Understanding God’s Will for Healing

by Paula Black

If you are facing cancer—or recovering from it—you may have asked this question in a quiet moment of honesty:

“Is it really God’s will to heal me?”

That question is foundational. Until it is settled in your heart, peace can feel elusive and faith can feel fragile. I want to begin by answering it clearly and gently:

Yes. Healing is God’s will for you.

This truth is not theoretical for our family. My husband, Dale, survived a devastating airplane crash that left him with life-altering injuries. He was told never again… will he walk normally, see out of his right eye, or use his left arm.

Yet, he did all those things and much more. Years later, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only months to live. After being told that I must do everything the doctor recommended--aggressive chemo, radiation and additional surgery. By God’s grace—and by standing firmly on His Word—I am here today--more than 25 years later, cancer-free, having done none of the treatments that were recommended.

Dale and I both believed and followed God’s Word of faith and healing. Healing is not just something God can do. It is something He desires to do. But just like salvation—which we must accept by faith, we are also invited to receive Healing by faith.

To understand God’s will concerning healing, we look to three consistent witnesses: heaven, Jesus’ earthly ministry, and God’s Word. Remarkably, they all agree.

First, there is no sickness or disease in heaven—only wholeness and life. Second, during His time on earth, Jesus healed everyone who came to Him. Scripture records that He “healed them all.” Jesus shows no favoritism; He does not heal some and withhold healing from others. His actions reveal God’s heart—healing is His will.

Third, throughout the Bible, God repeatedly declares healing as one of His promises. The prophets foretold that Jesus would pay the full price for our healing, and the New Testament confirms it: “by His stripes we are healed.” Those stripes—the brutal beating Jesus endured—were not only for our sins, but for our physical restoration as well.

Taken together, heaven’s perfection, Jesus’ compassion, and God’s written Word present one clear message: healing has always been part of God’s plan for His people.

Healing Is More Than Physical

Healing in Scripture is never limited to the body alone. We are created in God’s image as spirit, soul, and body. Cancer and disease do not only affect the physical body—they bring fear, anxiety, grief, emotional exhaustion, and often deep trauma.

Jesus came to restore every part of us.

“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NKJV)

God’s healing reaches:

• the body battling sickness

• the mind overwhelmed by fear

• the heart carrying emotional pain

The same principles that bring healing to the body also bring freedom from anxiety, peace to troubled thoughts, and restoration to the soul.

Settling the Question of God’s Will to Heal

Before healing can be received, one truth must be settled: Is healing God’s will for you?

If this question remains unanswered, the heart becomes divided—hoping one moment and doubting the next. Scripture speaks clearly about this condition.

“For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”James 1:6–8 (NKJV)

This isn’t meant to bring pressure or guilt. It is meant to bring clarity. God does not withhold healing, but uncertainty can prevent us from confidently receiving what He has already provided.

Healing Is Part of God’s Covenant With You

If you belong to God, you are part of His family—and families operate on promises. Healing

is not a random miracle reserved for a few. It is part of God’s covenant with His children.

Yet many believers live without experiencing healing simply because they have never been taught that it belongs to them. Or how to receive that benefit into their lives.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

Ignorance does not mean a lack of intelligence. It means a lack of understanding what God has already said.

God’s Word Is a Seed of Healing

Jesus often compared God’s Word to a seed. Our hearts are like soil, and seeds are constantly being planted—through diagnoses, medical reports, conversations, and even well-

meaning advice.

“The sower sows the word.”Mark 4:14 (NKJV)

Every seed from God carries life. If it is watered and protected, it will grow. That is why it matters so deeply which seeds we allow to take root in our hearts.

The Word of God is different from every other seed.

“Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”1 Peter 1:23 (NKJV)

God’s Word cannot be weakened by cancer. It cannot be overpowered by disease. It carries life, strength, and healing power—but it must be planted, nourished, and guarded.

Healing Faith Grows the Same Way Salvation Faith Did

Faith for healing develops the same way faith for salvation does.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Faith does not come by striving harder, worrying more, or praying in desperation. It grows by hearing God’s Word repeatedly—especially His promises concerning healing.

God has already placed faith within every believer.

“God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

It is up to us to develop that faith and strengthen it until we receive the manifestation of the promise. You are not trying to get faith. You are learning how to develop what you already have.

Why Many Believers Struggle to Receive Healing

Many Christians have strong faith for salvation because they have heard the message of salvation preached repeatedly. Healing, however, has often been surrounded by confusion or religious tradition.

Jesus warned about this when He said:

“Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.” Matthew 15:6 (NKJV)

Hope alone is not enough. Hope must mature into faith before results can manifest. True faith in God and His Word is essential to experiencing healing.

A Final Word of Encouragement

If you are facing cancer, chronic illness, or the lingering effects of disease, please hear this:

Healing is not something you are trying to convince God to do. Healing is something He has already provided.

“By whose stripes you were healed.”1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)

This journey is not about pressure or perfection. It is about truth replacing fear, peace replacing confusion, and faith taking root and growing where doubt once lived.

Remember, faith is the action—through words and behavior—of what we believe in our heart.

Are you hoping for something? Find God’s Word regarding your need and plant it in your heart as a firm belief. Then take action in faith based upon that belief.

In Part II, we will continue answering some of the hardest questions people ask about healing—and I believe it will bring even more clarity and hope.

God wants you well. Healing belongs to you. And His Word is powerful enough to bring it to pass.

Standing in faith with you,

Paula