Does the Lord Still Heal the Sick Today?  

It seems that currently there are many cases of people suffering from viruses and other sicknesses making the rounds. It raises questions related to the subject of divine healing. What can and should we expect when it comes to prayers for healing and the idea of God instantaneously and miraculously delivering people from their physical ailments? While we can’t thoroughly explore the subject in this brief format, here are a few points to ponder.

The Bible reveals that God can miraculously heal people. Such miracles were part of Jesus’ ministry. So we shouldn’t deny its reality or downplay its possibility. However, just because Jesus did it, does that mean divine healing is still available to us today? Consider the fact that Jesus gave His disciples the authority to heal sicknesses. We see such miracles taking place in connections with Jesus’ followers after His death and resurrection. Paul refers to the possibility of believers being given a gift of healing. And in the book of James, it talks about the sick being healed as others anoint them with oil and pray for them. While some people claim such miracles were limited to a certain time period, I see no evidence of that in scripture. I believe the Lord can still heal today.

The Bible also affirms that the Lord can heal all kinds of diseases. No case is too hard for Him. Jesus healed lepers, the blind, the lame, and various other ailments. Some of those had no cures and were considered hopeless cases. I believe there is still no sickness beyond the Lord’s ability to heal – not cancer or Alzheimer’s or heart disease or Covid. Isn’t that wonderful news?

However, the scriptural record indicates that Jesus didn’t instantaneously and miraculously heal everyone. He could have, but He didn’t. There were times when He healed all who were brought to Him. Nevertheless, He didn’t heal every sick person He came upon. Consider the case of the man He healed at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5:1-15). It appears that Jesus only healed the one man even though there were multitudes of sick people gathered at that location. So while divine healing is possible and available to us today, God doesn’t always choose to work that way. Instead, He may help us experience healing over time, not only as we continue to pray about it, but also as we make use of the medical professionals and medicines He has provided or us. We should also keep in mind that God can use such times of suffering to strengthen us and develop godly character in us.  As with Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”, sometimes God gives us the grace to endure the suffering.

Neither is such miraculous healing dependent on having enough faith. Faith can be an important factor when it comes to healing. When Jesus healed people, He sometimes pointed out their faith. Likewise, when Jesus went back to His hometown area, He was unable to do many miracles there because of their unbelief. The lack of faith can certainly be a hindrance to the Lord healing us. However, I would hesitate to fault Paul for a lack of faith in not experiencing healing from His “thorn in the flesh” or in the fact that he records having left a sick co-worker behind on one occasion. Why didn’t Paul miraculously heal him? It is further evidence that God’s will and purposes do not always include miraculous healing.

So as we deal with sickness in ourselves or in others, let’s be open to the possibility of divine healing and make it a matter of prayer, However, as with all prayer, we need to seek God’s will and submit to His plans and purposes, whether it is to heal instantaneously and miraculously or not.