James 5:13-18 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“13Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

“16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. 17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.”

Does God Always Heal?

Does God heal everyone who prays for healing? The apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove a “thorn in the flesh” (not sin) from his body, and the Lord’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). And Paul was a man of faith who believed God could heal him, which is why he pleaded with God. He also advised Timothy to “Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Timothy 5:23). And Job did not find immediate healing from God for his sores (see Job 1-42).

And is healing always something done physically? Can God heal in other ways? And does he allow suffering in our lives? The Bible teaches us that suffering is for our good. Sometimes we need to suffer in order for it to humble us, and in order that we might feel what others feel when they suffer so that we can show them compassion. Sufferings of all kinds work in us patience, endurance, godly character, steadfastness, hope, and reliance on God alone. And they are used to test our faith and to give us opportunity to witness for Christ to share the hope that is found in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

[Luke 21:13; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Revelation 3:19]

Different Types of Healings

Take for example Joni Eareckson Tada. As a teenager she was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a diving accident. I know she prayed for healing, but God did not heal her physically. Why? I believe it was because God had greater things for her to do that would involve her remaining paralyzed the remainder of her life. Eventually God used Joni in many miraculous ways to minister, not only to others who lived in wheelchairs, but to all of us.

And she ended up starting a ministry for people with disabilities. And she has helped and encouraged so many people throughout the world, as she shares her own testimony of how God worked and is still working in her heart and life and in her walk of faith in him. And it is not easy. It is hard. But she perseveres in the strength of the Lord, I believe, to make a difference in other people’s lives and in sharing Jesus with the world.

These are some quotes from Joni: “For the last 50 years in my wheelchair, I’ve been daily dying to self and rising with Jesus, dying to self and rising with Jesus, dying to self and rising with Jesus.” “God’s goal is not to make us comfortable. He wants to teach us to hate our transgressions as he grows our love for him.” “I really would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without him.” (Source: Google search)

And I have to say a hearty “Amen” to that last quote, in particular. The Lord has allowed me to suffer much throughout my life, yet He has healed me in so many different ways, too. For life can be hard at times, but I would rather be where I am, even with the sufferings I face daily, than to have life easy and to not be walking in obedience to my Lord in daily fellowship with him. God uses suffering for our good to mold us into His likeness for His glory.

I have learned to pray with Jesus, “Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done,” hundreds of times in my life. Do I believe God heals? Oh, I absolutely do! He has healed me so many times physically and emotionally and spiritually, and yet he has allowed me to suffer, too. And He uses those sufferings in my life to make me who He wants me to be, so I can feel what other people feel, so I have compassion on the hurting, but so that I can also write with passion and compassion as someone who has experienced the kinds of things that others also experience, so that I can relate to them.

Judge Not!

Many people who believe in divine healing will judge others whom God has not healed physically as though it is a sign of sin in their lives, kind of like Job’s friends did with him. But God heals in so many different ways, and He uses us and our sufferings in our lives for our good, and for the good of others whose lives we touch if we accept what God has for us, and if we do not become bitter because He didn’t heal us in the ways we had hoped. But this is never to be used as an excuse for living in deliberate and habitual sin against God. God will not refuse to heal the repentant of sin in their lives.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

The Prayer of Faith
An Original Work / September 30, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My Prayer

An Original Work / May 30, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“Fill me with Your Spirit; help me to love others;
Let me know Your power; be an overcomer.
Show me how to follow Jesus Christ, my Savior;
Be His faithful servant to obey Him always.

“Lead me with Your presence; help me know the right way;
Teach me love and kindness, generous compassion.
Give me grace and courage to be Jesus’ witness,
Teaching His salvation to a world who needs Him.”

Won’t you come and follow Jesus Christ, your Savior?
He died so you’d be free of control of your sin;
Free to follow His ways in complete surrender;
Living sacrifices – let His grace transform you.