Healing Grace

Born-again believers are empowered with God’s grace to heal others. Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17 KJV). In other words, if you have confessed Jesus as Lord—that He died and redeemed you from sin—you are authorized and empowered by Jesus to heal the sick.

In John 14:12, Jesus affirms the believer’s work of extending His healing grace, saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father” (KJV). Jesus is speaking to you and me, authorizing us to do the works He did. Of course, we see His works of healing throughout the Gospels. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (NKJV).

So then why don’t we see more believers healing the sick? There are numerous reasons, but let me mention three hindrances to a believer’s authority.

1. Lack of boldness. Many lack the boldness to act on God’s Word and are afraid that when they pray, the sick will not be healed. Fear gets in the way of believing God. Faith, the opposite of fear, comes by hearing and believing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). It’s the faith and the Word in us that do the work. If God’s Word does not fill your heart, the devil will fill your mind with fear.
2. Traditions.Christians often see themselves as ordinary believers without authority or power to lay hands on the sick. They falsely believe that such healing is achieved only through specially anointed individuals or ministries. I believe there are special ministries of healing where God uses faith-filled men and women to reach the masses with His love and healing power. However, I also believe that all believers are called to share God’s healing grace within their sphere of influence: family, coworkers, people we meet, church, etc.

3. Lack of teaching. Another reason we don’t see droves of believers healing the sick is because God’s grace to heal is not emphasized in much of the Church. The primary focus is on His grace for salvation. Ministers often preach the message of being born again, but they do not teach that the grace we receive by faith for salvation is the same grace that heals us. Healing grace is included in our salvation. First Peter 2:24 tells us that Jesus not only bore our sins, but that by His stripes we were

I attend a church where God’s grace to heal is often manifested, and I have learned to release the healing grace in me to others. Has everyone I prayed for been healed? No. There can be many reasons for this. But, I know I am not the Healer. My responsibility is to believe with the person in need—to have faith in God and His Word and to say what God says.

God has given me many opportunities to be bold and lay hands on the sick. Some healings are instantaneous while others are progressive, but the important thing to remember is that God’s will is always to heal. If the healing doesn’t take place immediately, I encourage the sick to read and confess healing scriptures daily until healing comes. The following are two concrete testimonies. One happened immediately; the other over a period of about three months.

A counselor at the school where I taught shared with the staff that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer and given between three and six months to live. At the time, her mother was visiting her so they could plan her funeral. God spoke to me and told me to go home with the counselor to pray with her mother. The following excerpt is from a letter I received:

Last December, our family would have only hoped for a miracle after hearing that our mother only had three to six months to live. Barb, you offered to come to my home and ‘lay hands’ on Mother. As you began praying and laying on hands, you connected us to our Lord. He heard our suffering and pleas…. The team of doctors in Seattle stared in disbelief at Mom’s CAT scan. More tests and, yet, no trace of cancer in the bladder or lymph nodes. She knows and I know, that she was treated by the greatest Healer of all.

Recently, I prayed with a young woman I met in a store who shared with me that she was diagnosed with Lyme disease and was in great pain. I asked if I could pray for her. We prayed, but the healing did not manifest. Over the next few months, we prayed and I supplied her with scriptures on healing, encouraging her to read what the Word says and to spend time praising. Weeks later she sent me the following text:

I wanted to thank you for praying for me. Thank you for guiding me back to the Word. God has healed me. I am free from sickness and disease. You helped me to do the right thing by going to the Word and giving all to God. He is a miraculous healer.

You and I are called to lay hands on the sick so that they can be restored to health through faith in God and His Word. Jesus tells us in Mark 11:22-23 that when we have faith and don’t doubt, we can speak to the mountain (of sickness and disease) and cause it to move. “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13 AMP).