4 Things to Know about God as Healer
- Amanda Idleman Contributing Writer
- Updated Jun 09, 2021
God cares about our pain, needs, and heartbreak. John 8:36 says, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Jesus came to Earth so we could live as free people. The Bible tells us that God offers us access to freedom from sin, death, fear, heartbreak, relational brokenness, and he offers healing for our bodies too!
God's grace is hard to comprehend fully. That is not to say that loss and suffering are not things we endure as Christians, but it does mean that none of our pain is wasted. God is with us through every season of our life, and even in death, he promises a greater future free of pain and suffering in heaven. We have an unreasonable sense of hope when Jesus is a part of our lives because we can live sure of the many promises God gives us in his Word.
Let's explore some of those biblical truths and how we know that God is the great Healer of the brokenness we encounter in our lives and in this world.
Who Does the Bible Say God Is?
The Bible, through stories of God at work in the lives of people, through the direct words of God's son Jesus, and through prophetic revelation, helps to reveal some of the mysterious nature of God. Some of the mystery of who God is will never be made fully clear to us while we occupy our flesh here on Earth, but thankfully God does not leave us entirely in the dark. There are many beautiful passages that help us get a glimpse into God's glorious nature. Here are a few of those verses:
1. God Is the Rock: Perfect, Faithful, and Just
"He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." Deuteronomy 32:4
2. God Is Love
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8
3. He Is the Way, Truth, and the Life
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6
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4. God Is the Creator of All Things
"For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rules or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." Colossians 1:16
5. God Is Our Healer
"'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'" 1 Peter 2:24
4 Things to Know about God as Healer
1. God Heals Our Hearts
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
Our brokenness is not limited to our bodies. Our minds, souls, and hearts can become discouraged by the trials we face in our lives. God cares about our mental health and offers a healing power that is capable of setting us free from discouragement, depression, fear, anxiety, bitterness, anger, addiction, and more. His healing comes sometimes through a miraculous touch, through meditation on Scripture, through prayer, through the accountability of Christian counseling, through the help of a doctor, and sometimes through all of them. Ultimately, every path to healing is different. God's Spirit at work in our lives is unpredictable. He leads us all on different journeys. One thing is sure--that God desires for us to find emotional freedom through his Spirit at work in our lives.
2. Jesus' Sacrifice Secures Healing for His People
"'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness." 1 Peter 2:24
Jesus died on the cross in place of us. Our perfect God cannot be in relationship with sin-filled humanity. That is why in the Old Testament God required rituals and sacrifices from his people. God saw that the rituals were insufficient and came up with an unbelievable plan to give up his son so that we could be marked as righteous ones and have full access to God's kingdom. On the cross, Jesus bore the weight of humanity's sin on his body. By his wounds, we are healed from the curse of sin and death! The Gospel invites us into God's family and promises a future beyond the brokenness that plagues this world. God's sacrifice of his son grants us the hope of eternity spent with him in heaven.
3. Prayers of Faith Bring Healing
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." James 5:15
God partners with our faith to bring healing. When we face sickness, physical pain, ailments, and loss, God promises to hear our prayers and helps us through these tough seasons. 1 John 5:14 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
Jesus came to Earth and fully experienced what it is to be human. He knows what it is to endure physical suffering and pain. He desires to bring healing, comfort, and peace when we endure suffering of all kinds. He never leaves us alone in our moments of pain (Isaiah 41:10). One promise we can hold fast to is that God never wastes our suffering. Romans 5:3-5 says, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Even when we walk through seasons that we cannot understand or when we endure a loss that is difficult to accept, God is working and is with us.
4. God's Spirit Sets Us Free
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." Luke 4:18
Before Jesus ascended to heaven after his death on the cross, he told his followers that he would not leave them as orphans. He promises that he would leave with us an advocate- the Spirit of Truth to be with us forever (John 14). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that God has gifted us the freedom to be set free, and the power to help others find freedom too! God knows that without his strength we are incapable of breaking free from the power of sin and death. He so graciously gifted us the Spirit who advocates on our behalf. God's Spirit miraculously brings physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational healing to God's people.
A Prayer for God's Healing Power in Our Life
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
Thank you, Lord, that you took my sin and bore it all on the cross so I can live with peace and have access to your gracious healing power. I recognize that without your Spirit at work in our lives we have no strength to live our lives well. I come before you and ask for your healing power to be at work in my life and in the world.
Heal us of our relational brokenness and help us to find reconciliation. Free us from physical ailments and pain. By your grace, put every part of our bodies in working order. Break the chains of sin in our lives. Help us find the support, accountability, and help we need to find freedom from addiction, lust, pride, selfishness, gluttony, fear, anxiety, loneliness, and heartbreak. We thank you that by the work of the cross we are set free. Help us to live as free people each day we are given on this Earth. Amen.
Isaiah 65:24 says, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." God is a loving God and he tells us that he is ready to answer our prayers even while we are just getting them out of our mouths. He cares about our lives and there is no detail too small for him to attend to. The Bible also prompts us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), so when life's brokenness becomes apparent to us, our first response should be to bring our concerns to Jesus in prayer.
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