Healing

Matthew 8:16, 17 "... and He cast out the spirits with His Word, and healed all that were sick;  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses."

The most obvious purpose of healing is making the sick well, but healing and deliverance serve purposes other than just making people whole.  

-Healing demonstrates that God is gracious, good, merciful, and compassionate.

Psalms 145:8, 9 "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.  The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works."

Mark 1:41 "And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean."
 
-Healing results in praise and glory to God.

Matthew 15:30, 31 "And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and He healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see; and they glorified the God of Israel."

Acts 4:21 "...for all men glorified God for that which was done. 

-Healing confirms Jesus as Savior and Messiah.

Read Matthew 8:14-17 in your Bible.  The healings recorded in Matthew 8:14-17 confirm these words of the prophet about Jesus: 

Verse 17 "...Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." 

Healing and deliverance confirm Jesus is Savior.  The healing and forgiving of sins of a lame man confirmed Jesus was Savior as well as Healer in Luke 5:18-26.

John 10:37, 38 "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.  But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him."

John 20:30, 31TLB "Jesus' disciples saw Him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in Him you will have life.   

-Healing verifies the message and the messenger.

Read the story of the healing of the young man in 1 Kings 17. When this boy was healed, his mother said to the prophet Elijah in Verse 24:

"Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth." 

This healing verified both the message and the messenger.

Acts 14:3 "As God works with you in signs and wonders of healing and deliverance, the truth of His Word is verified:  Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands."

The Bible records that after one great healing miracle, the spiritual and political leaders "saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus"  in Acts 4:13.

-Healing encourages receptivity to the gospel.

It is easy to tell people about the Gospel after they have been healed.  There are several examples of this in the book of Acts.  Healing opened the door for the message of salvation, the infilling of the Holy Ghost, and church growth. See Acts 2:42-47 and 5:14 for examples of this fact. 

Although healing encourages receptivity to the Gospel, always remember that it does not replace the preaching of the Gospel of salvation. The Word must be taught along with the demonstration of power in order to bring people into right relationship with God.  It is the Word that creates faith for salvation, healing, and deliverance. Healing is a powerful tool of evangelism.

-Healing establishes the Kingdome of God.

The healings and deliverances done by Jesus and His disciples were the first phase of establishing the Kingdom of God:

Luke 10:9 "And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."  

Matthew 12:28 "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you."

As you pray for healing, remember that the Kingdom is not yet in its fullness.  In the fullness of the Kingdom there will be complete absence of disease and death. The body, as well as the soul, is not redeemed now as it will be in the fullness of the Kingdom.  You are saved from the penalty of sin in the past and can be saved from its power in the present.  In the future, you will be saved from sin's presence.  The same is true of sickness. Sickness is not a penalty for your past sins.  You can be redeemed from its power in the present, but not from its presence until eternity.

-Healing demonstrates judgement on our enemy.

When you lay hands on the sick you are declaring that the prince of this world has been judged and the power of sickness and disease has been destroyed as in John 16:11.  Remember that it is the power of sickness that is destroyed, not its presence.  You will only be redeemed from its presence when you come into the fullness of the Kingdom of God.


-Healing raises up spiritual champions.

Healing has been used to raise up great spiritual leaders.  Paul was called to be an apostle of the Gospel at the time of his healing in Acts 9.

-Healing brings great joy.

Acts 8:5-25 tells how great joy came to individuals and communities where healing and deliverance was ministered.