Scriptures: Matthew 4:23-24, Matthew 9:35, Matthew 12:15, Luke 6:9, Acts 10:38, Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6, Matthew 8:16

Does God Still Heal Today?

“Jesus doesn’t do miracles anymore.” These were my words in youth group when we discussed Jesus’ miracles and healings today. I hadn’t seen Jesus do these things as He did in the Bible, so I concluded: He must have stopped doing them. But is this biblical?Many Christians have a similar mindset: they let their experience—or lack thereof—shape their theology about God’s Word. But this is backwards! We ought to let God’s Word shape our experience.So, what does God’s Word say about healing? First of all, Jesus is the Word of God and the exact representation of God the Father in Scripture:Hebrews 1:3 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”Jesus also said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9). Jesus healed all who came to Him and “went around healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:38).He healed back then—so has He changed? The Bible clearly states in Malachi 3:6, “For I, the Lord, do not change […],” and again in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”You might wonder, “Then why don’t I see Jesus healing people today as much?”. This was my own question, too. And believe me—there are answers!Before we dive into those answers in the next days—where you’ll learn how God can use you to heal others in His name—let’s study the Scriptures that set the foundation: God does still heal.The real question is: Are you ready to learn what the Bible says about becoming God’s vessel for healing in other people’s lives?

Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:16-17, Psalms 103:2-3, 1 John 5:14-15

Jesus Has Already Provided Healing for Us

“What do you mean?” That was exactly my reaction when I first discovered what the Bible says about Jesus paying for our healing in the same way He paid for our sins. Let me share this truth with you through a story:I started praying for the sick because I realized God’s Word clearly showed that He is still healing today. But at first, I didn’t see many results. But I had a breakthrough: During a mission trip to Africa, I fell seriously ill with malaria. When my team members prayed for me, I felt a powerful sensation flow through me, and I was instantly and completely healed!That evening, as I was praying and thanking God, a Bible verse appeared in my mind’s eye: “1 Peter 2:24.” I had no idea if that verse even existed. I opened my Bible, and there it was: “[…] by His stripes you were healed.” I was stunned!Could my healing that day have something to do with the wounds of Jesus? I had never heard anything like that before. I looked up the cross-references in Isaiah 53:4-5 and Matthew 8:17, and they confirmed it: Jesus died for our sins and suffered through the wounds on His body for our healing! And not just spiritually, but also physically, as Matthew confirms by quoting Isaiah and showing it was fulfilled in Jesus.This truth completely changed my perspective. If God has already provided healing for us, then I no longer need to constantly question or doubt His will. Starting from that revelation, grounded in God’s unchanging Word, faith began to rise in my heart. I started praying for the sick with greater freedom and boldness—and I began to see results!If this is new to you, it might transform the way you understand divine healing in Jesus’ name. Take some time to study the following scriptures, let the truth sink in, and join us on Day 3 as we explore the question: “Why doesn’t healing happen all the time?”

Scriptures: Ephesians 1:22-23, John 14:12-14, Mark 16:18, Matthew 17:19-[21], Mark 11:22-23, James 5:15, Mark 9:23, Matthew 21:21-22

Why Don’t All Get Healed?

This is one of the biggest questions Christians wrestle with on this topic— If it is God’s will for people to be healed, why don’t we always see it happen?

Some time ago, I started using a specific color-coding system to help me make sense of this question. I began marking the promises of God and the conditions attached to those promises. Yes, God often has conditions for His promises to be fulfilled. They are not automatic. You’d be surprised how often we read past these conditions without noticing them. But they are there. 

I’ll admit, these conditions can be frustrating—probably just as much for you as for me. In today’s culture, we’re used to receiving everything on a silver platter, without having to step out of our comfort zones. But God doesn’t operate that way (thankfully!). 

As I studied the Bible on the topic of healing, I realized something profound: God has chosen to partner with us—you and me—to bring healing to others! All of His promises about healing are connected to us working together with Him. We are the Body of Christ for a reason. It’s not just a metaphor; it’s God’s intentional design. He wants to work through our hands and feet, living in us and through us by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

God has given us His armor and His sword for a reason—so we can use them. He has entrusted us with His power and authority, but He expects us to step out in faith and act. If we don’t follow the direction of our Head, which is Christ, nothing will happen. So often, we wait for God to act, when in reality, He is waiting for us to understand His Word and move in obedience to what He has already spoken. 

If we don’t fulfill our part, how can we expect God to fulfill His? 

So let me ask you: Have you taken the time to study what God has said about how He answers prayers in partnership with us? Have you realized that He wants to use yourhands to bring His healing power into the world? 

Let’s dive into Scripture and take a closer look: What are the conditions for receiving God’s promises? What has God instructed us to do? Mark the conditions to the promises in these bible verses and be amazed at what you will find.

Scriptures: Luke 9:1-2, Luke 10:17-19, Luke 9:49-50, Mark 16:15-19, Acts 1:8, John 14:12-14, 1 John 5:14-15

Understand Your Authority

Through the last Bible study, we realized that the Bible gives conditions for us to see God work through us with His healing power. The disciples in Matthew 17 had the authority to heal the sick in Jesus’ name but doubted when the results didn’t come immediately. Authority is activated by obedience in faith—not by a mountain of faith, but by a mustard seed of childlike faith without doubt, even when results are not immediate. 

God wants to work through us because He gave us authority in His name to pray for the sick, based on the foundation that Jesus paid for with His stripes. If you don’t understand your authority, you won’t see results. When you pray “in Jesus’ name,” you pray with the authority of the One who sent you, with His full authority behind it. Imagine a king sends an ambassador to decree something for his people. No one listens to the ambassador because of who he is, but because of the king. He speaks in the king’s name, meaning on the king’s behalf. If you don’t see yourself as being sent by Jesus to pray for the sick in His name, you won’t have the boldness and faith to pray (1 John 5:14-15). 

But Jesus did send us in His name to proclaim the Gospel with His power. He sent us, and He gave us authority. 

In Luke 9 and 10, He sent His disciples with His authority to heal the sick and proclaim the good news. After they returned, He reinstated it for all believers in Luke 10:19. 

Side note: In Luke 9:49-50, someone understood his authority as a believer and used it, though he wasn’t part of the disciples’ “exclusive” group. Jesus confirmed his legitimacy. 

This authority is confirmed for all believers by Jesus in Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20, where Jesus commands the disciples to teach new converts to observe all things He has instructed. The book of Acts confirms it once again, showing that God wants us to use His authority to pray for the sick and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

Scriptures: Acts 3:1-8, Acts 3:12-16, Matthew 15:6, Matthew 17:19-[21], Matthew 8:1-3, Matthew 8:8-10, Luke 4:38-39, Acts 16:16-18

How to Pray for the Sick – Practical Steps

We learned from the scriptures that God still heals, has provided healing for us, wants to use us to bring healing, and has given us authority, especially to be a powerful witness for Him. But how do I pray for the sick? The answer might surprise you because if you only use the scriptures, you’ll get a different answer than church tradition. Jesus warned in Matthew 15 that by the traditions of men, the word of God is of no effect. 

Growing up in church, the only way I knew to pray was to ask and beg God, if it is His will, to stretch out His healing hand and guide the doctors. We left it in God’s hands, and whatever happened next was His will. But is this biblical? No. I studied the New Testament to find the answer, and I was surprised. They actually took Jesus’ command to pray with authority literally! They spoke to the mountains they faced, not to God about the mountain. Exactly as Jesus instructed in Matthew 17:20 and other scriptures. They also laid hands on the sick as Jesus did, as mentioned in Mark 16:18. 

A great example is in Acts 3, where Peter healed the lame man at the gate called Beautiful. The man didn’t ask for healing but for alms. Peter knew his authority and said he had no money, but something else—he knew he had received freely, and freely he could give. He didn’t ask God if it was His will or pray. He commanded healing in Jesus’ name! The man didn’t even express faith to be healed, but Peter didn’t care about his faith or background. He didn’t inquire about past sins or unforgiveness. He spoke with authority, took the man’s hand, and lifted him up. The man was healed. 

Peter literally did as Jesus commanded: pray with authority. But honestly, this way of praying would get Peter kicked out of most churches today. When analyzing how Jesus and the disciples prayed for the sick, it was always the same—laying hands and speaking with authority to sickness or evil spirits in Jesus’ name. To my surprise, when I followed Jesus’ and the disciples’ example, I began to see far more results than ever before!

Scriptures: Matthew 14:14, Matthew 9:36, Mark 1:41, Matthew 15:32, Isaiah 53:4-5, Galatians 5:6, Luke 14:1-6, 1 John 4:17-19

Faith Comes by Love: Jesus’ Compassion as Key to Healing

Why do we pray for the sick? Because it reflects the heart of our God, who has compassion for the sick and desires to save the lost. Throughout Scripture, we see Jesus moved with compassion for the hurting. If Jesus had compassion, then the Father has compassion, because He is the exact image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). 

Some argue that Jesus healed only to prove His divinity, but that’s not entirely true. Many times, He healed out of compassion, even performing miracles away from the public eye and instructing people not to tell anyone. This is not what you would do if your goal was to publicize your miracle ministry. 

Once, when confronted by the Pharisees about healing on the Sabbath, Jesus compared it to rescuing a sheep that had fallen into a well. Everyone knew that saving a life takes precedence over religious rituals. He didn’t justify His actions by saying, “It’s important for everyone to know I’m the Messiah.” Instead, He pointed out that if it’s right to help an animal on the Sabbath, how much more appropriate it is to help a human being? 

Repeatedly, Jesus rebuked the hardness of human hearts, showing how far they had drifted from God’s heart. Healing is an expression of God’s character and nature, who suffered immeasurably to make us whole. By embodying that same heart of compassion, we represent our Lord in the right way. 

On one mission trip, I had a moving dream. I was praying for the sick in a healing line at a church. I came to a man holding his 2-year-old son with Down syndrome. The boy’s eyes were misaligned. I prayed for him, but nothing happened. Feeling discouraged, I began to leave, but the boy grabbed my shirt and hugged me. I hugged him—without praying—and God’s love flowed through me. When I looked into his eyes, they were perfectly straight, and he was completely healed. 

I woke up and heard God say, “Faith comes by love.” That day, I witnessed more healings than I had ever seen before, sensing God’s love for the lost. 

Let me ask you: Will God’s heart motivate you to pray for the sick in His name, representing His heart of compassion?

Scriptures: James 2:14-17, Matthew 18:2-3, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Mark 16:15-18, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Acts 8:6-7, Acts 5:12-16

How to Get Started: Becoming Active in Your Daily Life

While I was at the gym, a stranger approached me. We started a conversation, and suddenly he mentioned severe pain in his right arm. I offered to pray for him in the name of Jesus. He agreed, and right then and there, he was completely healed! He was visibly surprised and confused about how it had happened. We met again afterward, and he gave his life to Christ and expressed his desire to be baptized! 

Now that you’ve reached the end of this Bible reading plan, you might be wondering: How can I apply what I’ve studied and learned? The decision is up to you. The testimony from the gym is meant to inspire you to pursue more in your Christian life. To be used mightily by the Lord in this area of ministry, I believe you need two things: childlike faith and humility, coupled with a hunger for more of God’s love flowing through you. You must be willing to act on God’s Word, not merely listen to it. There is no blessing in simply accumulating knowledge without putting it into practice. 

A disciple is a learning follower, and learning involves practice, mistakes, and occasional failures. When I first began praying for the sick, the results were few, and I felt discouraged at times. But breakthroughs happened here and there, encouraging me to keep going. In my experience, the best way to begin is by praying for people who are not close to you, such as strangers, rather than family or friends. Evangelistic outreaches or spontaneous encounters often yield the most opportunities. 

Ask yourself: If I were that suffering person, wouldn’t I want someone to care enough to pray for me? Then start showing love to others—even to unbelievers—by offering prayer. After laying hands on the person and commanding the pain, sickness, or infirmity to leave in the name of Jesus, ask them how they feel! Growth in this area comes when you step out in faith, not by praying from a distance alone. The Bible says, “Lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:18).