Lesson One

If God Heals, Why Am I Sick?

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:32

If God heals, Why Am I Still Sick? I am sure this is a question many are asking. I once asked the same question. I knew the Lord healed people, I believed He would heal me, so why wasn’t I being healed? At times I would cry myself to sleep at night, begging the Lord to heal me. I was desperate. Instead of being healed, it seemed I was just getting sicker by the day. Why?

Though the Lord does occasionally heal people after they pray for healing, in my experience, that is not the norm. It wasn’t for me, or most of the folks I know. There are reasons why it seems that more and more people are getting ill today. There are reasons why many folks are not being healed. This lesson will address some of those reasons. If you are chronically ill or have a loved one who is, pay close attention. There is a reason God hasn’t healed you yet. Knowing that reason doesn’t guarantee God will heal you, but being ignorant of why you are sick, will keep you ill.

Reason One: Lack of knowledge.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6)

About the eight century BCE, the prophet Hosea declared to all who would listen that people were being destroyed because of lack of knowledge. They didn’t know the law. In other words, the people were ignorant of the scriptures. That ignorance was destroying them.

We are no different today. Most people are woefully ignorant of the scriptures. Their Bibles sit on the shelf collecting dust. Those who do read their Bibles, are often unaware the Bible has much to say concerning disease. That is in part because they don’t know what to look for. This lack of knowledge concerning God’s word is destroying people. One way they are being destroyed is by disease.

Reason Two: Biblical healing not taught in the church.

Many clergy are ignorant concerning what the Bible teaches about healing. Therefore they don’t address the subject in Sunday sermons. There are several reasons for this.

1. They simply don’t know the scriptures themselves. Many clergy in the pulpit are not saved and/or have very liberal viewpoints. Many pastors do not believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. Therefore they don’t take the Bible serious, often don’t preach from it and certainly don’t believe in a God of modern day miracles.

2. We live in a modern society where doctors take care of medical problems and science looks for the reasons behind those medial conditions. Today many view science and religion as in conflict. The stories of healing recorded in the Bible are seen as psychosomatic or fables.

3. Many believe the gift of healing died out with the apostles.

4. Many evangelical ministers, who believe the Bible is the word of God and believe it with all their heart, simply are ignorant and/or don’t care about the topic of healing. They see their role as pastor being responsible for the emotional and spiritual health of the person, whereas the physical health belonging to the medical profession.

This is not what the Bible teaches.

In Ezekiel 34:1-6, 11-16 God rebukes the shepherds (pastors) for not teaching the people the scriptures and healing the sick. It was the responsibility of the rabbinical priests to take care of the people not only spiritually but also physically. They hadn’t been doing that and the Lord was very angry.

The role of healing the people still belongs to the pastors. James 5:13-16 says, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

The Bible teaches that it is the pastor’s job to heal people, but in most churches that job has been handed over to the doctors. Even in churches where praying for the sick is taken seriously, what the Bibles teaches concerning healing is rarely taught to the masses. Usually because the minister himself (or herself) has never studied the subject and thus ignorant.

Reason Three: Praying incorrectly.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss. (James 4:3)

For years I asked God to heal me. It never occurred to me that I was praying incorrectly. I was one of many who had never been taught how to pray by my church. I did not realize there was a proper way to pray and a wrong way to pray. This subject will be covered in more detail later, let me just state here that a major error in our prayers are motives. If our motive is wrong, our prayers will go unanswered.

I use to ask God to heal me. While on the surface that might look like a decent prayer, but my motive was wrong. What I was really asking God to do was just zap me and make me well. God could not answer that prayer for one simple reason. The roots or reasons I was sick would still remain in my life, leaving me open to getting sick all over again. God knew I needed to deal with the underlying roots that had caused me to become ill in the first place. Only then could I truly be healed.

Reason Four: Refusing to deal with sin.

The idea that disease is caused by sin is not a popular idea, but the truth is that often sin is a root of many diseases. Let me make it clear that in most cases sin is not the only root to disease, but is a major factor.

Often when Jesus healed a person, he told them their sins were forgiven. (Matthew 9:2; Luke 7:48; John 5:13-14)

James told the sick to go to the elders of the church and if need be, to repent of any sins (James 5:13-16).

If there is any anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness in your heart, God will not heal you. It is just that simple. If you want to be healed, you must be willing to repent of any and all sins revealed to you.

Before you discount the idea that sin plays a role in disease, there is an entire field of medical science called psychoneuroimmunology, which studies the mind-body connection. Research into the relationship the mind has in affecting our health is proving the Bible is correct. People who are angry suffer more disease and live shorter lives.

Reason Five: Not really wanting to be healed.

This reason may surprise you, but it is a common reason people are not healed. Many people with chronic health problems, even serious ones, really don’t want to get well. There are many reasons why a person might prefer to keep their health problems. A few of the most common reasons are:

1. There are benefits to his or her current condition. Such as a spouse who now dotes on you or attention from doctors.

2. The person is afraid to be healed. The person has been sick for so long they simply cannot imagine a world where they are healthy. Being healed means getting off of disability and getting a job. If a person has never had a job or never been able to work and support herself, the idea of doing so can be very scary. Sometimes it is just easier to avoid healing and stay dependent on the government or others.

3. The person refuses to believe what the Bible says.

There are several reasons why a person chooses not to believe what scripture says:

a. The person puts the teachings of their church, which is of human origin, above the teaching of the Bible, which is of divine origin.

b. There is conflict between what the person wants to believe and what the Bible says; therefore the person rejects what the Bible says.

No matter what reason you give, when you reject what scripture says, it is important to understand that you are really rejecting God as Lord of your life.

I have shared only a few of the many reasons why someone might not want to get well. The real question is, DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL? Are you willing to be open to the teachings in the Bible even if they contradict what you were taught as a child? Are you willing to make changes in your life, to repent of sins, and to trust the Lord with your life? Are you willing to do what ever God tells you to do either directly or in His Word, even if it is emotionally painful, to get healed? Only you can answer those questions. I suggest you take some time and really do some soul searching. Be honest with yourself. If hiding in the recesses of your mind there is even one reason why you might not want to get well, it is time to be honest both with yourself and with God. Often, just admitting to ourselves why we might not want to get healed can break down the barriers toward the path of God healing us.

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