this wonderful benefit of our salvation.

Let's find some answers to common questions and misconceptions about divine health and healing. As we study God’s Word, keep an open mind and heart and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. The truth will make you free (John 8:32)—free from all religious traditions, free from wrong thinking, and free from sickness and disease!

1) Isn’t God Sovereign When It Comes To Health And Healing?

We absolutely believe that God is sovereign. He is Almighty God, and above Him there is no other! When it comes to healing, we certainly believe that God can and does initiate healing in people’s lives supernaturally and sovereignly at times. Through the gifts of the Spirit, God may heal an individual who doesn’t even believe in healing! We see examples of God’s sovereign healing power throughout the Scriptures.

While we believe in God’s sovereignty when it comes to some cases of healing, we do not believe that all healing occurs as a sovereign act of God. We see throughout the Scriptures that a believer can initiate his own healing by faith. This idea has been lost in the overemphasis on God’s sovereignty.

There is a train of thought on the sovereignty of God that goes something like this: “We are to accept anything that comes into our lives, whether it be good or bad, because it has already gone through God’s ‘big filter’ and He has placed His stamp of approval on it. Therefore, if believers are attacked with sickness or disease, they are to humbly accept it as God’s will for them, because it received His stamp of approval before it reached their bodies.” The Bible does not teach this, as we will see.

We certainly believe that God is sovereign and almighty, and we trust in His providential care. For example, where God’s will for our personal lives is concerned, He has foreordained good works in His sovereignty for each of us to walk. However, in doctrines where He has already stated His will in His Word, He will not violate Himself by performing “sovereign” acts contrary to His written Word.

Oftentimes, when praying for healing, people will say, “Lord, heal me, if it be Thy will.” They think that by adding the phrase if it be Thy will to their prayer they give God the option of exercising His sovereignty. After all, they reason, God knows best; maybe He wants us to be sick for some divine purpose!

However, as we study this subject of healing, we find that actually, in His sovereignty, God has already stated throughout His Word that it is His will to heal us of all sickness and disease. Therefore, there is no need for us to pray, if it be Thy will, or leave ourselves in the hand of “sovereign fate” when it comes to healing. God has already bound Himself to His Word and He has already declared His sovereign will. (Throughout this workbook we will look at what God has already said in His Word concerning our health and healing.)In Deuteronomy 30:19, God clearly gives us the choice for life or death. As you study the Word of God, you will see this as a constant theme. God never violates our free will: He gives us the right to choose life or death.

2) Doesn’t God Use Sickness To Teach Or Humble Us?

This is a common thought. But take just a moment to think about this reasoning. Consider this rationale in the parent-child relationship. What would you think of a father who injected his own child with a harmful, even deadly, virus or bacteria just to teach him something or to humble him? Do you think such a person is fit to be a parent? No! In our world, people like that are called child abusers and are sent to prison! Yet somehow in our religious thinking we have actually thought our heavenly Father, Who is supposed to love us more than our earthly parents, would put some type of sickness upon us to teach us something or to humble us.

Another twist on this thought is the idea that God chooses certain “humble” people to contract a particular disease. Supposedly, this is so they could be His spokesperson and show others how “humbly” they accept God’s will. Due to a lack of knowledge of God’s Word, people have literally been robbed of their vitality, and sometimes even their very lives, by this kind of thinking.

Perhaps you have heard people say that God used a sickness or disease to get their attention or lead them to repentance or draw them closer to Himself. Maybe you have heard someone say, “Yes, I know God gave me this sickness or allowed me to get this disease, because during my illness He really got my attention. Now I am closer to the Lord than ever before. I know He had some divine reason for it.” It may well be that God got that person’s attention while he was sick! Usually when we are ill, we repent for any wrongdoing and look to God for help. Naturally, when laying on a sick bed, a person could get closer to the Lord; but could that same person have gotten closer to the Lord while he was well? Of course. The decision to “draw near to God” is ours to make at any time. God wants all His children to be close to Him all the time. The Lord can take any situation and help us draw near to Him, but He isn’t deliberately using sickness or disease to lead us to repentance or draw us closer to Him.

The Lord can take any situation and help us draw near to Him, but He isn’t deliberately using sickness or disease to lead us to repentance or draw us closer to Him.

Again, imagine a mother or father using this type of tactic to get their child’s love and affection. That would be similar to a parent controlling or manipulating a child’s behavior through some perverted means. God is not in the business of controlling or manipulating us to teach us, to humble us, to get our attention, or to draw us to Him.(See 2 Timothy 3:16; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Matthew 7:11; James 1:17; Romans 2:4)

3) Isn’t Salvation More Important Than Healing?

Yes, salvation is more important than healing. If we had to pick between going to heaven or being healed, going to heaven is by far the most important! However, the good news is that we don’t have to pick between the two! God has provided the opportunity for us to have both salvation and healing. In fact, the real meaning of the word salvation includes not only going to heaven but our healing as well!

SALVATION: This is the all-inclusive word of the Gospel! The use of this word in the Bible includes forgiveness of sins; deliverance from danger, captivity and judgment; health and healing of the body; help, welfare, safety, victory, freedom from prison, preservation of life, and physical health; final and complete deliverance from all the curse, including death. (Psalm 103:1-3)

4)  Where Do Doctors, Hospitals And Medicine Fit In?

We believe in the value of doctors, hospitals and medicine! Believing in God’s divine health and healing for our bodies does not mean we are to quit believing in doctors and hospitals or to throw away our medicine. It is God’s will for our bodies to be healthy and whole, and this is also the goal of the medical profession. God and the medical community are not working against one another, but toward the same goal: the health and healing of humanity! After all, the writer of the gospel of Luke—Luke himself—was a physician!

Believing in God’s divine health and healing for our bodies does not mean we are to quit believing in doctors and hospitals or to throw away our medicine.

When it comes to doctors, hospitals and medicine, you must be led by the Spirit of God. You can certainly pray and ask God to help the physicians and medical personnel who will be advising and treating you. Trust God to give them the wisdom and understanding they need to help you.

If you are not strong in faith for healing, and if you are dealing with negative thoughts, bad reports, and painful symptoms, doctors and medicine can provide great help! Through medicine and therapy, medical science can sometimes help to quiet your pains and symptoms. When your thoughts and symptoms are not screaming so loudly, it is easier to focus your heart on the Word of God, which will strengthen your spirit and build your faith to believe God’s Word above what your body is saying.

It is worth mentioning here that sometimes when a person believes God for healing, he wants to throw away his medicine, eyeglasses or other medical apparatus in an attempt to “prove” that he has faith. Here is a word of caution: sometimes throwing away such items is nothing more than a sincere, yet superficial, attempt to cover up a lack of faith. In other words, we can subtly and unknowingly substitute true faith in God and His Word with faith in the act of throwing away something.

God can heal you while you are taking medicine, wearing glasses or using some medical apparatus. Once you have received your healing, these items will be cumbersome and unnecessary; then you will be able to discard them. Don’t substitute the heroic act of throwing away medicine for having true faith. You can exercise your faith the entire time you are receiving medical treatment from a doctor or through medicine. Although we thank God for the medical profession, our faith is not in doctors, hospitals or medicine; our faith is ultimately in God as our Healer.

You can exercise your faith the entire time you are receiving medical treatment from a doctor or through medicine.

Once you receive God’s healing power, you will be well and will no longer need medical treatment. It is always best to allow your doctor to confirm a bona fide medical healing. God is big enough to heal you in such a way that medical science can confirm it. They may not be able to explain it, but they can confirm your health and well-being!

5) What About Good Christians Who Are Sick Or Have Died?

When it comes to this question, we want to be very sensitive. First of all, we do not know the heart of every man or woman; only God does. We do not know the walk of faith and the private conversations others have had with the Lord. We do not know how God was or had been dealing with someone in the personal areas of his life.

In light of all the things we do not know about others, it is difficult to say why someone is sick or why someone died prematurely. Sometimes when people are very sick, they get tired and weary in the fight of faith and just prefer to leave their bodies (or die) and go to be with the Lord. Can you blame them? In addition, unless God tells us why, oftentimes it is none of our business. We must still walk by faith and believe God’s Word for our own personal lives.

The good news about those believers who died prematurely is our knowledge that to depart and to be with Christ is far better (Phil. 1:23)! Although they may have died through sickness or disease, they are now shouting the victory in heaven! We may not understand everything, but we can rejoice with those who have gone on to heaven ahead of us.

You may have known a believer who knew that healing was available to him from God and had faith for his healing, but was not healed. Why was he not healed? We don’t know. Why his healing did not manifest is between him and God. We need to concentrate on what we do know—the promises God has given us in His Word about healing. In this area some young or immature Christians may be tempted to judge others and try to figure out “Why?” At this point it is important to pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit and do what you can in the natural to support and encourage people who have experienced heartache in these situations. As God’s compassion fills your heart, follow after love and do what you can to be a blessing to them.

Again it’s important to remember, while we don’t always understand everything, we do not base our faith on the experience of others. We base our faith on God’s Word alone, regardless of experiences—either ours or others.

The Scriptures will help to shed some light on this subject: Deuteronomy 29:29;If we need to know something about a person’s illness or death, God will reveal it to us. If He does not reveal it, we can assume it is a secret between Himself and that person, and therefore is none of our business. (John 21:20-23)

6) If Sickness Isn’t God’s Will, How Are People Going To Die?

That is a good question! Many people have thought that eventually some type of disease would kill them or some calamity would end their lives. Did you know that God has a better way for you to leave your earthly body? Let’s look at some Bible examples.

Genesis 25:8Genesis 48:21; 49:1,28,33Ephesians 6:1-3Acts 20:24We do not have to die of disease; we can just leave our bodies in our old age. When we have run our race and finished our course, having been a blessing to our families, we can “give up the ghost” and go to be with the Lord.

Note: There is another way to die. Many soldiers for Christ—martyrs—have laid down their lives for others and for the cause of Christ. A martyr lays down his life for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you were to be a martyr, you could expect the Lord to reveal it to you in advance as He did to Peter. No man would be able to take your life; you would lay it down for the Gospel. (See John 21:18,19; 16:13; 10:17,18.)

7) What Are Afflictions, Chastenings And Sufferings?

Many Christians have been taught that God afflicts us or chastens us or allows us to suffer with sickness or disease for a reason. It is true that Christians will face afflictions, sufferings and chastenings, but God does not use sickness or disease to do it.

Really, the question is, "How does God define affliction, chastening and suffering for the Christian? Do these things include sickness and disease?" The answer is "no." Let’s look at this subject.

When it comes to suffering, being afflicted and chastened, we must keep in mind that in some things Jesus was our example and in some things He was our substitute. There is a vast difference between these two.

If Jesus was our example, that means we must follow His example. We clearly see Jesus as our example when He suffered in the areas of being persecuted, facing temptation, resisting sin and learning obedience. We can expect to suffer in these areas as well (Matt. 4:1-11; John 5:16; 15:18-20; Heb. 2:18; 4:15; 5:7,8; 12:1-4; 1 Peter 2:21-25).If Jesus was our substitute, that means He took our place and we don’t need to experience that for which He was our substitute. Jesus was our substitute at Calvary. On the cross, He took our sin and the resultant death and sickness and poverty that followed (Heb. 2:9,10; 1 Peter 2:24; Isa. 53; 2 Cor. 8:9). Since He was our substitute, sin and sickness should not dominate us any longer!

If as Christians we are not to experience afflictions, chastenings and sufferings through sickness and disease, how then does a Christian experience these things?

There are a few factors we must consider.

First, there is a law of sowing and reaping. God has given each of us a free will. We can choose blessings and cursings. When we make wrong choices, we sow bad seed and we will often reap afflictions or sufferings that we could have otherwise avoided.

Secondly, we can see from the Word that we can open the door ourselves for unnecessary sufferings and afflictions through pride, by rejecting God’s wisdom and Word, by not judging oneself, by our own words, and through not discerning the Lord’s body (Prov. 1:20-22; 6:2; 16:18; 18:7; 29:23; 1 Cor. 11:27-32; James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:6).We can create our own problems by sowing the wrong seed. When things are not going our way or when we have opened the door to the devil by our own wrongdoing, oftentimes we want to blame God. We do have a responsibility for making right choices, for sowing good seed. We can create our own afflictions and sufferings by disobeying God’s written Word.

Let’s assume, on the other hand, that we are endeavoring to obey the Word of God. We have open hearts toward the Lord and are willing to change areas that need to be changed. What will the believer experience in the area of afflictions, chastenings and sufferings?

The Lord chastens us by rebuking us through His Word. He does this because He loves us, just like a father loves a son and instructs, corrects, rebukes, and admonishes him when needed, for his benefit. An earthly father would not put sickness or disease upon his son to teach him a lesson any more than our heavenly Father would put sickness or disease upon us to chasten us.

Because God loves us and wants us to be fruitful, He purges or prunes us at times. Like chastening, this is not always pleasant, but it is for our profit. (John 15:1-3­)As those who desire to be obedient to the Lord and His Word, we will experience sufferings. We will suffer persecution and temptations and trials. We will suffer through resisting sin and learning obedience.

Christians will face chastenings from God’s Word and sufferings through tests, temptations, persecutions and afflictions, from which the Lord will deliver us. Nowhere in the Word of God do we see God afflicting, chastening or causing believers to suffer with sickness or disease.

8) God Has The Power, But Is He Willing To Heal Everyone?

Many believers agree that God has the power to heal anyone and everyone of anything! The real question that must be settled is: “Is it God’s will to heal anyone and everyone of anything all the time?”

The majority of my book Getting a Grip on the Basics of Health and Healing is devoted to answering this question.