by Janine Ridings
One of the most
important aspects of prayer when praying for healing is to make sure we are
praying according to God’s will and sovereignty. Jesus was our ultimate example. While
praying in the garden in Gethsemane, He prayed, “Father,
if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you
will” (Matt. 26:39).
I think one of the most controversial topics in the church today is in
regard to healing. Most of my life,
I was taught that if a person just had enough faith, they could expect God to
heal them. After living with a
chronic illness for seven years, I have found this to be an erroneous
assumption. That whole premise
leaves out the very important principle of God’s sovereignty, which is taught
in Scripture. Isaiah 45:6-7 says, “I
am the Lord, and there is no other. I
form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I,
the Lord, do all these things.”
An acquaintance of mine, Jim Dolhanyk, helped me grasp the
importance of God’s sovereignty in regard to praying for healing.
Jim was diagnosed with melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer
in his early thirties. Four months
prior to his death, he was interviewed by Hank Hanegraaff on the radio show The
Bible Answer Man. Hank asked Jim
how he would respond if someone asked him if he had enough faith to be healed.
I’ll never forget Jim’s response.
He said, “The question is not, ‘Do I have enough faith to be
healed?’ The real question is, ‘Do I trust God’s sovereignty?’” Jim
hit the nail on the head. It is
important for us to be willing to accept God’s will and plan for our life,
even if it is not that we are to be healed.
According to Hank Hanegraaff, of all the people who pray for healing, the number of people who are
not healed far exceeds the number that are. Often
the only testimonies we hear about are from people who are
healed. That can leave those who
aren’t healed feeling disappointed, discouraged, and maybe even cheated by
God. Whenever we pray for God’s
healing, it is always important to keep in mind that God is God, and He alone
decides who is healed and who is not.
I would now like to
address some more practical suggestions in praying for healing. All throughout the New Testament, we see many references to the fact that
there is power in the name of Jesus.
On numerous occasions we see people praying in His name.
One example is when Peter prayed for healing for the crippled beggar. In Acts 3:6, Peter says, “In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
walk.” Later, the rulers in
Jerusalem asked Peter and John, “By what
power or what name did you do this?” (Acts
4:7) Peter responded, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but
whom God raised from the dead, that
this man stands before you healed” (Acts
4:10). Another example of praying
in the name of Jesus occurs when we see Paul casting out an evil spirit. According to Acts 16:18, “Paul
became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name
of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the spirit left her.”
We see many occasions in Scripture where people pray
using the name of Jesus. I would
encourage you to do the same.
Another verse in the
Bible that gives us advice about praying for healing is found in James 5:14,
which says, “Is any one of you sick? He should call on the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And
the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise
him up.” Here we see the
importance of having others pray for those who are ill, in this case, the elders
of the church. This passage also
emphasizes the importance of praying with faith, and again we see the
encouragement to pray in the name of the Lord.
Next I’d like to
address the role that faith plays in praying for the chronically ill. There are
many passages in the New Testament where faith is seen as an important aspect in
a person’s healing. Jesus gives
us an example of this in a situation where He healed a leper.
In Luke 17:19 Jesus tells the leper, “Rise
and go; your faith has made you well.” In
another situation, Jesus healed a woman who had been subject to bleeding for
twelve years. Jesus said to her, “Daughter,
your faith has healed you. Go in
peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark
5:34). It is important to pray with faith, believing in God’s
healing power, but as mentioned earlier, it is also important to accept God’s
answer when it is not to heal.
Another thing to keep
in mind when praying for the chronically ill, is to pray that God will be
glorified through the situation. In
John 9, Jesus’ disciples asked him why a certain man was born blind. They asked Jesus if it was due to the man’s own sins or
those of his parents. Jesus
responded, “Neither this man nor his
parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in
his life” (John 9:3). Here we see the aspect of God’s divine purpose in illness. Sometimes chronic illness can be caused by our own poor choices; other
times it is God’s sovereignty at work in our lives.
One of the ways God can be glorified in the midst of illness is through the process of spiritual growth. Romans 5 talks about the spiritual benefits of suffering. Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” It is appropriate to pray privately for a person’s illness to be used by God in that person’s life and in the lives of those around them for the purpose of spiritual growth and the shaping of godly character. The person themself may also wish to pray for God’s character to be developed in his/her life as a result of the trial of illness they are experiencing. It is important to note, however, that if someone is in a state of crisis or severe discouragement, they may not be in a mental place to be able to pray in this manner. The person who is ill may be in a survival mode, and may be questioning God or experiencing emotions such as anger or depression. If this is the case, then the person should feel free to suffer and struggle right where they are at, and be given time to work through their emotions. It is appropriate to be honest with God in prayer about various emotions, just as Jesus was honest on the cross when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34)
In addition to
praying for the spiritual growth of
people, it is also appropriate to pray for perseverance for them in the midst
of their situation, as well as for hope. Romans 5 talks about suffering
producing perseverance, which in turn produces character, which then produces
hope. Perseverance and hope are two things that most people with a chronic
illness may be struggling with. At
times the challenges of a chronic illness are overwhelming, and the road ahead
may seem very long, so praying for
perseverance and hope are very helpful for someone who is chronically ill.
Also, persevere in prayer for the chronically ill, since we never know
what God’s timetable may be in terms of healing for that person.
An important thing to
remember in regard to the topic of healing is that everyone who suffers from
illness on this earth will be healed someday, whether it is on this earth, or in
the life to come. I Corinthians
15:40 says, “There are also heavenly
bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is
one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.” I John 3:2 says, “But
we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he
is.” Now that is something we
can all look forward to!
A final note about praying for
the chronically ill: Ultimately,
ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your prayers for the chronically ill.
He is our counselor and guide in life, and if we ask Him, He will show us
how to pray in each unique situation. John
14:26 says, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to
you.”
While on this earth,
we may never understand why God chooses to heal some and not others. In I Corinthians 13:12 it says, “Now
we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
The important thing is that we trust in God’s sovereignty, knowing that
His ultimate plans for us are good. Isaiah
55:9 says, “As the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
thoughts.” We may not
understand, but we need to trust His plan for our lives.