I have heard, more than once, a person, leader, or well-intending person say that God just went ahead and took a cancer patient so they wouldn't have to suffer any more. Really?! I mean, let's really think about this for a minute. What you're saying is that God's hands were tied? He was out of options? We were all hoping they would just get better and since that didn't happen God just relieved them of their pain? The best GOD could do was kill them?
Sound extreme? Yeah, it does to me too! I mean first of all the ENEMY is out to steal, KILL, and destroy. Second, that is the best God can do? I don't think so. I think He can handle a little thing like cancer. Besides all this, God didn't kill them the cancer(or whatever the disease may be) did.
Let me just say, I am not trying to be insensitive to anyone who has cancer or anyone who knows and loves someone who does. I am simply using it as an example because all sickness and disease falls into this category. They are all a result of the fall of man. Creation has been twisted and distorted because of sin. The GOOD news is that Jesus is the answer for all of it.
So let us look at the real issue. Cancer, Aids, Diabetes, Heart Disease, etc. are not from God. Jesus is perfect Theology. If you have seen Him you have seen the Father in Heaven. Jesus, when accused of HEALING by the power of the devil, said that He couldn't do that because the kingdom divided can't stand. In other words, satan can't heal because he was the one causing the illness. On the other side of that same coin, God can't cause sickness because He IS the Healer! God doesn't have sickness and disease to give. Period. You can't find it in Heaven, you can't find it in Jesus, so you won't find it in God. Jesus never blessed a storm and He never turned anyone away and told them it wasn't there time to get healed.
So now we are faced with the question: why don't some people get healed? For starters, let us look at Jesus' standard.
Matthew 10:7-8
7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
NIV
Notice He instructs them to let all know that the Kingdom of heaven is within reach then He tells THEM to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Wait a minute, He meant for them to pray for them, right? Surely He didn't tell them to do it. After all, we can't heal anyone, right? I don't know about you, but I think He meant what He said. Look at this:
John 20:21
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.
NIV
I believe that this verse is self explanatory. I am not saying we can do this in and of ourselves. I am saying that Jesus gave us a commission and we have yet to step up even close to His standard for fear of pride or not looking humble which is pride. It is just that, a co-mission. He doesn't send us alone. He goes with us and we get to do it together. In the verses following this one in John, Jesus breathes on them and tells them to receive the Holy Spirit. Coincidence? I think not.
The facts I know: God has not made a list of requirements to be healed other than to receive it. The Greek word for saved is SOZO(save, heal, deliver):
NT:4982
Sozo (sode'-zo); from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz, "safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):
KJV - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Jesus came to seek and save(sozo) the lost.
Acts 2:21
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved(sozo).'
NIV
In case there is any question, God wants all to be healed. So why doesn't He just heal everyone who is sick? Well, why doesn't HE just take us all to heaven? I mean if EVERYTHING is done in accordance to His will, as some say, then how do we explain people dying and going to hell when Scripture clearly states that God isn't willing that any should perish(go to hell) but all to come to repentance?
It is because He wants us to be apart of His Kingdom. He gave earth to man to rule as He rules, to take care of as He does. We simply haven't gotten it right yet! He has sent His Spirit to empower us to do as HE does. Kinda what Jesus did. He was the most normal Christian to walk on the earth. We aren't there yet but that is our goal.
I don't claim by any means to have all the answers but that shouldn't slow our pursuit of them or our pursuit of healing. As a great man once said, when someone isn't healed I refuse to blame anyone. We just press on. We just continue to do what we know to do.
Philippians 3:16
Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
NIV
