[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ]
Can prayer really heal people?
No. Prayer cannot heal anyone.
Prayer doesn’t heal because prayer is simply making a request. If a man prays to Polaris, Mount Olympus or the family dog, he will not be healed as a result. No woman will be healed if she prays to a dead ancestor or statue.
The God of the Bible is clear that such prayers are worthless. He said, “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are (idols), and they cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good” (Jeremiah 10:5).
The key to prayer is the one to whom it is directed. Who are you asking?
Jesus Christ healed many people—He gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, cleansed lepers, even raised people from the dead—all in front of numerous eye-witnesses.
It’s also important to see that Jesus didn’t heal every sick person—in fact, He healed very few people when you consider how many diseased and injured people there must have been during His time on earth.
Jesus healed to make a point—to prove that He was who He claimed to be. That His message is true. And, He gave His first-century followers the ability to do miracles in order to authenticate their message, which is recorded in the New Testament. Simply put, this message is that Jesus is God and He came to save the world from the worst of diseases: sin.
We pray for physical healing because we believe that God can and does mercifully heal people sometimes. But, the Bible nowhere promises physical healing in this life. For every person who believes in Jesus Christ, the true promise of the Bible is for ultimate healing in the next life.
