In this message, Pastor Ben gives us three guidelines when waiting for healing… 1. Continue in faithful prayer 2. Do not despise the Lord’s discipline 3. Trust in God-s all-sufficient grace

We made it to week number three. If you’re wondering, you will not have to hear about healing for some time after this! As we open our Bibles today, it has been amazing to study the Word of God and to see what it truly means that Jesus is actually our Great Physician.

When I first began considering this series on healing, I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to go, what our focus was going to be, or how it would unfold. But I have been amazed through my study—and I pray you have been as you’ve heard the Word of God these past weeks—that healing is ultimately about the sufficiency of Christ in all things, at all times, and in all our circumstances. God is so much greater, mightier, more powerful, and more wonderful than we can fully know. Yet when we have a great need, He demonstrates His sufficiency and His goodness in a powerful way.

In this third message in the series, I want to tie up our loose ends. One of the questions that might still be on your mind as we’ve studied this topic is that fatal question: What happens if I don’t get healed? What happens if healing does not come?

For some of us, this is a very personal question because we haven’t experienced the healing we’ve been hoping for. But even if it isn’t personal to us, I am certain every one of us has a friend, a co-worker, or a family member who has faced this kind of disappointment. Maybe they’ve even looked to us for counsel: “What do I do when I haven’t received what I hoped for? How do I deal with this?”

Whether we need help for our own doubtful and fearful hearts or wisdom to encourage others, today I want to share three guidelines for when we are waiting for healing:

1. Continue in faithful prayer.
2. Do not despise the Lord’s discipline.
3. Trust in God’s grace when we are weak.

I intentionally say waiting for healing for a reason. As we’ve said these past few weeks, healing may not be guaranteed in this present life. But on the day of resurrection, we will be healed in every way. There will be no more sorrow, no more crying, and no more pain, and the dwelling place of God will be with man.

No matter how long we have to wait—whether a short time or a long time—we are not left without clear direction on how we are supposed to wait.

1. Continue in Faithful Prayer

Throughout Scripture, we learn a great deal about the topic of prayer. I’m sure most of us have at least one book at home on the subject—maybe several—and perhaps we’ve read them all and still feel like we don’t know how to pray! But in Scripture, we find that faithful, persistent prayer for the same requests is something God honors and commands.

Many of us have the Lord’s Prayer memorized. If I asked us to recite it right now, we’d probably all slip into the King James Version: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…” Although this prayer functions more as a pattern than something to merely recite, each request within it is meant to be prayed continually throughout our lives.

There is a reason we are taught to pray daily that God’s name be kept holy, that His kingdom come, and that His will be done. We pray daily for our daily bread, daily for the forgiveness of our sins, and daily that the Lord would lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. These are daily needs. We sin every day. We need God’s will to be done in our hearts, minds, and lives every day. And we need our daily bread today, not just every second day!

Continuing to ask for these things is not a lack of faith. It isn’t saying, “God gave me bread yesterday, so He won’t give it to me today.” No—by continuing to pray, we declare, “God has not changed, and He will continue to provide according to His good and perfect will.”

Turn with me to James chapter 5. Right after James gives instructions on how to pray for someone who is sick, he brings up Elijah:

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:16–18)

Notice how Elijah prays. He prays eagerly, fervently, with what the Puritans called unction. His prayer isn’t a passive, mechanical repetition. It comes from a heart that says: “God, I trust You. I call out to You knowing You will answer.” There is conviction in his step because he knows he is praying to a real God with a real need, relying on a real promise.

Yet James specifies that Elijah was “a man with a nature like ours.” What does that mean?

In the book of Acts, when Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, the pagan crowd tried to worship them as gods. Paul immediately rejected this, saying, “We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news…” (Acts 14:15). Paul was saying, “I am not divine.” When James mentions Elijah, he is making the same point: Elijah was a human being just like us. He had no extra spiritual authority or magical power; there was no halo floating over his head.

Sometimes people fall into the trap of thinking certain human beings have extra leverage with God—that their prayers carry inherent “spiritual clout.” But we all approach God on the exact same terms: by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Elijah was a man just like us, and his prayers were answered in the same way we ought to pray today.

When we pray for healing, we must have that same posture: “Lord, I know You love me, but I have no special status to demand things from You.” Our prayers must be fervent, faithful, and completely submitted to the will of God.

When God told Elijah it wouldn’t rain, Elijah prayed accordingly. When God told him it was time for rain, Elijah prayed for rain. God’s revealed will guided his prayers. As believers, we pray knowing that healing is a good gift that comes by God’s grace. But it is precisely that—a gift, not an entitlement or something we are owed. In His wonderful, good pleasure, God bestows it as He wills. Seeking Him with humility and grace is what pleases the Lord, no matter how He chooses to answer.

2. Do Not Despise the Lord’s Discipline

As we wait for healing, our second guideline is this: we must not despise the Lord’s discipline.

As much as we might be tempted to skip over it, we cannot ignore the fact that throughout Scripture, God sometimes uses sickness and disease as a means of discipline or judgment. Think back to Deuteronomy 28 and that long list of covenant curses—how many of them involved fever, wasting disease, boils, and the afflictions of Egypt?

Think of those who defied God and were immediately struck with disease. When Miriam and Aaron rose up against Moses’ leadership, Miriam was struck with leprosy. When King Uzziah marched presumptuously into the temple to burn incense—a role reserved strictly for the priests—he was instantly struck with leprosy. God does, at times, use physical illness to discipline His people.

Now, for believers today, God does not punish us in a penal sense. We are not under the Old Covenant curses because Jesus Christ took the curse of the law upon Himself and paid the full penalty for our sins on the cross. We have peace with God through a new and better covenant established on better promises.

However, this does not mean the Lord never uses sickness as a loving form of fatherly discipline. Proverbs 3:11–12 says:

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”

This is the work of a loving Father who wants His children to walk in His ways—to be conformed not to the world, but to the image of Christ. It is not the act of a tyrant trying to make life miserable. Discipline is meant to turn us back to the narrow road, which, though hard, is infinitely better than the broad road leading to destruction.

We see a sobering example of this in 1 Corinthians 11. In a passage we often read during communion, Paul addresses those who were participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy, self-centered manner:

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord… For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” (1 Corinthians 11:27, 29–30)

People in the Corinthian church had actually fallen ill and died because they treated the Lord’s Supper with contempt and selfishness. God takes the purity of His gospel and the unity of His church seriously. But notice what Paul adds in verse 32:

“But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:32)

This judgment is not final damnation; it is fatherly correction. The Lord exposes sin so that we will repent and run to His grace. Discipline is meant to be corrective medicine for our souls, preventing us from drifting away with the world.

Now, we need immense wisdom here. Not all sickness is the result of personal sin or divine discipline. We must guard against two extremes. On one end, someone gets a mild cold and immediately despairs: “Lord, what terrible thing did I do to deserve these sniffles?” On the other end, someone suffers a major health crisis and flippantly ignores their own spiritual condition: “It’s all grace; I have nothing to examine in my life.”

When facing long-term illness, it is wise to prayerfully search our hearts. God does not send severe illnesses for every minor slip-up—we are all learning to walk with Him. But if we are persisting in high-handed sin or outright defiance, God may use affliction to arrest our attention.

This self-examination shouldn’t be done in isolation. Open your Bible, talk with mature believers, or call your pastors. Ask for help to discern: “Is God using this trial to discipline me, or is this simply part of living in a fallen world?”

Whether a specific illness is direct discipline or not, the promise of Hebrews 12 holds true: God disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Every trial offers an opportunity to grow in holiness and trust.

3. Trust in God’s Grace When We Are Weak

Our final guideline while waiting for healing is to trust in the Lord’s grace.

In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul speaks about his own deep, unremoved affliction. Throughout this letter, Paul defends his apostolic ministry—not by boasting in power, but by highlighting his suffering. In chapter 11, he lists his hardships: countless beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, sleepless nights, hunger, and danger from every side.

Then, in chapter 12, Paul mentions an incredible heavenly vision he experienced. But to keep him from becoming proud because of these surplus revelations, God allowed a painful trial:

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–8)

Speculating on the exact nature of Paul’s “thorn” isn’t as important as understanding its purpose: it was given to keep him humble. Paul was a man who had naturally struggled with pride in his past—he had been a Pharisee of Pharisees. So God permitted this affliction to ground him.

Notice that Paul prayed three times for its removal. It is completely appropriate to pray for relief from our physical suffering! We shouldn’t assume God wants us to suffer without ever asking Him for relief. Ask Him! Let God decide how long the trial will last.

When Paul asked, God gave him a famous answer:

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

There are two ways the Lord relieves our burdens: He either lifts them off our shoulders entirely, or He steps in to carry them with us. When God says, “My grace is sufficient,” He is saying, “I am joining you in this trial, Paul. We will pull this load together.” His grace is His active presence sustaining us through the hardship.

Paul’s response to this revelation is remarkable:

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b–10)

This contentment isn’t an emotion that makes suffering feel easy or pleasant. It is the deep conviction that God is with me, and He is enough.

God’s sufficient grace often comes through tangible means: a friend who calls to pray, someone who cooks a meal, a neighbor who mows the lawn, or a text with a timely Scripture verse. God uses His church and His Word to strengthen us in our weakness.

Persist, Discern, and Persevere

As we apply these truths, remember that persisting in prayer for healing must be paired with spiritual discernment. Prayer is more than submitting a wish list to God; it is an opportunity to align our hearts with His will. As we ask for physical healing, we should also pray: “Lord, open my eyes. Is there sin I need to confess? Is there someone I need to forgive? Strengthen my soul in this season.”

Second, persevere in obedience and doing good, regardless of your physical condition. Paul’s thorn was not removed, yet he continued his missionary journeys, preaching the gospel and planting churches.

If God does not grant immediate physical healing, He will give sustaining grace to keep serving Him. Your capacity may change—maybe you can no longer do the physical tasks you used to—but you can always pray. For those who lie awake at night or are housebound, redeem those hours in prayer! The quiet, persistent prayers of suffering saints are a sweet fragrance to God and a powerful force in the kingdom.

Even the simple act of showing up to worship on a Sunday morning when your body hurts is a profound witness. It encourages everyone around you and honors the Lord.

Do not compare your afflictions or your capacity to someone else’s. Look to Christ and ask, “Lord, what can I do today with the strength You provide?” Keep your eyes on the ultimate prize. On the last day, we will be raised with Him in glory.

Until that day, do not give up. Trust His grace, boast in His strength made perfect in your weakness, and remember that He will hold you fast.

Prayer

Lord, we look forward to the day when You return—the day when all things will be fully and completely redeemed, and we will see You face to face. Until then, we pray that in every circumstance, You would give us grace to persevere. As we bring our requests for healing and relief before You, give us hearts submitted to Your perfect will. Prepare us now as we come to Your table; strengthen us by the gospel and equip us to walk with You in joy and faithfulness all our days. Thank You that You love us and will never let us go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.