Physical Healing
by Judith MacNutt
2022 Vol. 01
I have had five or six very dramatic healings in my life, all of which could be classified as miracles. The first was when I was seven or eight years old. I lived in Jackson, Kentucky, a very small town in Appalachia. It was prom night at our county high school. I begged my mother to let me ride my bike to the school and see the girls arrive in their pretty dresses. She agreed, but only if I stayed on the sidewalk.
I rode to the school and stayed on the sidewalk as I was told. I was sitting on my bike in front of the entrance where the students walked in. A young man arrived at the prom with his date. Unfortunately, both of them had been drinking for quite a while before they got there. This boy ran over me with his car, and then put it in reverse and ran over me a second time.
Kind people that witnessed the accident picked me up and carried me the short distance to my home. My doctor lived across the street from us, so he came over and examined me as I slipped into a coma. The doctor said, “There’s no reason to drive her to Lexington to the hospital; she won’t make it there.” I still remember the words my mother answered: “We’ll see.” My mother believed very strongly in healing prayer; she sat by my bed for three full days and calmly prayed for me.
At the end of three days I woke from the coma. My first question was, “What happened to my bicycle?” I did not understand how extraordinary my recovery was until I grew older and realized the gravity of what had happened to me.
Healing is our inheritance as children of God, and Jesus is our model. We read in Luke, “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying His hands on each one He healed them.” (Luke 4:40) Matthew reports more specifically that “many followed Him, and He healed them all!” (Matthew 12:15)
Jesus commissioned the twelve disciples, and later the 72, to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)
“He called to him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. (Matthew 1:1)
Jesus gave us, those who follow Him, the same authority and anointing that He carried. Francis and I co-founded Christian Healing Ministries in order to pray for the sick. Healing is our inheritance in Christ—not only that you would be personally healed, but to be equipped to pray for others.
There are four kinds of healing outlined in Francis’ book Healing.
The first one is inner healing, or the healing of emotions.
The second is spiritual healing. Spiritual healing is a sickness of our spirit or body caused by personal sin. When we sin, we need to repent and pray for healing from the wounds of sin. The first and most important spiritual healing is to begin a relationship with God through personal faith in Christ!
The third type of healing prayer is deliverance. We pray for freedom from spiritual warfare and demonic oppression, some of which may have been in the family for generations.
The fourth type is physical healing—sickness in our bodies caused by disease, aging, accidents, genetic problems, or emotional stress.
These four areas are interconnected. If we have too much stress, anxiety, grief, or depression, it may cause our bodies to respond in an unhealthy way. There may be an open door for the enemy as a result.
It is a great privilege and responsibility to pray for someone who is suffering. Remember that God is the one who heals. Our responsibility is to prayerfully enter into God’s presence with the one who is seeking Him. With the Holy Spirit present, an atmosphere of faith and love is created.
Practice the “Listen, Love and Pray” model. Listen to the person and to the Holy Spirit at the same time. Our own love is very limited, so we love in the power of the Holy Spirit. God pours His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5).
Have courage. Ask for the boldness of Jesus. Faith is important too, but many people who have no faith are healed. James says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5: 16b) In this passage, it is the one praying that has the faith.
God is love; He is full of goodness and mercy. It is always His will to heal. That is why I encourage you not to pray, “If it is Your will.” Some people are not healed; that is a mystery, but something always happens when we pray.
Jesus modeled there are two complementary channels through which healing prayer works: word and touch. In Matthew 8 there is a wonderful story about Jesus healing a man with leprosy. Jesus had been on the mountain and when He came down, a man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” It was understood that lepers were to ring bells and shout out “Unclean!” as they approached, and they were not to be touched. Jesus immediately reached out His hand and touched him and said, “I am willing. Be clean!” Of course, Jesus is willing to heal! Immediately the man was cured of his leprosy. (Matthew 8:1-4)
This is an example of a prayer of petition: “Lord, here is my child and she has a high fever. Please remove this infection and heal her completely.” We pray and trust that God loves my child. Jesus cares about the one who is suffering; He is present and can heal their pain.
Prayers of command are appropriate in some circumstances. We pray with the authority of Jesus Christ. This is not a “Name it, Claim it” prayer; it should only be undertaken when we are sure we have heard the Lord’s will on the matter first.
You can pray with laying on of hands. (Mark 16:18) When you pray for someone with laying on of hands, sometimes people feel heat, cool or a sensation like an electrical current. Sometimes people don’t experience any physical sensation at all, but they feel surrounded by tremendous love and great peace.
Soaking prayer is focused prayer over a period of time. When we pray for healing for someone, they may get 15% better. After even more time is spent in prayer, their pain level goes down. The person may be able to move a shoulder more freely or open an arthritic hand. We find that first, pain is lessened, then mobility returns, and then structural changes may occur—after more extended time in prayer, a limb may straighten or be completely healed.
I think we make praying for healing much too difficult. I want to create in you a desire to pray for physical healing in simple ways. The next time someone says to you, “’I have a headache,’ or ‘My back is hurting,’ or ‘I have cancer’ just say, “May I pray with you?”
Listen to the Holy Spirit, operate in the gifts of the Spirit, lay hands on the person, and pray in your own words from your heart. In Matthew 7, Jesus encourages us to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) Pray heartfelt prayers for the person who is suffering. If the person is not healed immediately, don’t give up.
Lord, I pray for anyone who is suffering in any way in their body, mind or spirit. Holy Spirit, please bring great comfort and peace, and the resurrected life of Jesus Christ into the areas where they are suffering or sick. We trust You, we love You, we thank You for Your mercy, goodness and kindness. Amen.
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Judith MacNutt is a licensed psychotherapist, author, teacher, conference speaker, co–founder and president of CHM. |  |