If God is willing to heal me, why am I still sick?

Let’s look at some possible hindrances to healing.

John 5:1-9 (TPT)

1 Then Jesus returned to Jerusalem to observe one of the Jewish holy days.

Note the timing of this event: it was during one of the Jewish feasts, a special time of being set apart for God in worship, prayer, and the offering of sacrifices. “It is difficult to determine with certainty which of the feasts it was: Passover, Tabernacles, or Purim. Most of the ancient expositors taught that it was the Feast of Pentecost.” (TPT Commentary, p 595)

Notice what Jesus was doing: He was honoring His Father by observing this feast. “The Feast of Pentecost is also known as the Feast of First Fruits. Among Jews the most popular name for this festival is the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, in Hebrew. When celebrating this festival, many Jewish people recall one of the greatest events in history, God’s revealing of the law at Mount Sinai. But Pentecost doesn’t just picture the giving of the law; it also shows—through a great miracle that occurred on the first Pentecost in the early Church (Acts 2:1-13)—how we can persist in living by the spiritual intent of God’s laws.” (https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/gods-holy-day-plan-the-promise-of-hope-for-all-mankind/the-feast-of-pentecost-the-firstfruits-of-gods-harvest)

In this special season, Jesus chose to be where His Father wanted him to be. God was about to demonstrate the fulfillment of the Law of Moses through His one and only Son.  The first possible hindrance to healing could be a broken relationship with God - through our rebellion or complete indifference to Him.

2 Inside the city near the Sheep Gate there is a pool called in Aramaic, The House of Loving Kindness. And this pool is surrounded by five covered porches.

Strong’s #964 tells us that “the name of this pool is Bethesda, an ancient Hebrew (Chaldean) name, חֶסְדָּא בֵּית, which is translated house of mercy or place for receiving and caring for the sick.” The pool was located near the sheep gate, the place where the sacrificial animals were brought into Jerusalem; the sheep would be slaughtered to cover the sins of men and women. We should not overlook the proximity of these two specifics - the pool, the place where healing could occur, and the sheep gate, the place where sin could be dealt with - and how they are connected to one another. A second possible hindrance to healing could be our unwillingness to acknowledge our wrong behavior as sin or being unrepentant for our sins.

Notice how God set this scene: there were five covered porches.  Five is the number of grace, abundance, favor, and redemption. It is the grace of God that provided a covering for our sins with the precious blood of the Lamb, His Son and our Savior, Jesus. A porch is a symbol of waiting or expectancy. “The sick were under the ‘covering’ of the Law, the five books of the Torah. But the Law cannot heal; it wounds and brings death. Christ is the healer, the living Torah.” (TPT Commentary, p 595)

3 Hundreds of sick people were lying there on the porches – the paralyzed, the blind, and the crippled, all of them waiting for their healing. 4 For an angel of God would periodically descend into the pool to stir the waters, and the first one who stepped into the pool after the waters swirled would instantly be healed.

We get the picture that people were so desperate for healing that they congregated in this place where they had heard supernatural events were taking place. They desired to be recipients of the miracles, signs and wonders, but they didn’t realize their true need: a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Their focus was on themselves and what they could get out of the encounter. And that is a third possible hindrance to healing - being self-centered rather than God-focused.

A fourth possible hindrance to healing is negativity. Imagine the conversations that might have been taking place – each one whining and complaining about their ailments and how much they had suffered. The air was rife with negativity, a breeding ground for envy and greed. As each one desired their own healing, they would not necessarily be concerned about the healing for others. All that mattered was that they be the first one into the water; all that mattered was that they would get what they wanted.

A fifth possible hindrance to healing is unbelief. They were paralyzed with fear, blind to the possibilities of how wonderfully compassionate God really is, and they were crippled because their faith was so small, if it existed at all. They had the law, they had a religion, but that was not enough to heal them. They had no one to teach them and encourage them to exchange all this self-centered negativity for a true relationship with God as He intended.

5 Now there was a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years lying among the multitude of the sick.

“Under the shelter of religion, there are the sick and lame and blind who can’t be healed unless they do the work and step into the pool. They are helpless and hopeless so near the Sheep Gate. But Jesus has none of the law’s requirements to put upon us for our healing, only to believe in one who is greater than angels. The man had been sick for thirty-eight years, the exact length of time Israel had wandered in the wilderness. (Deuteronomy 2:14) (TPT Commentary, p 595-596)

Religion is based on self effort.  A relationship with God is based on accepting what He has done for us, agreeing with His ways, and partnering with Him - walking alongside of Him while He does the heavy lifting.

A sixth possible hindrance to healing is doubt. “He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:6-8, NIV)

The wilderness wanderings were necessitated by Israel’s choice to doubt God’s protection and provision. They refused to accept what God had offered, rejecting His wisdom, leaning on their own understanding, and preferring to do things their way instead. Thirty eight years is a long time for a man or woman to be wandering aimlessly, failing to understand his/her identity and his/her purpose. But God is always working and He has not changed His mind regarding His plans for us even when we doubt. 

The number thirty-eight is made up of thirty – which is the number designating the fulfillment of Divine order or the right time; and the number eight – which is the number designating a new beginning, regeneration and resurrection. All through the years of this man’s disability, God had been working behind the scenes to prepare him to understand that religion has no power, and to place him at just the right place - where the One who was to come at just the right time in fulfillment of Divine order – would bring complete healing to his spirit, soul and body.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there, he knew that the man had been crippled for a long time. So Jesus said to him, “Do you truly long to be healed?”

“Jesus exercised supernatural knowledge of this man’s situation. His question was asking the man, ‘Are you convinced that you are already made whole?’ Jesus is asking the crippled man if he is ready to abandon how he sees himself and now receive the faith for his healing.” (TPT Commentary, p 596)

A seventh possible hindrance to healing is to continue seeing yourself as not healed. If you have asked for healing, believe that you have received it. See yourself as whole. Talk about yourself with a new language – the language of long life and good health. Praise God for His healing of your spirit, soul and body. Thank Him for renewed strength, energy and vitality all through the day. Practice wholeness. Practice wellness. Refuse to return to the negativity you once walked in.

7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, there’s no way I can get healed, for I have no one who will lower me into the water when the angel comes. As soon as I try to crawl to the edge of the pool, someone else jumps in ahead of me.”

An eighth possible hindrance to healing is to make excuses for why you can’t be healed.  Do you really think God doesn’t know what your situation is? And since you have decided you can’t do it, are you not willing to believe that God can do it ALL BY HIMSELF? He does not need the help of anyone, but He desires to partner with us in His work of healing.  He has the power to heal – anyone, anytime, anywhere, under the most adverse of conditions. When we make excuses, we are saying to God, “Thank you for your consideration, but I’ll just stay where I am. After all, I’m comfortable with my sickness; I’ve adjusted to it and I wouldn’t know how to act without it.”

In order to be healed you may have to step out of your comfort zone and allow God to stretch your thinking to conform to His “all things are possible for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Matthew 19:26, NIV) thinking. He is ready, willing and able.  Will you partner with Him?

8 Then Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your sleeping mat and you will walk!” 9 Immediately he stood up – he was healed! So he rolled up his mat and walked again!

Did you get that? Jesus didn’t pay any attention to the man’s excuses, because Jesus knew who He was and He knew what the Father’s plans were for this man. Jesus did nothing on His own; rather He did what He saw the Father doing.  He saw the Father healing this man, and Jesus cooperated by issuing the command to stand up! 

Jesus didn’t allow this man’s negativity to hinder God’s purposes that day. He looked into the heavenly realms and He saw the man standing on his own feet.  “Thy will be done on earth as it (already) is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NIV) Jesus called what He saw in heaven down to earth, and He declared that the man’s ability to stand was a done deal. As the man obeyed, he discovered his healing had already occurred.

 “Is 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. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:14-16, NIV)

A ninth possible hindrance to healing is disobedience - the failure to follow the prescription God has given us in His word. We are to ask for healing from those who have been appointed by God to minister, who will anoint and pray over you.  It is God who heals; but God has said He will work through Holy Spirit filled men and women to bring the healing that is requested.  Did you notice the part of these verses that say, in some cases, sin has contributed to the sickness?  God has provided a prescription in His Word – a specific set of instructions as to how to deal with the root cause of the sickness. If that root cause is sin, the sick person must first confess his sin to another and repent of his wrong behavior, then the church is to pray over the person.  God promises that the prayer of righteous men and women (those who are in right standing with God through their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord) is powerful against the root causes of the sickness and their prayers will have a positive effect – the sick person will be healed.

If God has given you a prescription – do whatever He tells you! (John 2:5) Nahum was instructed to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times in order to be healed of his leprosy. He didn’t understand why he had to dip himself in the Jordan River; after all, there were cleaner, purer rivers in his own country. And why did he have to dip seven times? Why wasn’t once enough? I’m not making this up! Read it for yourself. (2 Kings 5:1-15)

Obedience is directly linked to healing. Not only did the man stand on strong – not shaky - legs, he WALKED!  When he stood up, he stepped into his new identity, an identity that was commanded by God from before the foundations of the world. When he stood up, he was able to walk into the destiny God designed for him as He knit him together in his mother’s womb. Healing comes through obedience to the truth of God’s word. If God has given you a word from His Word regarding the healing of your spirit, soul and body, how will you respond?

Finally, there is a tenth possible reason for why healing has not occurred; your sickness may be used to bring God glory in the earth.  John 9:1-4 (TPT) is the story of Jesus healing a man who had been born blind.

1 “As Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Teacher, whose sin caused this guy’s blindness, his own, or the sin of his parents?’

3 ”Jesus answered, ‘Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God’s miracle.
​4 While I am with you, it is daytime and we must do the works of God who sent me while the light shines.’”

Apparently, the disciples were absolutely aware of the effects of sin and iniquity on the human body. Unfortunately, the church has lost sight of how effectively satan uses our rejection of God and His way of doing things (which is what sin is) to afflict us.

The access point for disease is the soul of man. “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” ( 3 John 2, NAS) Sin that has not been acknowledged as sin and the iniquities passed down to us through our ancestral blood lines create a gate through which the enemy has free access to work against our spirit, soul, and body. Sin lodges in our soul; sin involves the mind, the will and the emotions. First we think it, then we desire it, and then we do it. “For after desire has conceived (this happens in the mind as it is influenced by the emotions), it gives birth to sin (this is where the will carries out the desires in the mind). (James 1:15, NIV)  Every time this process occurs and is not dealt with, a stronghold is formed or an existing stronghold (as in the case of repetitive sin) is strengthened. A stronghold is a place where the enemy has been given a legal right to work against us. God has offered Himself to be our Stronghold, but we have to choose Him and do things His way.

Jesus said that neither this man nor his parents had sinned; but that his entire life up to and including the present moment was to be used to display the power of God not only to this man and his family, but also to the disciples and everyone else who was watching – especially the religious leaders of that day!

I have a dear friend, a sister in Christ, who was diagnosed with breast cancer about ten years ago. When the diagnosis was given, her first response was to go to God in prayer, asking Him “What is this? Is there anything in my life that I need to bring before your throne so that we may deal with it?” The Lord’s answer to her was, “This is not unto death; this is for my glory.”

Immediately, my friend knew this trial was an assignment from God. She and her husband would be witnesses of the goodness of God - to other women (and their families), who were walking through the same trial, but who may not have had the covering of a personal relationship with the Lord.   Through the entire experience - the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and all the doctor’s visits - my friend allowed the Lord to show her the individuals she was to encourage, those who most needed a compassionate touch from a loving Father. In so doing, the Lord was glorified.

I can think of no better example of Jesus words: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, NIV) This verse is often used for those who serve in the military, and rightly so; but I believe that when we submit our will, our rights, and all control to the Lord Jesus Christ, as my friend did, we are laying down our lives for others and we are demonstrating the unlimited love of God to each one of them.  And that always brings healing. The day came when the doctor wrote in my friend’s chart “In Remission”. My friend did not miss this opportunity to give God all the glory.  She demanded that the doctor cross through the words “In Remission” and instead, write in bold letters, “HEALED!”

God has shown us who He is and who He wants to be for us in every situation we face. Sickness, disease, and infirmity were dealt with at the cross. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5, NIV) Because of what God has done, we can know for certain that healing is available for each one of us. God is the healer. Sometimes He works through prayer, sometimes He works through the laying on of hands of those He has anointed for healing, and sometimes He works through those trained in the medical profession. The end result is the same. Trust God that healing is His desire for you.

And now, May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul, and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, MSG)

Be healed in Jesus Name!
Linda
 
© Linda Sue Harper, 2018