Is Healing Always God’s Will?

by László Balogh

 

          “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… “ (James 5:14,15)

If healing is not always God’s will, why did James tell the sick person to ask for prayer and why did he commission the elders to pray?

          You could say “Well, the elders can pray and see what happens. If the sick person gets healed, it was the will of God, if not, it wasn’t. But, no, James is very certain! He says “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up”. How could he be so sure? Because James knew the will of God concerning the matter. He didn’t say “maybe, the Lord will raise him up”. Or “sometimes, the Lord raises them up.” He was confident in his statement. So, what can be the variable in the above quoted verses? From Scripture we know that with God there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. God consistently keeps His Word. So, the variable can only be “the prayer of faith”. If the elders pray the prayer of faith, the Lord “will save the one who is sick” with absolute certainty. If the sick person stayed sick, the prayer of faith hasn’t been prayed yet. The “Lord, if it be thy will” prayers are not prayers of faith. John says it very clearly:

          

          “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1. John 5:14,15)

 

          If you don’t know the will of God concerning a matter, you can’t pray with confidence. Even if the thing you’re asking for is God’s will, but if you don’t know it, you won’t have confidence (aka faith) in your prayer. You’re just shooting up a prayer and hoping for the best. That’s not faith. You’re supposed to know that God hears you and that you will have your request, because you asked according to God’s will. That’s why James is so confident. You pray the prayer of faith, and the Lord will heal the sick person, because healing is always God’s will. Period. Once you settle the will of God concerning the issue, you will know that you have what you request. That’s faith.

          It’s interesting to see in contrast what James says here concerning a different issue (4:13-15):

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring… Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

          Why is this? Because there is no specific promise in Scripture that you will go to another city, spend a year there and make profit. The Lord promised to take care of you as His child, you can bank on that. That’s a promise. You can pray for that in faith. But to make such a specific statement about trading, James calls arrogance: “As it is, you boast in your arrogance.” (4:16).

          If you ever wonder about what the will of God is concerning any practice or doctrine, look at Jesus’ life. Has He done it? Has He lived it? If yes, then it’s the will of God. Was He consistent in it, or was it just occasional, etc.? If you answer these questions in light of Jesus’ life, you’ll know what God would want done. The life of Jesus is the will of God revealed.

 

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son … He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature …” (Heb.1:1-3)

“He is the image of the invisible God …” (Col.1:15)

“Whoever has seen me (Jesus) has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

 

          Jesus always healed everyone consistently. That’s a very strong message. This message screams: “Look at my heavenly Father’s nature! That’s what He does. He is the Healer, Jehova Rapha!”