Does God Still Heal Today? 3 Important Steps to Take

Does God still heal today?  

As someone who has suffered for over 10 years with a chronic illness, this is a question I have pondered quite often. Especially because so far, God hasn’t healed me yet.  

As Christians, we may say we believe God can heal us. But do we really? Or are there some doubts hiding within our hearts? 

I don’t know about you, but while I totally believe God CAN heal me.  

I’m not always so sure He WILL.  

What does the Bible say about healing today?

If you read through the life of Jesus, you see that physical healing was his most common miracle.  

Those miracles were the signs and wonders showing Jesus was the Messiah who had been given authority by God over all creation. He then gave that authority to the disciples. And then the apostles.  

When we read those miraculous stories, we might wonder how does healing differ today from New Testament healings?  

But if you really study Scripture and look at what the Bible says about healing, we see that healing today is expected to look the same as it was back then.  

After all, we have the same Jesus who saved us. The same Holy Spirit who indwells us. And we have been given the same authority the early apostles were given. 

In Acts 4:23-30 we see a church praying boldly: 

“. . . grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

-Acts 4:29-30 ESV

They fully expected signs and wonders such as miraculous healings to be a normal part of the Christian life.

A natural part of a believer’s ministry.  

How to Be Healed by Jesus.

The miraculous healing stories of Jesus are in the Bible to show us what is possible if we truly have faith in God. Because to be healed by Jesus you don’t need fancy words or specific scriptures. It’s not complicated.

You simply need to pray in Jesus’s name.  

And keep in mind these 3 steps: 

• Step One: Believe God Can.  
• Step Two: Take a risk and pray.  
• Step Three: Surrender to God’s Will.  

Let’s take a closer look at these 3 things.

Step One: Believe God Can.  

The Bible talks a lot about having faith. Which is another word for belief.  

“Everything is possible for one who believes.”  

-Mark 9:23 NIV

It’s easy to read the healing stories of Jesus and think they are just nice stories. But those were real people. Just like you and me. 

If Jesus, did it for them then . . . why not us now? 

We need to truly believe God CAN heal us. And then we need to act on that belief and: 

Step Two: Take a risk and pray.  

When we consider praying for healing, we may struggle with doubt.  

We may wonder if God will really heal us or the person we are praying for. And we don’t want to look foolish if He doesn’t. 

So, then we just decide to not pray. But by doing this we are making the decision for God.  

Which isn’t right. 

Let’s not put limitations on God. Let’s take a risk and pray. And then let God decide what He is going to do in the situation.  

“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”

-Psalm 115:3 NIV

After all, He already knows how everything will work out. Which is why in the end we must: 

Step Three: Surrender to God’s Will.  

We can take the Bible at its Word when it says we can ask anything in Jesus’s name . . . ANYTHING.  

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

-1 John 5:14 ESV

The key phrase in this verse though is “according to his will”.

While God gives us the freedom to ask ANYTHING in His name.  

His will cannot be thwarted.  

While you absolutely can pray for God to heal you. And He wants you to bring that prayer to Him.  

In the end, you must surrender to His will for your life.  

Trusting that He loves you and has a plan for you that is greater than anything you could imagine. 

When Healing Doesn’t Happen 

When healing doesn’t happen, it can be a bit disheartening. Especially if we have lifted up many prayers or spent a long time praying. 

While we can pray confidently for healing, we also have to trust God’s timing. Because He knows more than we do.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, “declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

-Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

I don’t speak lightly of this.  

I have prayed for the healing of a chronic illness for almost 10 years now. I have had many other people pray for me.  

And I even had the elders in our church pray over me while anointing me with oil as it says to do in James. (James 5:14) 

And to this day, I still struggle with this illness. 

Healing miracles can happen right away. They can take years. Or they might not happen at all in this lifetime.  

The truth of the matter is sometimes God chooses NOT to heal . . . at least in this lifetime. And while we can speculate on the reasons why . . . we won’t really get all the answers until we arrive in Heaven.  

Where He will heal all of us.  

Fully and completely. For all of eternity.

(Can I get an AMEN!) 

Do healing miracles still occur today? 

So, does God heal today? Do healing miracles still occur in this age? Yes, they do!  

But there are some things you need to do:

• Eat well.  
• Get enough sleep.  
• Go to your appointments with the doctor or counselor.  
• Take the medicine or supplements prescribed to you. 
• Believe God can restore you. And act like it!  
• Pray with total faith in God and confidence that while He may not do what you want Him to . . . He will do what is right.  

“Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.”

-Max Lucado

Do what you can . . . and then trust God to do what you can’t.  

To either heal you OR to give you the strength to trust Him in the middle of it.  

Because if you pray for healing and God chooses to heal . . . then you can choose to praise Him and use your testimony of healing to declare His glory.   

And if God chooses NOT to heal . . . you can choose to trust Him and use your unwavering perseverance in the faith to declare His glory.  

Healed or unhealed you can strive every day to live for God’s glory.  

That is your purpose in this life . . . until the day of your ultimate healing in Heaven with Christ.  

If this has encouraged you today then please share!

And don’t forget to download this FREE printable “A Prayer for Healing”.

You may also really like: 

• How to Pray for Healing 
• Living with Chronic Illness . . . And Jesus
• How to Have Faith in God . . . Even When Life is Hard