how to pray for healing

7/29/2019 How to Pray for Healing

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How to Pray for Healing

Posted on March 23, 2012

In the last weeks, Ive been thinking a lot about the healing ministry of Christ. Ive

been thinking about the things Christ did and said about sickness, disease and

healing. Ive also thinking about how I, as a disciple of Christ, should pray for those

who are sick. Here are some things Ive been learning.

1. Jesus healed many people of many illnessesAndhe went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming

the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the

people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick,

those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons,

epileptics, and paralytics, and he healedthem.(Matthew 4:23-24, ESV)

Andit has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do

anything, have compassion on us and help us.And Jesus said to him, Ifyou can!

All things are possible for one who believes.(Mark 9:22-23, ESV)

Jesus never encountered a sickness or disease he could not heal. He demonstrated

power over every disease he faced and even once corrected a man who indirectly

questioned His power (Mark 9:22-23).

**We should pray, believing that Jesus has the power to heal every

sickness and disease.

2. Jesus healed with compassion and loveJesus never ministered to the sick and left them unhealed. I think many mistakenly

believe Jesus doesnt heal anymore. I do not see this in the Bible. Everyone who came
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to Jesus for healing was healed and the disciples continued to heal as a part of their

ministries.

Andwhen they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the

men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought

to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of

his garment. And as many as touched it were made well(Matthew 14:34-36, ESV).

Jesus healing ministry demonstrated his great love and compassion for the people

(Matthew14:14;20:34; Mark1:41;9:22;Luke 7:13-5). He literally healed all who

were sick. Jesus love and compassion for people is unchanged from those times.

Some believe that he healed for fame, but several times (Mark 5:43) Jesus

commanded people not to tell others how they were healed.

In the same way, I believe Jesus still loves those who are sick and desires to meet

their needs in the same, compassionate way.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your

iniquity, who heals all your diseases(Psalm 103:2-3, ESV).

**We should pray, believing that Jesus is compassionate and loving

toward those who suffer with sickness and disease.

3. The will of GodJesus never described sickness as Gods will or made anyone sick. Healing and health

are always portrayed in Scripture as the blessing of God, not disease and sickness.

Jesus even once rebuked illness (Luke 4:39). Jesus considered illness an enemy. He

never told his followers to expect sickness or disease as part of their calling in life or

ministry, as some type of cross to carry. He promised persecution, slander, and

eventual martyrdom for his followers, but never disease and sickness.

**We should pray for and with a proper understanding ofGods will as

it relates to sickness and disease.

4. Praying vs. commandingWhen we look closely at the particular healings of Jesus, he never prayed for healing,

He always commanded it. Jesus commanded the dead to rise (Mark 5:41-42;Luke

7:14-15;John 11:43-44), the lame to get up (John 5:8-9;Mark 2:11), the man with the

shriveled hand to stretch it out (Matthew 12:9-13), the ears of the deaf mute to be

opened (Mark 7:31-35), and the leper to be cleansed (Matthew 8:1-3). Peter uses this

same method. When Peter and John came upon a lame man begging at the temple,
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he said, Ihave no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of

Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up andwalk!(Acts 3:6, ESV)

Again, remember there is no beatitude which says, Blessed are the sick. They may

be blessed, but sickness is never considered a blessing. Acts describes Jesus as doing

good and healing (Acts 10:38). If healing is a good work, then leaving people in

their sickness would have been a bad work. Therefore, sicknesses and diseases are

evils to resist and overcome.

**We should pray with the authority of Jesus, commanding sickness,

disease, and unclean spirits to leave in Jesusname.

5. The gift of healingPaul teaches the believers about spiritual gifts in1 Corinthians 12-14. Several times

he includes gifts of healing in his list. All these gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for

the edification of other believers. It seems an odd thing to write to the Corinthians if

healing was only a gift for the apostles (as some believe). Most of the Corinthian

believers Paul was writing to were not apostles and we must understand1

Corinthians 12-14as a message specifically for them.

**We should ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of healing, so we can extend

the compassion and healing of Christ to those who are sick.

6. The importance of faithJesus healings were subject to peoplesfaith. A lack of faith often hindered Christs

mighty works.

Andhe could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick

people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. (Mark 6:5-6,

ESV)

Andhe did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.(Matthew

13:58, ESV)In the same way, if we dont believe Jesus can or wants to heal, we should expect a

similar result. I fear many believers have hearts of unbelief similar to those who lived

in these towns.

**We should pray for greater faith in Jesus and we should base our

faith on truth from the Word of God.
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7. Some sickness is caused by the devilSo his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those

afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics,

and paralytics, and he healedthem(Matthew 4:24, ESV).

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there

was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over

and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and

said to her, Woman, you are freed from your disability.And he laid his hands on

her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorifiedGod(Luke 13:10-13,

ESV).

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He

went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God

was with him(Acts 10:38, ESV).

Deliverance from unclean spirits was often a necessary part of physical healing.

Sometimes our prayers for healing should include praying against the work and

influence of demonic, unclean spirits in our lives.

Submityourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

(James 4:7, ESV)

**We should pray against the works of the devil, claiming the promise

that if we resist him, he will flee from us.

8. Some sickness is caused by sinAfterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, See, you are well! Sin no

more, that nothing worse may happen to you(John 5:14, ESV).

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them

pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of

faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has

committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another andpray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has

great power as it is working(James 5:14-16, ESV).

With some sickness and disease, confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness must

accompany healing. James instructed believers to call on church leaders to offer

prayers of faith for the sick. If we do get sick, we shouldnt assume it was necessary

caused by sin and we shouldnt assume it wasnt. We should confess and repent from

our sins and look to Christ for forgiveness and healing.


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I agree with John MacArthur, When you get sick, do two things: pray for healing

and go to a doctor. Many times we assume all sickness has a natural cause that

doctors can solve with natural medicines. The Bible often describes sickness in terms

of the spiritual and so we should look for relief from sickness in both the physical and

the spiritual.

**We should confess and repent of our sins and ask other spiritually

mature people to pray for us in the pattern of James 5:14-16.

9. The laying on of handsNow when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various

diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and

healedthem(Luke 4:40, ESV).

He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him

(Matthew 8:15, ESV).

Jesus often healed by laying his hands on people. Many dont think this a significant

part of praying for the sick, but it was important enough to be included in the

gospels. There are dozens of examples of Jesus physically touching people to make

them well. The early church embraced this to and would lay hands on people to heal

them and give them the Holy Spirit.

**We should lay hands on and pray for all who come to us and are sick,

striving to be like Jesus in everything we say and do.

It is a mystery why God heals some and not others, but I do believe we can sabotage

Gods healing work by assuming He doesnt heal anymore. I think if wed began to

pray more for healing, wed see more people getting healed. Our relationship with

God is never mechanical, as if we just have to say it the right way or do it the right

way. Rather, we make our requests to an all-powerful and compassionate God andleave the outcomes to Him.

Sam Storms says it well, We must leave room for mystery in Gods ways. Some

things will always remain unexplained. Why God does or does not choose to heal is

ultimately subject to his wisdom and sovereign purposes. Why God chooses to heal in

part or in whole, now or later, this person but not that one, is often beyond our

capacity to understand. Resist the tendency to replace divine mystery with human

formulas.

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