How to Pray for Healing with Confidence: Experience God’s Will for Healing and Health

Let me draw your attention to First John 5:14-15, which says:

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

This passage assures us that we can possess unwavering conviction that when we petition for anything aligned with God’s will, He both listens and responds affirmatively. The word “confidence” in this verse is interpreted from the Greek word parresia, signifying a manner of expressing oneself boldly, candidly, and with straightforwardness. This bold kind of speech is often translated in the New Testament as the word “confidence.” Indeed, it depicts a confident kind of speaking — a daring to speak exactly what one believes or thinks with no hesitation or intimidation. Within this context, it means if we know our prayers are in harmony with God’s will, we have the liberty to approach God with boldness, honesty, and directness as we present our petitions to Him.

In fact, verse 14 goes on to say that “…if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us….” The word “ask” is from a form of the Greek word aiteo, which conveys a sense of demanding or insisting. This term paints a picture of someone who approaches prayer with authority, unafraid to present his needs and fully expects to receive what he seeks. The confidence of such a person stems from the fact that he or she is asking “according to His will.” This means that individual is not just randomly asking for anything he or she wishes, but is praying “according to His will.”

When you pray with the assurance that what you’re praying aligns with God’s scriptures, there is no need to be timid. Instead, stand firm, assert your faith, and expect God to respond!

Praying According to the Will of God is the Key

First John 5:14 continues to say that if we are praying according to His will — or according to what God has revealed in His Word — “He heareth us.” God’s ear is attuned to His own promises spoken back to Him, and that is what prompts Him to take action. While our emotions and needs matter deeply to Him, it is ultimately the confident, heartfelt recitation of His promises that stirs Him to respond. Therefore, understanding what God has revealed as His will, particularly concerning healing, is of utmost importance. Indeed, First John 5:14 states that God is moved to action when He hears a believer boldly praying the promises of His Word.

But as mentioned before, God responds to prayers when they are aligned with the teachings and truths found in His Word. This is why it is crucial to align your prayers with His will. Knowing the will of God — and praying according to the will of God — is absolutely essential if you want to see your prayers answered. It is absolutely God’s will for you to be healed and to live in health. These blessings are included in Christ’s work of redemption on the Cross.

God’s Explicit Will for Your Life

In Third John, verse 2, the apostle John expressed the will of God when he wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.”

This verse is an unequivocal declaration of God’s explicit will for your life, and, hence, it is key for you to understand this verse. Having this verse cemented into your heart and mind will put you on a foundation so strong that you can confidently release your faith for divine healing.

The word “wish” in this verse is a translation of the Greek word euchomai, which expresses one’s strongest desire or will. John was writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which means this was not only John’s strongest desire and will, but because the Holy Spirit was writing through him, John was expressing God’s strongest desire for His people. This means in this verse, we discover the explicit will of God for every authentic believer.

Since the explicit will of God for every believer is stated in this verse, we need to really examine it to discover God’s will for each of us. John wrote, “…I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.” The words “above all things” are an interpretation of the Greek words peri panton. The word peri pictures a circumference and what surrounds you, and the word panton is all-inclusive and pictures everything. As a phrase, it means absolutely everything that encompasses you, surrounds you, and concerns you — and that means absolutely everything.

Then John added that it was his desire (and because he was writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was actually expressing God’s will) that God’s people “prosper.” The word “prosper” is interpreted from a form of the Greek word euodoo, which is a compound of the words eu and hodos. The word eu means good and pictures what is enjoyable, delightful, and pleasurable, and the word hodos is the Greek word for a road. As the compounded word euodoo that John used, it means to have a joyful, enjoyable, delightful, and pleasurable experience on every road of life that you take.

In the ancient world, prosperity was frequently measured by the size of one’s home or the quantity of other possessions in addition to one’s having enough finances so that he could freely travel abroad and take vacations.1 For example, when Paul was ministering with such great results in Ephesus, and the idol-makers feared their “wealth” would be affected. The word “wealth” used in Acts 20:25 is translated from the Greek word euporia, a word similar to euudoo in Third John 3, because it also means to have the ability to travel and have an enjoyable traveling experience.

The idol-workers in Ephesus measured their prosperity and wealth by whether they had enough financial resources to travel and vacation abroad. Whether they were traveling to faraway places on expeditions to enhance their trade or their studies as explorers and hobbyists, or they were traveling and enjoying leisure time away in a foreign land — travel was an indicator of a person’s wealth and status. These idol-workers feared that Paul’s preaching — and the infiltration of the Gospel into the culture, causing people to stop buying the idols they made — would affect their income to the point they would no longer be able to travel abroad and take vacations.

The way this word was used in history tells us that the word euodoo John used when he said it was his [and God’s] will that believers “prosper” meant that God wants His people to have not only enough money to pay their basic bills, but enough extra to enjoy life to the point they can travel and enjoy themselves.

In the First Century, traveling was an outward sign of prosperity and wealth. The same might be true today in the way some measure prosperity, but, largely, people measure wealth differently in modern society — for example, by the size of people’s homes or the quantity of their possessions or other resources. But the ability to travel was a pronounced mark of prosperity in the ancient world.

Maybe traveling is not your dream, but according to the verses we’ve seen previously, the word “prosperity” (Greek — euodoo) pictures having more than enough to pay your basic bills and sufficient resources to enjoy any road of life that you will ever take. In other words, it is not God’s will for you to struggle and barely make it in life, but to have enough financially to enjoy yourself along the way.

But notice John then added that it was his strongest desire [and God’s] that the people of God “be in health.” The word “health” is interpreted from a form of hugiaino, a word that depicts one’s physical health as being healthy, in good working order, and in sound condition, and it includes mental soundness. The reason it is translated as the word “whole” is, it carries the idea of wholeness or of one who is complete and sound in every part of his being.

In John 5, we discover that the word hugiaino is used four times concerning the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.

• In John 5:6, Jesus asked the lame man, “Wilt thou be made whole?” The word “whole” is from a form of hugiaino, which means Jesus was actually asking if he wanted to be healthy, in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.

• In John 5:9, we read that after Jesus told the man to pick up his bed and walk, he was “made whole.” The word “whole” is again translated from a form of hugiaino, which means he was immediately made healthy, restored to good working order, and made sound physically and mentally.

• In John 5:11, after the religious leaders asked who healed him, the healed man answered that it was Jesus who had made him “whole.” The word “whole” is again translated from a form of hugiaino, which means he testified that it was Jesus who had made him healthy, in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.

• In John 5:14, after Jesus found the man, He told him, “Behold, thou art made whole.” The word “whole is again translated from a form of hugiaino, which means Jesus jubilantly acknowledged that the man was now healthy, in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.

So when John wrote that it was his [and God’s] strongest desire and will that God’s people be in “health,” it meant that God wants His people to be healthy, physically in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.

In Third John 2, John wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health…,” and we covered the words “wish,” “above all things,” “prosper,” and “health.” But then John added “as thy soul prospereth.” The word “soul” refers to their emotions, mind, and will and, herein, we find that God not only wants us to be in good physical health, but He wants His Word to transform our souls to the point that every thought — or every road the mind finds itself traveling — will be filled with the abundance of God’s grace. But overall, we find that it is God’s explicit will for His people to be healthy, in good physical working order, sound physically, and abundantly blessed with good mental health.

The RIV (Renner Interpretive Version) of Third John 2 says:

My dearly loved brothers, it is my strongest desire that you prosper in every way that concerns you — that you not only have enough money to pay your basic bills but enough extra so you can really enjoy yourselves on every road of life that you take — and that you be healthy, in good, physical working order, sound physically in every way, and that you are blessed with good mental health.

You see, the Bible clearly states that it is God’s unequivocal will for you to prosper on every road you take in life and for you to continuously enjoy the benefits of good physical and mental health. It is my heartfelt prayer that the Holy Spirit will use my book, Everything You Need to Know About Healing, to enlighten your understanding and provide long sought-after answers that will put you on both a supernatural and commonsense path that will lead you into the healing and health that Jesus purchased at the Cross for you.