When God made a covenant with His people, He said He would intervene in our lives by healing our diseases. Healing is an important part of God’s covenants with His people. After God’s people sinned, they called out to the Lord for mercy. Then God made a promise of His intervention if they would listen to His voice and do what is right.
Exodus 15:26 NKJV “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord Who heals you.”
Healing is an integral part of God’s blessing and covenant with those who do what is right in His sight and give ear to His word. Healing is connected with God’s promise to intervene in our lives.
2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Forgiveness of sin and healing for our land covers our broader need. Often we think of healing in relation to physical need. God is looking at the greater picture of our need. He sees the brokenness that comes as a result of sin. He sees the devastation that is a result of abuse, hatred, and murder. God recognizes the destruction that comes from deviant sexual lifestyles. He knows broken people are under the curse of addiction.
The Psalmist declared the healing that God gives in all of these situations.
Psalm 103:3-5 NKJV Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
- When God heals, chains are broken.
- When God heals, iniquities are forgiven.
- When God heals, the destruction is defeated and new life is restored.
Isaiah tied the healing message to the ministry of Christ our Lord and Savior.
Isaiah 53:4-6 NKJV Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
This Messianic prophetic message covers all of our vast need. It promises salvation and healing as remedies for our sin and sickness. It promises relief for sin and the myriad of its consequences. It promises healing for all our diseases.
Then Isaiah 61 gives the great commissioning prophecy of the Christ.
Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJV “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Throughout the Old Testament, we are given the promise and hope of a Redeemer who will save, heal and deliver. When Jesus arrived on the scene, He came as our Redeemer, Savior, and Healer.
God intervenes in our lives to bring healing.
The original language gives us words that show the depth of God’s intervention that is provided in Christ. Four words in the Bible are translated healing.
- In Hebrew, Rapha` is the word for healing. (Isaiah 53:5)
It is translated: physician, cure, and repair. It refers to a healer who restores and makes healthy; to being restored to favor for nations and individuals; to healing water, vessels and persons; to make whole; to remove defects or hurts.
Three Greek words cover the various types of healing.
- The first means to make whole, to free from errors and sin, to save, to cure and heal. 1 Peter 2:24 — “by His stripes you were healed.”
- The second means to cure the disease and cause one to recover or return to health.
- Matthew 8:16-17 — “He cast out evil spirits and healed all the sick”,
- Matthew 10:1 — “He gave them power over unclean spirits and to heal all kinds of disease..”
- The third word means to make whole, heal and make safe and sound, to save from death and restore to health.
- Matthew 9:22 to the woman who touched his garment “your faith has made you well”
- Matthew 14:30 — He saved Peter from drowning
- Mark 5:23 — Jarius’ daughter was dying — “lay your hand on her, that she may be healed, and live”
Christ’s healing covers a multitude of our needs.
God intervenes in many ways to heal. He heals us of sickness and from the attack of evil spirits. He heals us from diseases that bring death. He is our great Physician Who cures us from all of our diseases and makes us whole.
Malachi, the Old Testament prophet, saw a day that is coming when the Lord of host will turn all things around.
Malachi 4:2 NKJV But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Jesus Christ the Messiah will come in the end of time and make everything whole. The writer of Acts considered Christ’s ministry and life.
Acts 10:38 NKJV God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Simon Peter affirmed this message.
1 Peter 2:24 NKJV Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
God wants to intervene in your life with Christ’s broad ministry to save, heal and deliver.
Watch the Gospel message about Christ’s healing ministry.
Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
Mark 1:32-34 NKJV At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons…
Luke 4:40-41 NKJV When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many,
Luke 5:17 NKJV Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
In verse 18, men brought a paralyzed man on a bed to Jesus. When they could not get him into the house, they went upon the housetop and let him through the tiling to Jesus. In verse 20 and 24 Jesus “forgave his sins”, and then he told the paralyzed man to “arise, take up your bed and go to your house.”
Luke 6:17-19 NKJV And He …stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people …who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
You need to see how God intervenes in our lives through Jesus’ ministry to heal the sick, release captives and save the lost. Everywhere He went, people were saved, healed, and delivered. With every kind of ministry, Jesus intervened in people’s lives with healing and deliverance. His ministry of healing, saving and delivering did not stop when Jesus returned to heaven. In the early church, people were healed when God intervened in their lives in Jesus name.
In Acts 3, Peter and John were going to the temple to pray. They came upon a man who had been lame from birth.
Acts 3:6 NKJV Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength and he leaped up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
God’s intervention of miraculous healing was not confined to the Apostles. In Acts 6, Philip was one of seven men who were chosen to serve tables and distribute food. Acts 8 tells us that believers went everywhere telling people about the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:6-7 NLT Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed.
Everywhere the message of this Gospel is preached, God’s healing intervention occurs. Whatever you are facing, God is ready to intervene with healing and salvation.
