Devotion and Bible Verses on Healing (Why Doesn’t God Heal Everyone?)
Inside: Does God still heal? Why does he heal some people and not others? Are you upset that he hasn’t healed you or someone you love?Join us for a devotion and Bible verses on healing. Bonus: Download a printable with Bible Verses About Healing!
Photo by Sarah Noltner on Unsplash
What do you think about healing? Has God healed you? Are you upset that he hasn’t healed you or someone you love? Do you have questions about healing? I do, too!
I recently experienced a healing that I cannot explain. I encourage you to read about it here: God Healed Me!
Whether or not you believe God is still in the business of physical healing, Jesus healed many people during his ministry on earth–and yet, he did not heal everyone. Large crowds witnessed most healings, in which undoubtedly stood many people who hoped to be healed.
It seems to me that Jesus healed people out of compassion, to help people understand who he really was, and to bring glory to the Father.
I find my own healing exciting and perplexing, but I propose there is a more important healing than that of physical healing.
Consider the healing of the ten lepers, from Luke 17:11-19 (ESV):
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Digging Deeper: When God Doesn’t Heal
Take a deep breath and calm your heart as you prepare to spend time with the Lord.
1. In the passage in Luke about the ten lepers, Jesus healed all ten men. Think of some accounts in the Bible when Jesus did not heal everyone. It might be difficult to bring these to mind right away! These examples might help:
– In John 5, “a multitude of invalids” lay by the pool. Jesus healed one of them.
– When Jesus healed the woman who had had a discharge of blood for 12 years, a crowd pressed around Jesus. Surely, the woman was not the only person in the crowd who needed healing! See Luke 8:40-48 for one account.
2. Do you know someone whom Jesus has not healed? It might be yourself! Or it could be a friend or loved one. Ask God to speak to your heart about the reasons for this. Let God soothe your heart as you ponder that we cannot know the mind of God, and his ways are sovereign. This might not remove the pain, but it may help us understand the ache in our heart.
3. Re-read verses 15 to 19 and carefully consider what Jesus meant by the last phrase: “your faith has made you well.” This leper and his nine friends had just been healed, hadn’t they? What, then, was this other healing Jesus was referring to? The phrase can also be translated “your faith has saved you.” Saved him from what?
Although you may already know or can guess, let this truth take hold deep in your being: The most important healing is that of our souls! Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are made right with God and have the hope of heaven!
The Best Healing Ever!
We should be jumping up and down in awe of this incredible gift! Here on earth, we long to be healed of cancer, MS, anxiety, depression, and a host of other ailments. We can get jealous of people who experience physical healing.
But the more important healing is spiritual in nature. Without Jesus’ sacrifice, we live in the desert, separated from God, thirsty for him. With Jesus’ sacrifice, our thirst is quenched, we are made right with God, and we can rest at the oasis, assured of a perfect home in heaven!
Songs of Healing
Now or throughout the week, let these songs wash over you, and lift your voice in praise to the God of heaven and earth!
Miracles (Jesus Culture)
At the Cross (Love Ran Red, Chris Tomlin)
Overcome (Jeremy Camp)
Printable on Healing
Download a printable on Bible Verses About Healing! No strings attached! It is my gift to you.
