Perfect Healing

A frequent topic of discussion I read and hear among people is "Why do some people of faith seem to be healed in a miraculous way, and others continue to suffer, or even die?" Sometimes people go on to ask if the continually afflicted suffer from demonic influence.

Miracles in the Bible of course had an intended purpose. They were done to show the authenticity of the messenger and his message. Jesus did only those things which pleased the Father, and in casting out demons and by healing people, He not only showed His great compassion and love for people, but He showed them who He was.

What was the main reason that Jesus came to earth though? The primary purpose of His ministry was not to perform healing miracles. He came as man so that He could die in our place for our sins and provide us with a way to be spiritually healed and spend our eternity in the presence of an infinitely holy God.

"24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." 1 Peter 2:24-25

The central focus of that passage, and the entire Bible for that matter, is that we "might die to sin" and its sovereignty in our lives, and "live to righteousness" and turn to God and His sovereignty, being healed by what He did for us on the Cross.
There is no shortage of accounts of healings by Jesus, or accounts where He cast out demons, but He didn't heal every sick person. Lots of people were clamoring after Him, seeking healing, yet He moved to other areas in order to preach the gospel, because while He healed with compassion and in love, doing so wasn't the main reason He was here. Casting demons out showed that He had power over the demons. Healing people miraculously showed that He had power over disease. He even forgave sins, and only God can do that.

Some disease may actually be the product of demonic activity, but not all. That notion is false. The entire universe that we exist in suffers under the "weight" of its fallen condition, and there are many factors that contribute to disease. One can rationalize the different ways that a person's diseased condition are a product of demonic activity and man's sin, but one cannot always make a direct connection except through the fact that we live in a fallen world.

It is far too often that all the blame is laid at Satan's feet. I feel no sympathy for Satan, but let's be truthful about it. The problem is us. The problem is our sin, and sometimes God is allowing us to undergo a trial because He intends for us to grow spiritually as a result of it. He is very just, and very good to take what is evil or tragic and turn it to good. He demonstrates His goodness and strength in doing so. He is sovereign. As a friend of mine puts it, "He isn't some sort of cosmic bellboy at our beck and call whenever we want something." I think it actually requires more faith to trust in God through tough trials like disease, pain and suffering than it does to receive the immediate relief provided by a miraculous healing.

Can God heal us of our diseases? He sure can, and we should certainly pray in His will for it, but we must also ask for His wisdom to be able to find other solutions if necessary, through other avenues that he provides, like medical attention or diet and exercise. We must have faith, and be prepared for a less desirable answer to prayer like, "No." In whatever our circumstance, He wants us to mature spiritually, whether healing comes suddenly, gradually or not at all. Our reasonable responsible course is to pray earnestly about these things and trust, trust, trust. It is His plan, not ours, and above all, we are to rest in it, in the perfect parental grace of our infinitely good and holy Father.