Hindering God’s Healing

I was talking with some Hindus about Christianity. They were excited that a Christian group was coming to town and holding a healing service. Listening, I realized that it was it was one of those that preached that you had to come to them because they had something special. I wasn’t sure what. It could have been holy anointing oil from Israel. They might have claimed that they had the gift of healing. Whatever it was, they stated that God’s healing was limited to a certain set of circumstances. Unfortunately, many of these groups limit them to a circumstance that made them money. All of them indicate that God works through their methods, limiting God.

We may decry some of these groups, the ones that get very rich of the healing services, but do we also limit God’s healing? I had the President of a Bible School describe how, when his wife died, many people told him that it was because of unconfessed sin. Either his or her sin had prevented God from healing her. He refused to go down that path, for he knew that it would have him focused on any and all of his smallest sins, and lead to feeling guilt that he had killed her. This thinking limits God to healing only the perfect people. I had a pastor that, when his wife was diagnosed with cancer, claim absolute faith that God was going to heal her. He couldn’t entertain the smallest doubt, for he knew that the smallest lack of faith would cause her to not be healed. He went down that path, because he became obsessed with her healing. When the cancer killed her, he lost much of his faith. He had limited the Healing that God sends to only those with perfect faith.

I was looking in the Bible at the healing of the Centurion’s servant (Luke 7, Matt 8.) The Jewish Elders said the centurion deserved for his servant to get healed, because of the good deeds he did. This is another limit, claiming that one deserves healing because ones good deeds outweigh the bad ones by some factor. Then Jesus set out for the house, for many thought that location was important, either Jesus had to come there, or one had to go to a healing pool, spring, or grotto. The Centurion knew better. He sent a message that he was not worthy, denying the good deeds argument, and stating that Jesus could just give the order, and the servant would be healed, denying the location argument. Jesus stated that He had not seen such faith in Israel.

Remember, though, we can limit God’s healing. That is when we say to God that we don’t believe Him and won’t obey Him. If a man is seriously obese and God sends messengers (doctors) that say you must exercise and lose weight if you want to live, do we obey. God doesn’t heal if we deliberately disobey Him. When I was in language school as a missionary, another student asked us to pray for his father. The father, also a missionary in the same country, had contracted malaria. Instead of taking the very effective medicine and getting cured, he was, by faith, trusting God to heal him. He deid from the malaria. This reminds me of the man caught in a flood. He climbed on the roof, but the water rose to his ankles. A rowboat came by, calling hop in, but he said, “I am trusting God.” The water rose to his waist. A motorboat came and offered to take him to safety, but he gave the same response. The water rose to his neck, and a helicopter came with the same offer and got his same answer. The water rose more, and after treading water, he was overcome and drowned. In heaven, he asked, “God, I trusted you. Why didn’t you save me?” God replied, “I sent two boats and a helicopter. What more did you want? We can even limit God’s healing by refusing to use modern science. Jesus refused to jump off the building because one should not put God to the test. Refusing medicine is putting God to the test. Don’t expect God to bless you with healing.

What it comes down to is faith or trust. Do you trust God? Focus on how great God is. Think of all the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Now think on the fact that there are more galaxies in the universe than there are stars in the Milky Way, and we can’t see the edge of the universe in any direction. Our God created all this. Surely he is powerful enough to to eliminate a few cancer cells, cure that deadly infection, or heal that broken part. God, though, knows what is best. He has prepared a mansion, a glorified body, for you. Think of your current body as a seed of a redwood tree, a small part of the tiny redwood cone. The heavenly body compared to our body is like comparing a full grown giant Redwood to that tiny seed in the small cone. Do you trust God? If he takes you home to that glorious body, is that not better than remaining in this body that continues to gather more flaws?

If we go crazy trying to get healing, what does that say about our lack of faith/trust in God’s plan for the future, our life after death? What do unbelievers think about Christians who are afraid to die? This trust is not trusting our works, our goodness, some special pastor, object, or location. It is that peaceful trust in the God who works through Jesus. When we can say, let this cup pass from me, but not my will but Yours be done, and rest in peace that God will choose what is best, then we have not constrained God’s healing in any way. Focus on saying, “Since I trust God, I will serve him by loving others.” Then watch Him use you gloriously. Remember unbelievers who are suffering need to see someone suffering victoriously. When he heals, that is just icing on the cake.

Walk in God’s love, Douglas