Bible Study Notes

Maturing as believers involves continually learning about the power of prayer. There are plenty of things to pray about in our lives, and talking directly to God allows Him to intervene on our behalf. With this in mind, correctly dividing His Word in this area reveals the difference between Old-Testament and New-Testament prayer. When we get sick, instead of earnestly praying for healing in the future, we can joyfully thank God for the healing that’s here right now.

During His ministry, much of what Jesus did for the people who came to Him involved healing, either of body or mind. The restoration of their health was independent of anything they did through their own efforts—they simply believed in Him. The faith they had, untainted by religious thinking, was what positioned them for healing. When sickness shows up and we go to God for healing, this is the kind of trust that’s necessary in our prayer lives. “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24, NKJV).

Under the law, the focus was on doing, not believing. Sin, which had given birth to sickness and disease, was still an issue, and it separated God from man. The people therefore had to plead and implore God for anything good when they prayed. “Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt… Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:9, 11, NLT). Strict obedience to all the rules and regulations was necessary or else the curse of sickness would result.

By contrast, now that Jesus has gone to the cross to make healing available to us, no begging is required—only thankfulness. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6, NLT). Healing is one of Jesus’ finished works. It’s a gift, not something we have to work for. Religion tells us we must do certain things to deserve it; however, this is no longer true.

After we’ve received our healing, we mustn’t forget to thank the one responsible. When Jesus healed the ten lepers, only one thanked Him. “And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan… And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:13-16, 19). Thankfulness is a key component in New-Testament prayer. It causes us to focus on all the good God has done for us and reminds us to count our blessings.

God’s will is for us to enjoy the blessing of perfect health. We can have full confidence in this because no one can curse what God has already blessed (Numbers 23:8). Faith in this leads us into a thankful, grateful mindset that empowers our prayers. No matter what the doctor says, nothing can change the truth of God’s Word.

Our world is a sinful environment in which sickness and disease have taken up permanent residency. Most people have come to accept being sick as a part of life, but believers see health issues differently. The prevailing view of the world focuses on the natural and physical causes and effects of illness in the body; by contrast, we see the spiritual forces behind it. The missing link is that people have a hard time believing the role faith plays in their healing.

Popular culture views doctors, nurses, medicines, and prescriptions as the primary factors in the healing process. Believers acknowledge them as well, with one important addition—faith in Jesus’ willingness and ability to heal us. Until we learn to trust God about this, we’ll continue to struggle with nagging doubts about whether He can heal. Just before Jesus healed a demon-possessed boy, He rebuked the people for letting their doubt get in the way.

Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”  So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:19-24, NLT).

The boy’s father believed in Jesus on an intellectual level, but what he saw in the natural created enough unbelief to block the kind of faith he needed. Jesus had to remind him, and the crowd, of the limitless power of belief in the healing process. The disciples had the same problem as the rest of the people; the physical manifestations they saw generated just enough doubt to block their faith in their own ability to heal the boy. The key takeaway here is that our faith has the ability to bring about something that we can’t yet see. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

It’s difficult to live in an environment without becoming immersed in and influenced by it. We can get so caught up in the natural world that it’s easy to believe only what we see around us. However, God heals because of His grace, which is much more powerful than anything found in the world. “…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). If we can get past what we see with our physical eyes, our spiritual vision can show us something much better.

Sickness is a curse resulting from Adam and Eve’s sin, but Jesus took care of sin on the cross so that we could enjoy perfect health. The world doesn’t know God and therefore doesn’t believe this. A successful journey through life takes more than reliance on our physical senses. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Resisting the natural and reaching out to the supernatural opens the door to the healing readily available to us.