What happens when God does not heal?
This is something I learned in the early days of my ministry. Sunday morning, a lady attended our church. We didn’t know her name. We thought she was a new visitor who had not attended our church before. But we were wrong about that.
After the morning service had concluded, the lady introduced herself to my wife.
'You won’t remember me’ she said, 'about 12 months ago, your church advertised a healing service in the newspaper. Although I didn’t attend church myself, I decided to come to your healing service.
I was on my own. There was an invitation for anyone who needed healing to get up out of their seat and walk to the front of the church and receive prayer. You were the one who prayed for me' she said.
My wife had no recollection of the occasion. But the lady said, 'I definitely remember you’
‘And I have visited your church again this morning because God told me to come and tell you what happened 12 months ago. I still have cancer. I am under the care of a specialist, and the treatment is going well. And I have come back to your church today to say when you prayed for my healing, I decided in my heart there and then, to become a Christian.
And the following Sunday I attended a church near to where I live. I gave my life to Jesus. It’s a year now since I became a Christian, I am born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and love God and my new life.
God has asked me to visit you again and let you know what happened to me 12 months ago at your healing service. I still have cancer but I am very happy and grateful to the Lord for His salvation’. A guide to becoming a Christian
What the lady said, took us by surprise. It shows how God 's grace works in people's lives. Divine healing for the body didn’t occur. But there was salvation for the soul. The grace of God came down from heaven. The lady received a redemption lift.
No one at our church knew anything about her conversion to Christ. I am pleased the lady re-visited our church and told us her story . It shows that God does more behind our backs than in front of our faces.
The absence of visible miracles does not mean Jesus has abandoned anyone or ignored their prayers. Heaven continues to offer unexpected blessings. Even if there's no physical healing the grace of God continues to move in people's circumstances and transforms their lives. Hopefully this lady's testimony and the AI summary below will encourage your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(AI) ‘When God does not heal physical illness, it’s not interpreted as a lack of faith or punishment, but rather as an invitation to rely on His strength through suffering, cultivating endurance, deeper spiritual intimacy, and hope for eternal renewal.
Such experiences can serve to display God’s grace in weakness and trust in a greater, sovereign purpose, as outlined in this TGC Africa article and this Desiring God article.
Key Perspectives on Unhealed Suffering
- Purpose Beyond Physical Comfort: God may value spiritual growth, dependency, and refinement of faith more than immediate physical comfort.
- Theological Perspective on Suffering: A lack of healing highlights the need for a robust "theology of suffering" rather than just a theology of miracles.
- Strength in Weakness: As noted in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, God's grace is made perfect in weakness, enabling individuals to rely on divine strength rather than their own.
- Reflecting God's Glory: Enduring illness with faith can serve as a witness to others, demonstrating that peace is possible even in brokenness.
- Eternal Perspective: The ultimate hope is the final healing and restoration, when death and disease will be eliminated (Revelation 21:4).
- Sam Storms +4
Common Spiritual Responses
- Honesty and Lament: It is acceptable to feel angry, frustrated, or disappointed, and to bring these feelings to God in prayer, as seen in the Psalms.
- Trusting in God's Goodness: The lack of healing does not indicate a lack of love from God. Believers can trust that God is loving and knows what is best, even when they do not understand.
- Suffering is Not Abandonment: Jesus himself suffered, indicating that affliction is not a sign of being forgotten, but a reality of a broken world.
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