“But because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the blows He received.” (Isaiah 53:5)
The prophet Isaiah is prophesying about Jesus. There are more than 300 prophesies about Jesus in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfilled every one of them. The odds are tremendous. I’m not a mathematician, but I do know the odds are astronomical.
Isaiah doesn’t mince words. Jesus suffered for us, for our sins and for our perversity. And His suffering heals us and makes us whole. Peter used this verse from the Old Testament and repeats it in the New Testament. “Christ Himself carried our sins in His body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by His wounds that you have been healed.” (1Peter 2:24) Peter’s version is a little different because Jesus has died and risen. He has ascended to heaven. And he saw that take place. So now, “...you have been healed” declares Peter.
I’m not going down the path of why some are not healed. I will say that sickness and pain are the hardest for which to have faith. But we do have to believe God’s Word in spite of what we are feeling. This is not some formula to be healed. We have been healed. It is a belief that if we’re healed, we are going to go about our daily lives, even when there is pain, even when the evidence says otherwise, and if at all possible, we are going to act, speak and think we are healed. It’s not something looney. It is agreeing with what God says. On earth, we may be hurting, but that’s what this world has to offer us. God has healing. And we must believe. When the disciples couldn’t deliver a boy from a demon, Jesus tells them it’s because of their little faith. “"It was because you do not have enough faith," answered Jesus. "I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, 'Go from here to there!' and it will go. You could do anything!" (Matthew 17:20)
I heard someone say that if we don’t get healed it’s because it’s not God’s Will. But God’s Will is for us to be whole, strong and walking in divine health. Divine because it is the Lord who is sustaining our health. It is the Lord delivering healing. God knows how miserable we are when we are sick. And He has mercy even on the unbeliever and has raised up doctors for those who don’t have the promise of healing. “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:14)
When Jesus goes to Nazareth, His hometown, He proclaims Who He is by reading out of the book of Isaiah. “"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has chosen Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.” (Luke 4:18 & Isaiah 61:1) Jesus delivered the people from the oppression of demons that were causing blindness, deafness and other kinds of diseases.
Sickness is not from God. There’s the case of Paul. He was doing great works for the Lord. He records that he was given a thorn in his flesh. Many think it was an ailment. The Good News Bible has translated it that way. “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” (2Corinthians 12:7 KJV) The ailment came from satan, but God allowed it to remind Paul, he was just flesh, a vessel being used tremendously by God. It was to keep him grounded and dependent on the Lord, not in himself. It was so Paul could boast in what God was doing, not in what he was doing. That being said, if we know that sickness is not from God, we can do what Paul did. He prayed that it would be taken away. “Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked Him to take it away.” (2Corinthians 12:8) Instead the Lord speaks to him saying “"My grace is all you need, for My power is greatest when you are weak." (2Corinthians 12:9)
When we are sick, we are to believe it’s not from God, pray asking the Lord to remove it and believe that by Jesus’ stripes we have been healed. Unless like Paul you are doing great works, I don’t think God would allow some ailment to remain to buffet us. But if the ailment remains, there’s a reason and we need to seek the Lord asking the reason for it. The Lord will not leave you in the darkness about it. There are beautiful Christian people suffering illnesses right now. We don’t understand all of God’s ways. But we do have His Word. The Lord does not do anything without a divine purpose that will benefit us. If you yourself are suffering from a continuing ailment, believe God’s Word and ask Him the reason for it. And I am sure that you will know the reason. And like Paul, continue to serve Him, depending on the Lord for the strength to do His Will.
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