Why doesn’t everyone who asks receive healing?
Have you ever wondered why many who ask for healing don’t receive it? This is a common question and I’ve heard it voiced in a variety of ways. Very often this question is more than simply theological or conceptual. Many times a great deal of disappointment and hurt lies underneath.
We often don’t have answers to the “why?” question. Even when we do, while faced with particular and personal instances of suffering and disappointment, those answers are sometimes unhelpful. Answers to why questions are generally informational. God’s answer to human need and suffering is rarely informational, but rather incarnational. God enters into our suffering. He is with us in it. He carries it. This reality and experience is what is needed when faced with particular and personal loss or grief.
As I have personally wrestled with this issue, there are a few theological realities which I have found to be helpful. I share these today hoping they might also be helpful to others.
1) There is a difference between my position and my condition. What Christ has provided (my position) must be appropriated by faith in order to impact my experience (my condition). For example: The land of Israel was theirs positionally long before it was theirs conditionally. It was their inheritance long before it was their possession. To lay hold of their possession, they had to enter in and possess it by faith. An entire generation failed to do so, according to Hebrews 4, because of disobedience and unbelief. I believe Jesus has fully provided for all healing through his atoning work. The healing of sickness is part of our Kingdom inheritance inaugurated in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Many of us believe this, acknowledge this, affirm this, but few have learned to enter in and possess it. It belongs to us positionally, but we have yet to appropriate it experientially in a manner that affects our condition. I believe God is today stirring up his people to contend for and lay hold of more of the inheritance that is ours in Christ. My hope and expectation is that as we learn to contend for this we will begin to experience increasing victory in this area.
2) Faith and Unbelief operate both corporately and individually. Jesus himself was limited in what he could do in Nazareth (Matt 13:57-58). This limitation wasn’t due to the unbelief of one individual. There was, in that community, an atmosphere of unbelief which limited his ability to meet the needs of individuals. I believe the secularism and materialism of our culture, combined with the widespread unbelief of the church in our culture concerning the miraculous, has served to create an atmosphere of unbelief which stands as an obstacle. In the West, when we hear about something supernatural, our gut instinct is often that there must be a natural explanation. In other parts of the world, when they witness something natural, their first instinct is that there must be a supernatural explanation. Is it any wonder that it is easier to expereience that which truly is supernatural in those cultures?
3) Sickness is often only a symptom of a deeper root problem. Contemporary medical wisdom tells us that 80% or more of illness is psychosomatic. This means that a great deal of sickness has its root in problems of the soul. It is possible in some cases that we experience limited success in ministering physical healing because we have yet to deal with the underlying, fears, un-forgiveness, bitterness, stress, etc. that lie at the root of the illnesses we face.
4) We have not because we ask not. Very simply, it appears that healing is something we receive by asking. I know when John Wimber (founder of the Vineyard) began to contend for God’s healing power, he prayed for more than 250 people before he saw his first miracle. He prayed for 200+ more before he saw his second. As he began to contend, to ask – consistently, proactively, and faithfully – he began to see more and more people healed. I think sometimes we fail to see breakthrough because particular disappointments and losses discourage us and we simply back away from the issue. The giants are just too big. As Bill Johnson teaches, we easily get our focus on what hasn’t happened and enter into discouragement and unbelief instead of focusing on what God has done and is doing with thankfulness and moving forward in obedience and faith.
5) We are in a war. Satan is actively engaged in warfare against God’s purposes in our lives. He opposes and hinders at every turn. In Daniel 10 we see a specific example of how an unseen spiritual battle delayed Daniel’s answer to prayer.
I’m sure much more could and should be said. This isn’t at all intended to be an exhaustive answer to a complex dilemma. I do not know which of the above factors (if any) have specific relevance to your situation. I’m simply sharing some of the thoughts that have been personally challenging to me as I’ve wrestled through this same issue. I hope these ideas might serve simply as a starting place for you to pursue all the inheritance that God has provided you in Christ.
Is God happy with me? Does he hear my prayers?
Below is an excerpt from an email I sent to a friend of mine to encourage him that in Christ, God is always pleased with us. Always. He’s never discouraged, disappointed, frustrated or mad at us. He loves us unconditionally.
- I used to get real discouraged when I didn’t spend my mornings praying, reading the Bible and talking to God. I felt like God was mad or frustrated or just disappointed with me. I felt like I had failed him or had fallen short of what he was expecting from me. And, that often drove me further away from spending time with him.
- I was getting discouraged in my relationship with God. I felt like he was disappointed with me, for not doing all the things I know I should be doing. Then, I heard this guy sharing about how God is not mad or discouraged with us in anyway, because our performance has nothing to do with God’s love towards us. We cannot do anything to make God love us more or less. His immeasurable love for us through Christ is never-ending, always faithful, and always abundant.
- I’ve also learned that even in our mistakes, God never pulls away from us. It is us who pulls away from God. He is constantly wooing us, loving us, drawing us, speaking to us. He is always pursuing us, and he enjoys it when we come to him and call to him. But, in no way is he ever disappointed with you for not spending time with him. Sure, he wants us to spend time with him, but that’s for our sake, not his. He knows that when we spend time with him, it helps us grow and protects us from harm.
- I think about my loving parents’ attitude towards their children. If children don’t want to spend time with you as a parent, that’s okay. It doesn’t change your love towards them. You still want to protect them, provide for them, teach them and guide them–for their protection. God is a much better father than we can ever be. How much more does he love us?
- I just wanted to encourage you in that. Know that God has not pulled away from you. He never will. So, be encouraged!
This topic reminds me of a scripture from Hebrews 4:14-16,
- “We have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”
Because of what Christ has done for us, we can come boldly to the throne of of our gracious God. Did you catch that word, boldly?
How can we come boldly come to God’s throne as a sinner? Because in Christ, we are no longer sinners. We are righteous in Christ. We are holy. We are perfect in God’s eyes. If you don’t feel perfect, understand that it’s not God making you feel that way. It’s the enemy trying to keep you from going boldly to God’s throne in your time of need. The more he can convince you that you are not worthy enough to go to God, the less you will.
So, go boldly.
Intimacy with God
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with a close friend of mine and listen to him share his own experience on hearing God.
Early on his walk of faith, his desire to hear God was strong. In almost every situation, he would ask, God, is this what you want me to do? Or, Was that you, God? Are you trying to tell me something? His mind was constantly on the lookout for a “word from God” regarding every area of his life.
I’ve wrestled quite a bit with this notion of knowing God’s will in every area of our lives. It seems almost impossible; yet there are numerous scriptures supporting this idea:
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“Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
“If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” (Matthew 16:25).
Even Jesus only did what he knew the Father wanted him to do: “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).
I also think about Brother Lawrence’s writings from 300 years ago, where he learned to “practice the presence of God” in his everyday life. He was able to achieve a profound intimacy with God.
I believe this is the life God has called us to, a life of intimacy with him. And not just, “Lord, bless this food” prayers, but deep, profound, soul-searching, mind-engaging conversations with our Father. I believe this is God’s greatest desire for us. It’s not about giving, serving, working, helping, and doing. It’s about being. Being a child of God. Being with our Father. Spending time with him.
After all, what’s the greatest commandment? To love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our strength and with all of our mind. That’s loving God with everything.
My friend and I talked some more about this intimacy with God, and I could sense some cynicism in his voice. He had been wounded years ago. I could hear it in his voice. So, I asked him about it.
He went on to explain that what started out as a desire to hear God soon became a bondage, a stress. He would wrestle over every decision, every “word”, every situation. His peaceful prayer time soon became filled with pressure. He had moved from listening to straining and striving.
When he told me this, my first thought was, That’s the enemy. Think about it for moment. If the devil could do one thing and one thing only to cripple your walk with God, it would be to disrupt communication between you and your Father. It’s a common military tactic—the first strike of a successful engagement is to take out communications. With that gone, surely confusion and disorganization will follow. My friend agreed.
Just as God has a plan for your life, so the devil also has an evil plan for your life. He does not want you to hear God, so he will take you to one of two extremes:
1. The devil wants to take you to a place of frustration, like my friend, where hearing God becomes full of pressure and stress. And who wants pressure and stress? It’s just a lot easier not to listen.
2. Or, the devil will convince you that God doesn’t speak at all. Cut the communication cord early, before it even has a chance to work. Sadly, this is where most believers are today.
God has great plans for you, and for you to live out those plans, we must hear what they are. I encourage you, today, to listen. God is speaking.
Lifting the Heaviness
This past Saturday was the middle of month, day to pay bills. For some reason, it’s always an emotional time for me—sometimes good emotions, sometimes bad.
When you run your own business, there is considerable ebb and flow in your finances. You must learn to budget wisely and control your spending. It’s not hard, and the benefits are quite freeing. But, it can be a rollercoaster experience.
During the hot, Texas summers when electricity bills are sometimes 3 to 4 times that of normal bills, it can be quite stressful paying bills (those bad emotions). Other times, when the cash flow is good and bills are minimal, I often break out in to praise while paying bills. (It’s odd, I know, but I am always quite thankful to God for his provision in our lives.)
This past Saturday morning, bills were due. As I sat down at my computer, and started organizing the payments, there was considerable amount of “outflow” (bills to be paid). This summer has been wonderfully blessed for us, so it’s not a matter of having enough to pay the bills. But, for some reason, the bills started weighing quite heavily on me. And, the thoughts started to flow:
- Wow, I’m spending a lot of money.
- At this rate, we’ll be out of cash in no time.
- With the economy down, it’ll be hard to find projects.
- Oh no, then what? How can we afford to spend like this?
- What are we going to do?
Since we were wonderfully blessed with projects this summer, again, there was no danger of running out of cash. Yet, those thoughts were so strong, so powerful, so influential. But, I’m quite confident that they weren’t my thoughts. Nor, God’s.
Read through that list of thoughts again, and you’ll hear many opportunities to make an agreement. At first, I started thinking, What’s going to happen? This heaviness, this depression started overshadowing my morning. I felt as if I was being smothered under the burden of financial stress, which was an odd feeling since we were doing so well this summer.
As I sat down in my recliner to ponder these thoughts, I immediately thought, These aren’t my thoughts. This heaviness is not the fruit of the Spirit. This is evil.
Immediately, I started to fight this oppressive feeling. I knew it was the voice of the enemy trying to subtly work his way into my mind, to get me to agree with him. And, if I had chosen to believe his lies, then my life would naturally follow. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).
After just a few moments of prayer and standing on my authority as a Christian believer, the heaviness lifted. Lord, these are not my thoughts. I trust you. In the name of Christ, I break these thoughts. I reject them. I make no agreements in my heart with them. Lord, you are my Provider. The thoughts were gone. Soon, my words were words of praise and thankfulness to God for his provision in our lives.
You have to remember that the enemy is an opportunist. He will look for any and every opportunity to speak lies into your mind to get you to agree with him. And, he’ll do it when you are at your weakest.
Have you ever seen one of those nature shows where a pack of water buffalo are being chased by a few lions. And, there at the back of the pack is a weak, wounded or young buffalo. He’s slower than the rest. He’s obviously not able to keep up. Guess what–he’s the target. And when you are weak, down, depressed, sad or vulnerable, you are the devil’s primary target. He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t let down. He hates you, and we must constantly be on our guard for such attacks.
Whispered Agreements
For the next few posts, I want to talk a bit about another voice—the voice of the enemy.
I tend to believe that the enemy has very little power to cause us physical harm. I know there are examples in the Bible where Jesus would rebuke a demon, and then some sort of sickness or condition would leave, like seizures or hemorrhaging.
Maybe I should say it this way—I believe that most of the physical conditions people struggle with today are not a direct result of some physical demonic attack. I do, however, believe that demons are sill very influential in the various sicknesses that come upon us.
Think about this scripture: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NLT).
Notice that the devil is a roaring lion. Why do lions roar? To create a sense of fear and domination, to assert authority. But you see, the devil no longer has authority in a Christian’s life. So, he just roars.
So, how is that related to our physical conditions? I believe the enemy is constantly roaring into our lives. He is constantly speaking negative things. Why? To get us to agree with him.
Listen carefully to this scripture: “The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, ‘Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!’ Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. I assure you that you can say to this mountain, “May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,” and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it’” (Mark 11:20-24, NLT).
Did you catch that last part? If you believe, you will have it. While it’s often quoted on the positive side of faith, I believe it also applies to the negative side of faith. If you choose to agree with the enemy, then you will have it. Proverbs 23:7 confirms this, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The enemy is trying really hard to get you to agree with him, because once you make that agreement with him, the negative side of faith kicks into action. As you think in your heart, so it is.
Let me give you an example of an agreement.
Early this year, my teenage son would tell me, “Dad, I can’t hear God. I try and try, but I guess I just can’t hear God.”
Can you hear the agreement in his words?
I sat down with him and showed him scriptures like John 10:3, “The sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” And later in John 10:16, “They will listen to my voice.” I explained to him that we can hear God, and that it’s his desire that we hear him. I explained to him that as his father, my desire is to spend quality time with him—talking, sharing, engaging. It’s the same with God.
I asked him if he remembered ever agreeing with a thought that he couldn’t hear God. He said yes. That’s the voice of the enemy. My son made an agreement with this thought, and it wasn’t his thought at all. So, we prayed and broke that agreement. We declared to the enemy that we can hear the voice God, and cancelled all those unholy assignments.
I told him to pray and listen. Then, tell me what he heard. After a moment, he said, “Dad, I heard God. He said: I love you!” It’s always about love.
When it comes to sickness and physical conditions, I think many people have just made agreements and don’t fight the good fight of faith. Do any of these sound familiar:
- My dad died from cancer. I’ll probably get it too.
- This depression is so strong. I just can’t fight it.
- My nose is stopped up. I’m probably coming down with something.
- I always get the flu this time of year.
- It has been a hard day. I guess the stress is normal.
- I can’t hear God.
When we have these thoughts, we think it’s our own. So, we agree. We let down our guard. We stop fighting. We receive it.
Please understand, I’m not condemning you if you’ve made any agreements. I have made my fair share of agreements, even recently. I just want to make you aware that the enemy’s voice is very subtle but incredibly influential. We must monitor our thoughts, and measure them up against God’s word, against the truth. The war we fight is not a physical war, but a mental war engaged in the spiritual realm.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5).
What agreements have you made in your life? What have you chosen to believe without first challenging that thought in light of God’s word?
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