Have you ever wanted to be used by God to heal people in the name of Jesus Christ? I have news for you: He wants to use you too! Today I want to show you how simple it really is. This week, I received a question from a man named Jeff who asked, “How should I pray for healing?” This week’s article is meant to answer that question.
The first thing you need to know is that healing the sick doesn’t require any special power or godliness on your part. Instead, it happens because Jesus dwells in you through faith.
Acts 3:1–8 – One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (NIV)
A few verses later, we read:
Acts 3:11–12, 16 – While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?….By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” (NIV, emphasis added)
First, Peter said he was healing the man with something he “had.” Peter said, “What I have, I give you…” What did Peter have? He had the power of the Holy Spirit actively at work in his life.
Second, Peter assured the crowd that this was not the work of his own power or godliness. Rather, it was the name of Jesus and the faith that comes through Him. If we want to heal people, then we need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ so that we can share in His authority.
There is no formula for healing. The key is simply to walk by faith and remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Notice all the different ways Jesus healed blind people. Some he touched, some He spit in the dirt to make mud and put the mud on their eyes. Some He spit directly on their eyes. Some were healed instantly, some were ministered to a couple times before their healing was complete, and some He sent away to wash somewhere else (though all of them were healed the same day, which should encourage us to expect the same).
Jesus was constantly changing up His methods, which proves that method has nothing to do with it. It’s all about relationship with God. God will show you the right method through His Holy Spirit.
Naturally, we can be intimidated by the possibility of using the wrong method. “What if I spit in the person’s eyes and nothing happens?”
Don’t be afraid of messing up. God will use whatever you give Him. If He tells you to do one thing and you do another, He may discipline you later, but it isn’t going to have any adverse outcome for the person being healed.
In Numbers 20, God told Moses that if he spoke to a rock, He would pour out water for the Israelites to drink. Instead, Moses struck the rock. God disciplined Moses, and he didn’t get to set foot in the Promised Land (at least until centuries later with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration). Moses was disciplined for using the wrong method, but water still came out of the rock!
Don’t be afraid of using the wrong method to heal someone. God just wants to heal them! If you’re not sure what to do, then just pray for the person. Again, the point is not the method but the God who is at work in you.
When it comes to typical healing ministry (meaning that God has not given me some other instruction to carry out), I simply place my hand on a person and thank Father God for His love toward them. Then I command the condition to leave in Jesus’ name. It’s that simple. I usually don’t spend more than 10 or 20 seconds ministering healing — otherwise it starts to become about me rather than Jesus.
I always speak to the condition itself. For instance, I might say, “I command cartilage to grow in the name of Jesus.” That’s because Jesus didn’t tell His disciples, “Ask My Father to heal the sick. Rather, He said, “Heal the sick.” (See Matthew 10:8.)
Sometimes, I’ll even be silent and wait on the Lord. Jesus said that one of the “signs” we can expect to follow us is that we will place our hands on sick people and they will recover. (See Mark 16:18.) He didn’t say, “If you say the right words / feel the right feeling / think the right thought / or do the right anything…” The only “if” was “if” you believe. Peter healed people simply by walking past them. (See Acts 5:15.) Paul ministered healing when cloth that had touched his body was taken to the sick. (See Acts 19:12.) The key is that we must be full of the Holy Spirit and we must have faith in Jesus and the price He paid at the cross.
I always ask the person if there’s something they couldn’t do before that they would be willing to try out. Then I ask if there’s any improvement. Sometimes the healing is instantly complete, and other times it’s like the blind man who Jesus had to minister to twice before he was completely healed.
Mark 8:22–25 – They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (NIV)
If a person says, “It’s a little better,” I respond, “Good! That means it’s working! Let’s pray again!.” Then I minister a second time. It’s not uncommon to pray five or six times before the healing is complete. Remember, Jesus taught us to be persistent. (See Luke 11:5-10.)
If we truly believe that Jesus paid for the healing of every disease, then our actions should follow suit. We should pray for everyone. If you can honestly say that Jesus’ sacrifice didn’t pay for someone’s healing, then you’re not responsible to pray for them. Good luck finding that person because they don’t exist! Jesus paid it all!
