When it comes to needing physical healing, our family has had more opportunities to count. And we’ve been exposed to a wide spectrum of what physical healing should look like. There seems to be two apposing views about healing.

Photo Credit: Philip Dean 

I know I am being vulnerable here since this is a controversial topic, but we’ve met many people who have been hurt by others because of these views regarding physical healing. I believe God has laid this subject on my heart, but, let me first tell you, these are only what we have seen and experienced. God’s word is the ultimate authority, and I encourage you to make sure to base your beliefs on it.

On one hand, in our world today, we’ve become so fear-filled, but at the same time so self-sufficient, that we seldom see miracles. Our first response is to run to the doctor or to the medicine cabinet for everything, then if we’ve exhausted all our other resources, we cry out to God. He is often our last resort.

I must confess, we have done our share of responding out of fear. I’ve frantically searched the internet and went from doctor to doctor trying to find the answers for our children’s particular health condition. Our cupboard is full of supplements and medications that have been the result of that drivenness. God has been showing me that I need to learn to REST more in Him. But does that mean you don’t ever take nutritional supplements or medicine?

On the other hand, there is the view that all sickness and disease is caused by a spiritual issue and therefore must be treated in that way. It is the view that it is always God’s will for you to be healed. Have you met people who have become disillusioned in their faith, because God didn’t physically heal them or someone they loved? (We’ve met quite a few!) Or what if someone shares with you that God gave them a “word” for you that you are going to be healed, you believe it, but the healing never comes…what went wrong? Does this mean you have sin in your life that you are not aware of?

While I agree that it wasn’t God’s will for us to live with cancer, sickness, and death, it also wasn’t His will that we experience abuse of any kind. Yet, so many of God’s precious children are daily facing abuse. Is this their fault because they aren’t applying the “name it and claim it” method?

Photo Credit: Philippe Put 

During some of our family’s most vulnerable times in our lives, we were encouraged to “walk in faith”, believing that God had healed our children. One of those times was when our son was eight months old, on life support, and waiting for a heart transplant. Because someone had this “word” from God, they recommended that we take him off life support and all medication, because they were convinced God had healed him.

Another time, we were told that if we had enough faith, we would stop both our children’s immunosuppressant medications since they wouldn’t need them any more. We needed to walk out our faith.

It is an under-statement to tell you that this caused a struggle within us. We didn’t want our lack of faith to prevent our precious children from being healed, but it didn’t feel right to us. We realized this would jeopardize our legal parental rights. We also received these wise words from a man of God: “God usually gives direction through the counsel of your parents and will give both of you peace about it. Hear from Him rather than from others.” From the counsel of our parents, and by what we individually sensed God was telling us, we decided that this was not something God was asking us to do. Yes, God does do miracles today, and we need to believe and trust that He can heal, but there are also many other factors involved.

You also can’t say that, if God doesn’t heal, there must be sin in that person’s life. It was obvious that the blind man that Jesus healed wasn’t blind because of a spiritual condition. It was allowed by God so that the “works of God” could be seen.

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

(John 9:2-3)

Now, let me ask you…do you have enough faith to believe that healing isn’t the only way the “works of God” are manifested? Can you still believe God is good when you are battling your cancer, sickness, or disease? We can stubbornly cling to the belief that God wants to receive glory through our physical healing, when, in reality, He can receive more glory by our response of worship when we don’t receive the healing we long for.

I do believe God is still in the healing business. But I also believe we need to research our physical conditions, pray for wisdom, and make sound medical decisions. Just as we can’t separate God’s justice, grace, and mercy, and make one more important than the other, in the same way we can’t separate ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually and say one always trumps the other.

When we sin, we will likely experience spiritual, emotional, and health issues as the result. When we eat junk food, we can see the affects on us physically. This can also affect your emotional state as well as get you down spiritually. If you face emotional stress, you will see the effects physically and spiritually.

So where is the balance in these two opposing views? How do we believe in God’s healing power, yet, still make sound wise decisions?

My friend, there are times God wants us to “step out in faith” but when the direction is from God, it is always accompanied with a deep peace to those who are responsible for making the decisions.

You are in a dangerous position when you are solely responding and believing another person’s word of faith. Ask God to clearly reveal to YOU (and your spouse) what His will and word is for you. He does this through His word and by speaking into your spirit. Never take a “word” someone else has received at the same level as what He speaks to you personally.

Our family has seen many supernatural and miraculous acts of God without man’s intervention. We’ve also seen miraculous healing taking place in our children’s lives through the medical field, as well as through nutritional supplements and therapies. We’ve also walked the intensely painful journey of having our son being prayed over…and him passing away.

We are convinced that God always sees the bigger picture, and we know that we would never be sharing our from pain to purpose message if it wasn’t for the pain and brokenness we’ve personally experienced. This is the “work of God” that we believe was meant to come out of our loss.

Photo Credit: {Salt of the Earth}

We believe that when we hear the voice of our “Daddy” and know His heart, we will have the confidence that what He allows is not only for His glory, but also for our best. In light of eternity, it really doesn’t matter if we receive our physical healing here or after we’re in heaven. What matters most is how well we’ve trusted God in our trials and worshipped Him in our brokenness.

~Cindy (For The Mullett Family)