this is not my article but is from our forum

Is It God’s Will To Heal…ALL the time?

First, let us state that our God is the Healer! Amen!

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

There is no doubt as to the fact that God heals…

As well, there is no doubt as to the fact that God also does not always heal:

2 Timothy 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.

Paul the Apostle left a man sick, as no healing was forthcoming.

The Apostle who encountered the Lord Jesuss personally!

The Apostle who was used by God to raise the DEAD!

THIS Apostle left a man sick, as apparently God was not healing Trophimus!

Did Paul lack faith?

Scripture would indicate, through the exegetical study of the character and life of the Apostle, that he did not lack faith; the one who had faith to raise the dead could surely have prayed a simple prayer of faith, could he not?

This leads one to conclude that faith is an essential ingredient to the healing process, yet it is not “the” ingredient.

Let us now look to further Biblical evidences of godly saints who did not receive healing:

Exodus 4:10-14

And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

These few Scriptures, Beloved, give us insight into a powerful truth:
God does not always heal!

Note the speech impediment of Moses.

Note that God did not say, “Moses…be healed!”

Rather, God promised to use the mouth of Aaron on behalf of Moses.

Beloved, did Moses lack faith?

Nothing indicates he lacked faith.

Also, later, Moses would part the Red Sea; thus, if he had faith to part that Sea, why not seek God for a healing after the parting of the Sea? I mean, did he not have faith?

Of course he did!

So then, why did God NOT heal Moses?

Simply put, Moses’ impediment looks to you and I as something that God had not originally intended for Moses to have…we would call this a “birth defect”.

However, the Lord says:

And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

It does not state that God did NOT make Moses this way, but the exegetical anology is the opposite!

God is saying, “I made you this way…I also made the blind, the deaf and the seeing!”

Ok.

God did that?

Yes.

How can one seek healing from that which God says is not “broken”?

Moses saw a defect; God saw beauty.

Now, back to the Apostle Paul:

We all know that Paul the Apostle had a special love for young Timothy, who was a student of the great Apostle.

Timothy suffered from stomach ailment, and we see something very interesting in this situation….

The Apostle Paul did not even TRY to pray for healing:

1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

Commenting on verse 23, Gill notes:

for thy stomach's sake; to help digestion, and to remove the disorders which might attend it: the Ethiopic version renders it, "for the pain of the liver", and "for thy perpetual disease"; which last might be a pain in his head, arising from the disorder of his stomach: the last clause we render,

Hence, I ask the question:

Do you mean to say that Paul, Timothy and the entire NT Early Church “had no faith” to seek the Lord for healing?

God did not heal Timothy; and we know that SOMEONE had faith….

This shows Faith is not the “end all” answer.

What is the answer?

Part 2 will discuss the Providence of God.

Part 2: The Providence of God In Healing:

1- What is Providence?

Providence is this, that God alone is God, that he will accomplish what He alone pleases, and when he does so, it is always in response to His Good Pleasure, and nothing to do with man; if man is to receive anything of God, it is because God first Providentially decreed that it should be so for that individual.

Isaiah 46:9-11

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

In short, this is the Providence of God; what God declares, it shall come to pass...what God says will take place.

Hence, what of those who state that if they "claim this or that" it must be done "according to faith"?

Faith, as seen in Part 1, is an ingredient, yet it is not "the" ingredient.

Look at it like this:

If one places faith in claiming that which God has not already decreed, that one's faith has been set in the wrong object; not in God, but in the think sought after from God; such a faith is useless and cannot bear fruit.

So, on to healing.

Let us see the Providence of God in healing the sick:

Acts 16:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

We see how Jesus Christ went bout healing "all" who were oppressed of the devil....

Wait a moment!

"All"?

Some misguided sheep will blanket such a verse saying, "all means all".

Exegetically, of course, such a view is simply the interpretation of one who has not spent persistent and adequte time in the Word of God; we know that Jesus Christ did not heal "all".

So, what does this mean?

Scripture interprets Scripture:

John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Note that Jesus Christ was given, by His Father, power over "all" flesh, but now note that He laid no claim to giving eternal life to "all flesh...

Jesus had the power to give eternal life to "all"....so why didn't He?

The answer is in the second part of verse 2:

"...that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."

We understand that God CAN heal all, that he CAN save all, that He CAN financially bless all...yet we understand that, according to verse 2, He does NOT do this for all; note that the Father's decree to the Son in verse 2 affects men....

The Father and the Son, as seen in verse 2, have come together and have decreed things which must take place concerning man...yet note that man is not involved in this issue of Providence.

Providence says "Let us make man in our image" (genesis 1); such Providence consults with no man.

Is it God's Will to heal?

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Look now to the model of this prayer of Christ Jesus...

Many would tell us today, and I believe many of you have heard it, that, we are not to pray "if it be Thy Will"....

I have heard some say this, as though it were a lack of Faith to pray such a prayer.

Such a view, when taken at it's point, causes, not faith to rise up, but presumption.

Presumption says: I KNOW God's Will.

Providence says: "Lord, what IS Your Will?"

Jesus prayed Providentially while many of us pray Presumptously.

Jesus, BEING the Word, didn't go to the Father and say, "Father, I AM the Word, and I know Myself, and I quote now the 10 Healing Verses to cause my faith to move Your Hand."

NO!

Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, prayed, "Father....if THOU be Willing."

Now we all agree that Jesus, the Word, had Faith without measure, amen?

How could Jesus, the very Word of God, pray, "If It Be Thy Will"?

I'll tell you why, because Jesus, being the Word, understood that, as He walke dthis earth, in submission to the Will of the Father, He could not then usurp the Father's Will by becoming presumptous in declaring that which the father had not FIRST declared, which is always revealed through prayer.

Providence is God being God; and Providence consults with no man.

So, is it God's Will to heal...always?

It was God's Will and Good Pleasure that saw the Sinless Lamb of God shed His Saving Blood for all who would turn from their sins and call on the Name of Jesus for Redemption.

It was God's Will and Good Pleasure that allowed 11 of the 12 Apostles of die horrible deatsh for their faith.

It was God's Will and Good Pleasure that allowed Moses to remain, for the rest of his life, with a speech ipediment.

It was God's Will and Good Pleasure that allowed Paul to exhort Timothy to have wine for his stomach problem rathe rthan give him the quick fix of a drive-through miracle.

It was God's Will and Good Pleasure that Paul was called to suffer for the Name of Jesus.

You see, Providence is just that...Provindence.

Many say, "Don;t follow the examples of man... we are not to follow the examples of man!"

Misguided brethren say this in order to promote a false method of faith.

What, however, did Paul the Apostle say?

1 Cor 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1 cor 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Phil 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

You see, Beloved, we ARE to note and take heed of the examples of those as found in the Word.

I see Paul the Apostle raising the dead...yet I also see him leaving men sick without being able to see them healed.

I see Paul the Apostle healing the sick....yet I also see Paul being beaten and whipped and thrown into prison.

I see Paul the Apostle never one single time exhorting anyone to "claim the promise" or "just believe"....

So, in conclusion:

We believe that God is Provindential, that he alone decrees a thing and that he alone causes it to come to pass....all Faith, healing, miracles, etc etc, if genuine, were already decreed by God before the foundations of the world; hence, that which has bene previously decreed by the Providence of God will always come to pass..that which has not, will not come to pass, regardless of confession, naming/claiming etc etc.

We believe God heals sometimes, yet not at all times, as the Word gives examples, and we are repeatedly told to follow these examples, regardless of what anyone says to the contrary; when paul said, "Follow my EXAMPLE" then we are to follow his example...lay to rest as unScriptural any statement which claims we are NOT to follow the examples of Scripture in the lives of the Saints.

We see that what we humans regard as sickness is sometimes seen by the Providence of God as beauty...such is the case with Moses...as a matter of fact, we see that the "anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses" when Moses questioned God on His Creative Ability...we ought to, as serious students of the Word, and as those who desire to please God,
be dilligent in

Now, here's HOW to know, in finality, whether it is the Will of God to heal all the time...or not

1- First, do not look to healing Scriptures alone, but look both to the promises of Healing, as well as to those times when God did NOT heal; thus, you will have a balance in your own situation....admitting to the obvious fact that God did not always heal in the Scriptures is not a "lack of faith" as some claim...such is not a "lack" of anything; it's honesty...looking at more than an Isaiah 53:5 to get your quick fix miracle will be, in the long run, more beneficial to your faith than listening to those voices which would have you look to nothing BUT a quick-fix miracle.

Our God is not a God who is forced to do our bidding because of some apparent "faith".....

2- Secondly, to determine whether or not God heals all the time, don;'t look ONLY to those Scriptures where people WERE healed, but look to those places where people were sick and were NOT healed....such as in the case of Timothy....again, many would say, "We're not to look to man's example"....and again I answer that we are repeatedly told to do so; such an examination into the lives of the Saints allows us a peek into the dealings of God with His Apostles and Early Church Brethren....If Paul the Apostle repeatedly said, "Follow my example", then I'm simply going to do it..regardless of any contrary arguments.

Now, since we are told to follow his example, then it must be true that we are not to go about promising healing to everyone who is sick, based on "their faith"....why? Paul did no such thing, not once, anywhere in the Word, and we see this example, which we are to follow, in the case of Timothy's sickness (which can be rendered a liver problem, as part 1 shows clearly).

3- Finally, we are to BELIEVE that God has power over all flesh, but we are to also believe that he will do what HE wants with that power.

We see this in the case of Jesus' prayer:

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Jesus, the Word made flesh, did not assume anything to be the Will of the Father....He first WENT TO the Father in prayer, to find out what the Father's Will was...and when he was through praying, He didn't have to wonder or assume anything; He knew, and based on what he knew...He DID.

So, it's as easy as that.

Do not assume the Will of God; find it in prayer.

P-R-A-Y.

Don't allow formulas and 3-setp methods to take the place of Prayer.

God is God.

He is Provindential.

Take time to pray.

It's easy to assume and to go about saying, "Believe! Have FaitH!"

because praye ris a task...a wrestling with God, we now have the "easy way" to get healing, blessing, finances....

You can assume and then apply your magical formula...and fail over and over again....

Or....

You can take time to wrestle, and come out with a limp and walk differently.

The choice is your's.

You can trust that the Provindence of God will come to you in prayer, dilligent prayer.....or you can take the 3-steps to "get whatever you want" way.

God......Be my Providence today.

_________________
Rayn

Ben, is that you?

_________________
Ian Smith

_________________
CHRISTIAN

Scripture does not indicate, nor does it teach, that all will be healed physically if they only have faith that it will happen. Not to mention that life experience shows that this is not true as well.

Two strikes... you're out.

And I ask the same question Ian asked... Ben?? How many different names do you have on this forum?? LOL

Krispy

I felt there was a lot of disconnected items in this starting thread. It hopped around a lot with unrelated scripture.

First of all Moses,

[color=6600CC]Exd 4:10 ¶ And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I [am] slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. [/color]

slow of speech in the Strongs reads:

1) heavy, great

a) heavy

b) massive, abundant, numerous

c) heavy, dull

d) hard, difficult, burdensome

e) very oppressive, numerous, rich

1) (peh) mouth

a) mouth (of man)

b) mouth (as organ of speech)

c) mouth (of animals)

d) mouth, opening, orifice (of a well, river, etc)

e) extremity, end

2) (pim) a weight equal to one third of a shekel, occurs only in 1 Sa. 13:21

1) tongue

a) tongue (of men)

1) tongue (literal)

2) tongue (organ of speech)

b) language

c) tongue (of animals)

d) tongue (of fire)

e) wedge, bay of sea (tongue-shaped)


[color=0000FF]While it is clear that he is speaking about his tongue he says he lacks eloquence.[/color]

eloquence in the Strongs:

1) speech, word, speaking, thing

a) speech

b) saying, utterance

c) word, words

d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

1) to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing

a) (Qal) to speak

b) (Niphal) to speak with one another, talk

c) (Piel)

1) to speak

2) to promise

d) (Pual) to be spoken

e) (Hithpael) to speak


f) (Hiphil) to lead away, put to flight


I do not read this a being a speach impediment, or an infirmity, but a lack of eloquence. God took a cocky over-excited young man who learned he was the deliverer to the back side of the desert and removed all the learning of Egypt so He could put His words in his mouth. Moses lacked the natural words to go stand in front of Pharoah, but he didn't realize God was able to give grace for all this. God gave him Aaron because of his fear of speaking.

How do I know? I have lived it. Before I got saved I blabbed about everything and after getting saved and filled with the Holy Spirit I would sit with people and have nothing to say. How do you go from cussing and fussing to a complete different dialect? One step at a time. A time of quiet on the back side of obscurity until you yield your mouth to God.


Now with regards to healing for everybody. I believe the provision for healing is available to everybody, just as I said in the healing thread.

[color=990033]Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. [/color]


That word saved in the Strongs means:

sozo {sode'-zo}
1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction

a) one (from injury or peril)


1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health

1) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue

b) to save in the technical biblical sense

1) negatively

a) to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment

b) to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance



This tells us what the will of God is and the already given provision for believers. Shall be saved "sozo".

Now by using the formula in the starting post of this thread we would also have to say if it be your will God save me. However we all know it is not God will that any should perish:

[color=6600CC]2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.[/color]

So why do we question God's will to heal? Because our experience has to have an answer. Now they are many.

As one person pointed out their handicapped friend was satified with being who he was and wanted to stay that way.

God told Paul His grace was sufficient because it kept him from being swelled up because of revelations.

Many sleep or are sick because the don't discern the body of Christ.

Honor you father and mother that you might live long, some don't, even though they are believers.

Some don't bother to call for the elders or ask for healing because they don't believe it is a provision for them.

There are probably miriads of reasons but it doesn't change the provision of sozo. Thank God.


Most of us have children. Which one of us would not seek to get our children well? Would we say it's good for you, it will teach you humility and dependence on God. Keep that cancer and brain damage it's God's will. No! we would go to the seek God, go to the doctor and the ends of the earth for a cure. If we love our kids we want them well.

I would ask every person who believes it is God's will for you to be sick, why do you go to the doctor for medicine and check-ups? Wouldn't it be more in line with what you believe to just stay sick. If the handicapped person is sick beyond his physical infirmity doesn't he go and get cured by the medical community? Sure, I bet even Joni does.

Most people want healed, we want our children healed. Since God has made provision bundled up in our salvation, body, soul, & spirit, mind, will and emotions (sozo). Why shouldn't we reach out and take it even as we do salvation of our souls?

If for some reason healing doesn't come we need to check our hearts. If we find no fault we can then ask God again, until He tells us He wants to leave us that way. Paul was clear that God told him His grace was sufficient. Do we have a sure word from God He wants us that way? Well if not, call for the elders and have them anoint you with oil. Ask for the hands of those who believe in healing to be laid on you. Don't stop asking until your sure you are supposed to keep what you have.

Again, it isn't over until it's over. There are people who we all know that sought healing and are not healed. That doesn't mean they will never be healed. Maybe someone like John G. Lake just wasn't in their vicinity. After all sick folks sought out Jesus. Some even used amazing pictures, like the dog under the table, to secure healing for thier children. Even Jesus marveled.

I believe we will see these types of gifts raised up by God again. Why? Because we will need it. Right now we have doctors, we really don't need miraculous healing. However in Africa and other nations with little or no medical provision they are seeing the deaf and blind healed. Why? They have no other option.

Now by way of ending this very long thing. Let's take a look at the avian flu. The authorities say this threatens to wipe out huge populations of the world. Let's say that it comes to the good Ol' USA. There is no known cure. Our entire city gets covered with it. Will we sit back and say it must be God's will to wipe out all the believers in that city? No, we will seek God for His miraculous intervention, because we would have no where else to go. God's glory will be manifest as His healed, whole ones go around and pray for the sick of city, God raising them up and them crying out " what must I do to be saved?". These signs will follow those who believe they will follow.

_________________
KLC

A blanket statement here would actually be allowed while speaking of God's will on healing according to soley His Word. You brought up a sujective instance again and we as Christians cannot be moved by subjective instances. WE can only be moved by Gods Word. If I were to be healed of diabetes tomorrow that would not make Jesus the divine Healer just as if I were never healed and died from diabetes that would not make Jesus any less of a healer. Jesus is the Divine Healer b/c the Bible revealed Him as so. The blanket can now be laid over the question if it is God's will to heal. Again "heaven is the unhindered manifestation of God's Will"--Andrew Murray
If it is not God's perfect will to heal at all times then there will be sickness in heaven.
Right now what is making me sicker than my diabetes is that there are brother fighting over ths. Gods perfect will is healing. Conversation should be ended. Fallen world yes...Gods will for us...Healing...curse yes...God's will Healing... Saying that God's will is not to heal the creation He is madly in love with with sick.
This is not a faith issue here...this is the issue of people Mocking God saying that there subjective experiences go against Gods love and desire for us to be the way we were created to be.

This who topic just gets more and more bizarre and off track as it goes on...

This is what happens when people abandon scripture and begin to rely on their opinions.

Krispy

I know people abandon Scripture and God's revelation through Jesus, bring in subjective experiences and all of a sudden God's perfect will is not to heal