Faith and Healing
Crack! Third inning, two outs, and the kid at bat had just hit a pop fly over my head at shortstop. Eye on the
ball, backpedaling furiously, I was going to make the final out of the inning. Unfortunately, the kid playing left
field had the same idea. Everyone was amazed at the perfect timing of the event. I tripped. He fell on top of me.
Neither of us caught the ball. Another typical day at your local Little League Baseball diamond.
Except for the fact that I had a broken collarbone, in two places, there went the summer! If I hadn't been in
so much pain, I could have really been ticked off. But it hurt too much for that.
As they were taking me home, I realized I had another problem. Not only did I have a broken collarbone, I had
a dad who believed in the Bible's promises of divine healing. By “divine healing” he meant, “The power of God to
heal the sick and afflicted in answer to believing prayer offered in Jesus' name.” My dad's faith for healing was
so strong, our family experienced very little sickness. (In later years, my brother and I would say that we were
“not permitted” to get sick!)
As the coach carried me into the living room, I was aware of my dad quietly asking questions. After the coach
left, Dad spoke to me. He surprised me. I was expecting him to pray one of his famous “get-well” prayers, because
that's what he usually did. (And it usually worked, too, not that I always wanted it to. Other kids could occasionally
stay home with a tummy ache. Not us! “Be healed in Jesus' name! Now, go to school.”)
But this time, I heard him say, “Well, Son, what would you like to do?” Unfair, I thought. Just pray,
and make this better. Quick.
From the look in his eye, I knew he had made a decision—that this was going to be my choice. Only years
later would I realize that he understood how strategic it was for a growing son to come to a time of grappling
on his own with God's promises and covenants of healing.
So, made bold by all the other times he had prayed, I said, “Just pray, Dad.” He did. And when I tried to move
my arm, it hurt! Instead of praying again, he just smiled. I remember him telling me that he would take me to the
doctor as soon as I was ready to go.
Now there was an interesting proposition. I'd never met a doctor, or been in a hospital, let alone have one
actually work on me. It was not a pleasant thought. So, based more on fear of the unknown than faith in the Lord,
I chose to employ a homemade arm sling and went upstairs to bed. I was eleven and much more caught up in the pleasures
of summer that I envisioned slipping away than I was in giving the Lord glory through the healing process.
But something happened in those two weeks that has influenced me for the rest of my life. I actually read the
Bible—seriously and personally for my growth. Like most good little church kids, I had memorized Scripture for
contests, and in general, to show off in front of the adults. But I had not actually read the Bible's promises
for any other purpose. It was not connected to “real life!”
Now it was. Especially after I fell down the stairs the next day, and the entire neighborhood heard me
yell out my pain. Suddenly the doctor sounded like a good idea. Dad still said the same thing, “What would you
like to do?”
As an eleven-year-old, I made a decision based on an admittedly immature understanding of God's purpose and
promises, but nonetheless I chose to believe for healing. How I know He healed me is the “rest of the story.” Before
I tell you that, let's review some of the healing promises that will build your faith.
Healing Provision
The prophet Isaiah describes the Lord Jesus as the Suffering Servant. In chapter 53, Isaiah portrays graphically
the suffering of our Lord upon the cross. Study Isaiah 53:1–12, using these questions as you read through the verses:
1. How is the Lord's appearance described in verse 2?
2. What does He carry, and with what is He acquainted in verse 3?
3. According to verse 4, how was the Lord esteemed?
4. According to verse 4, what did the Lord bear?
5. According to verse 5, why was the Lord wounded?
6. According to verse 5, why was the Lord bruised?
7. According to verse 5, what did His stripes accomplish?
8. According to verse 6, what has the Lord done with our iniquity?
9. According to verse 7, what response does the Lamb give in His suffering?
10. According to verse 8, why was He stricken?
11. According to verse 10, what phrase appears to refer to the Lord's resurrection?
12. According to verse 11, how shall the Righteous Servant justify many?
13. According to verse 12, what four things did the Servant do for mankind?
Word Wealth
Isaiah 53:4, Griefs, choliy (Strong's #2483; khol-ee); from malady, anxiety,
calamity:—disease, grief, sickness. Use a Bible concordance to look up this word to see how many times it is used
to refer to physical sickness.
Word Wealth
Isaiah 53:4, Sorrows, makob (Strong's #4341; mak-obe). This word is often
translated “sorrow,” “grief,” and seems to refer to emotional pain, while the preceding word seems to refer to
physical pain. Use a concordance to see how the word is employed by other writers.
Kingdom Extra
Dr. N. M. Van Cleave writes on this text: “Isaiah 53 clearly teaches that bodily healing is included in the
atoning work of Christ, His suffering, and His Cross. The Hebrew words for ‘griefs' and ‘sorrows' (v. 4) specifically
means physical affliction. This is verified in the fact that Matthew 8:17 says this Isaiah text is being exemplarily
fulfilled in Jesus' healing people of human sickness and other physical need.
“Further, that the words ‘borne’ and ‘carried’ refer to Jesus' atoning work on the Cross is made clear by the
fact that they are the same words used to describe Christ's bearing our sins (see v. 11; also 1 Pet. 2:24). These
texts unequivocally link the grounds of provision for both our salvation and our healing to the atoning work of
Calvary. Neither is automatically appropriated however; for each provision—a soul's salvation or a person's temporal,
physical healing—must be received by faith. Christ's work on the cross makes each possible: simple faith receives
each as we choose.
“Incidentally, a few contend that Isaiah's prophecy about sickness was fulfilled completely by the one-day healings
described in Matthew 8:17. A close look, however, will show that the word ‘fulfill’ often applies to an action
that extends throughout the whole church age.” (See Is. 42:1–4; Matt. 12:14–17; Ps. 107:20; Matt. 4:23–25). [Spirit-Filled
Life Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), “Kingdom Dynamics: Is. 53:4, 5, Healing Prophesied
Through Christ's Atonement,” 1032.]
At a Glance
Before you study some other important scriptures outlining God's provision for your physical well-being, take
the time to look at this chart which combines verses from Isaiah 52 and 53, and lists references from the New Testament
which fulfill them.
The Suffering Servant
Jesus understood His mission and work as the fulfillment of Isaiah's Suffering Servant.
The Prophecy: He will be exalted ( 52:13).
The Fulfillment: Philippians 2:9
The Prophecy: He will be disfigured by suffering ( 52:14; 53:2).
The Fulfillment: Mark 15:17, 19
The Prophecy: He will make a blood atonement ( 52:15).
The Fulfillment: 1 Peter 1:2
The Prophecy: He will be widely rejected (53:1, 3).
The Fulfillment: John 12:37, 38
The Prophecy: He will bear our sins and sorrows (53:4, 5).
The Fulfillment: Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24, 25
The Prophecy: He will be our substitute (53:6, 8).
The Fulfillment: 2 Corinthians 5:21
The Prophecy: He will voluntarily accept our guilt and punishment (53:7, 8).
The Fulfillment: John 10:11; 19:30
The Prophecy: He will be buried in a rich man's tomb (53:9).
The Fulfillment: John 19:38–42
The Prophecy: He will save us who believe in Him (53:10, 11).
The Fulfillment: John 3:16; Acts 16:31
The Prophecy: He will die on behalf of transgressors (53:12).
The Fulfillment: Mark 15:27, 28; Luke 22:37 [Ibid., 1033, Chart: “The Suffering Servant, Is. 53:12.”]
God's loving, healing provision is rooted in the atoning work of the Son of God upon the Cross, the power of
God through the Holy Spirit's ministry, and the character of God, which is committed to seeking human wholeness.
Put another way, by nature God is a healing God. In terms of power, there is nothing impossible with Him. And legally,
the work of Christ on the Cross opens the door for a Holy God to administer His healing mercies to a people who
would otherwise be unqualified to receive His healing touch.
Healing Promises
In the following verses, what does the Lord say He will heal?
1. 2 Chronicles 7:14
2. Psalms 6:2, 3
3. Psalm 41:4
4. Isaiah 57:17, 18; Jeremiah 3:22; Hosea 14:4
5. Isaiah 61:1
6. Jeremiah 30:17
Every promise has a condition. Study the following verses in their context. Write out the healing promise, and
the condition which must be met for that promise of healing to be kept.
1. Isaiah 58:8
Promise:
Condition:
2. Exodus 23:25
Promise:
Condition:
3. Deuteronomy 7:15
Promise:
Condition:
4. James 5:14, 15
Promise:
Condition:
Healing and the Ministry of Jesus
There is no greater stimulus for us to gain faith for healing than the ministry of Jesus. Hebrews 13:8 says,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This Wonderful One who is the same today as when He ministered
the marvelous and powerful healings recorded in each of the four Gospels, invites you and me to trust Him for His
healing touch!
Write your thoughts on the following four incidents of healing miracles performed by the Lord Jesus. What impresses
you about Him? What speaks to you about yourself?
1. Matthew 12:10–13
2. Mark 2:1–12
3. Luke 4:38–43
4. John 4:47–54
Healing Continued Through the Church
Probing the Depths
It is taught by some that faith for healing is improper. They base their view in large part on the proposition
that once the Scriptures were canonized, i.e., once the Bible as we know it was fully assembled, there was
and is no longer a need for the miraculous; that now, evidence for faith by an individual should “rest solely upon
the Scriptures.” This view holds that the healing ministry of the Lord Jesus through the church ceased with the
passing away of the last apostles.
In answering this objection, let's first assert that the view being presented through this study guide
totally agrees that our faith must rest entirely upon the Scriptures, for the Bible says, “Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17, KJV).
At the same time, however, the Scriptures themselves do not teach a cessation of the healing provision God has
made available to mankind. The idea of the “cessation” of healing, miracles (or any of the Spirit's gifts) appears
to be a manmade proposition, based on human opinion and church dogma, plus the interpretation some give to their
negative personal experiences.
Behind the Scenes
One claim for a biblical “proof text” opposing the present-day miraculous works of God is in First Corinthians
13:10. Supposing to glorify the importance of the Scriptures, human ingenuity has proposed that “that which is
perfect” is the Bible—and since it has been completed, thereby all miracles and signs the New Testament holds forth
are “passed away” or occurring no longer. The Word of God reveals something quite different: “that which is perfect”
refers to the completion of God's purposes through and beyond the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:18, 19).
That is when all of God's fullest will for us will be realized. “There is no reason other than human opinion to
presume to attribute this reference to the conclusion of the canon of the Scriptures. While the inspired Word of
God was completed at the end of the first century, its completion did not signal an end to the continuing operation
of the very powers it describes. Nor did it signal the end of human need for compassion and healing. Rather, that
Word instructs us to welcome the Holy Spirit's gifts and ministries in our lives, to round out our sufficiency
for ministry to a needy world—through the Word preached and the Word confirmed.” [Ibid., 1739, note
on 1 Cor. 13:10.]
Write your thoughts and observations from the following texts which describe the Lord's healing ministry through
the church. Note different things that happen and how the healing grace of God is ministered.
1. Acts 3:1–11; Acts 4:14
2. Acts 5:15, 16
3. Acts 8:7
4. Acts 9:36–42
5. Acts 19:12–17
6. Acts 28:8, 9
7. Philippians 2:26, 27
Review the above and remember: Jesus was alive and ministered healing through the first century church. Jesus
is alive to minister healing today—to you and through you!
You have studied Old Testament prophecies presenting the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. In that
section, you studied the scriptural references that included God's provision for your physical well being as well
as your spiritual well-being. We reenforced the truth that the work of Christ on the Cross is the legal basis upon
which God extends His healing mercies to believers who have become justified through their faith in Christ.
You have also studied promises for healing, all of which have conditions. These conditions are matters of faith
and obedience. When fully met, these conditions position believers not to issue a demand upon God,
but to come under the hand of God in a place where they are able to receive the working out of His promise
in their experience.
In studying the accounts of the Lord Jesus' healing ministry, you have encountered the unchanging One, Who is
the same yesterday, today, and forever. You can have faith in Him to be your healing Lord today. He does
not change.
In studying the healing incidents that continued through the church after the ascension of the Lord Jesus, you
have seen that the provision of healing continues and is to be continued not only to you, but through
you to a needy world.
The Rest of the Story
In concluding this lesson on faith and healing, I'd like to finish the story I began in the introduction.
Two weeks later, in a childhood fight with a neighborhood friend, I was knocked out and taken to the hospital
by the lucky puncher's mother. The doctor quickly confirmed my claim that it was a “lucky” punch. But before he
could release me, I heard the mother say, “Doctor, as long as we're here, would you check that boy's collarbone?
I think it's been broken, and I'm not sure it was cared for properly.”
Quickly, the doctor probed my collarbone. I'll never forget what he said. “Son, your collarbone has been broken
in two places and has set perfectly.” Probably provoked by the lady's question, he then asked, “What did you do
for it?” I smiled weakly and said, “We just prayed.”
He laughed and said, “Whatever you did, you're fine. Just try to avoid those sucker punches from now on!”
On the way home, my friend's mother apologized. She told me that the rest of the neighborhood had been quite
upset with our family, thinking that I was not being cared for properly. This would not be the last time I would
hear a doctor confirm the wonderful working of God's healing mercies in our family.
Looking back, though I am grateful for the doctor's words, I am more grateful for a father who was wise enough
to let me have my first faith experience for healing in a loving environment. He didn't force me to faith,
but let me choose to trust. He made a trip to the doctor immediately available, without the thought of its being
an unworthy or unacceptable choice. In short, he made me decide what I believed rather than let my
faith be dependent upon his.
I've always been grateful for those moments when I looked to the Scriptures for the first time to base my personal
faith on something God was saying personally to me!
Faith Alive
Take the time to write out the promises for healing that have come alive to you during your study through this
lesson. What conditions must be met in order for your faith to move “under God's hand”—to become fully released
to receive these promises?
From Power Faith: Balancing Faith in Words and Works by Roy Hicks, JR. with Jack W. Hayford. Copyright 1994 by Jack W. Hayford.
