God designed the human body with remarkable abilities to heal itself through various mechanisms that work together to maintain balance and repair damage. This self-healing power is governed by a range of biological processes that ensure survival and recovery. Here are some key ways the body heals itself:
1. Wound Healing
- When the skin is cut or injured, the body initiates a complex, multi-phase healing process that includes:
- Inflammation: Blood vessels constrict to stop bleeding, at the same time immune cells rush to the site to destroy harmful microbes.
- Tissue Regeneration: Cells like fibroblasts produce collagen, which forms the framework for new tissue.
- Remodeling: Over time, the tissue matures, and scars form as the skin strengthens.
2. God designed into us an Immune System
The immune system is the body's primary defense mechanism, identifying and neutralizing foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
It can:
- Recognize harmful substances: Through white blood cells and antibodies, it neutralizes harmful invaders.
- Memory: The adaptive immune system "remembers" previous infections, allowing for faster and more effective responses to future threats.
- Self-repair: It can also attack abnormal cells, like cancerous ones, before they grow and spread.
3. Bone Healing
Bones can repair themselves after fractures through a process that involves:
- Inflammation: Blood clot forms at the site.
- Callus formation: A soft callus made of collagen forms around the fracture, which later hardens.
- Bone remodeling: The bone reshapes itself over time, restoring its original shape and strength.
4. Liver Regeneration
The liver has an extraordinary capacity to regenerate. After injury or partial removal, it can regrow to its original size through cell division, provided there’s enough remaining healthy tissue.
5. Gut Lining Regeneration
The lining of the intestines regenerates every few days. This rapid turnover helps maintain a barrier to toxins and allows the body to absorb nutrients efficiently.
6. God designed our body with Hormonal Balance and Adaptation
Hormones help regulate many bodily functions, including healing. For example:
- Cortisol reduces inflammation and pain.
- Endorphins in our systems act as natural painkillers.
- Growth hormone promotes tissue repair and regeneration.
7. Stem Cells
Stem cells are the body's master cells capable of differentiating into various cell types. They play a crucial role in repairing tissues, such as in the bone marrow, skin, and intestines.
* God designed human body with extraordinary power to heal itself, but it is important to remember that lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep, exercise, and stress management also significantly influence the efficiency of these healing processes.
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* All people…black or white, male or female, American or Asian, Christian or non-Christian are given a God designed body that goes into repair mode when it is injured or invaded by a disease.
-- Whether someone is an atheist or a Christian (believer or unbeliever), when they have a minor cut on their body,…the body, AS designed by God, goes into automatic repair mode and attempts to heal itself.
-- So, in a way, since God designed the body to heal itself, we could say God is involved in all healing …whether it’s just physical healing or supernatural physical healing.
-- Again, even an atheist’s body will attempt to heal itself without any prayer and without any supernatural intervention in the healing process.
So notice...
1st – have the body’s natural ability, designed by God, to heal itself
2nd – you have the assistance of medicines and medical doctors to assist or give the body a boost in healing itself.
3rd – As Christians, we have a third assistant uniquely available to us,.. We have the possibility of God’s intervention in the healing process.
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* NOW, when it comes to praying for physical healing, we all know that sometimes God says YES, and sometimes God says NO.
* We are accustomed to YES answers. We often don’t respond well to NO answers.
-- it’s hard for us to take no for an answer in any area of our life
-- I think it’s (1) part of our culture… the “success syndrome” in America
- And I think it is (2) part of our sinful nature…we want what we want and we want it now
Children's Reactions to Being Told “No”
* We reveal our dislike of the NO answer at a very early age.
-- Before those infants or toddlers can even speak a word they will respond with frustration, crying, or tantrums when we tell them NO.
School-age Children (6-12 years): Typically respond with questions, negotiations, or arguments, seeking logical explanations and understanding the reasoning behind the “No.”
Teenagers (13-18 years): May react to a NO answer with rebellion, debate, or withdrawal.
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* This morning, I want to focus on “’when God says NO to prayers for physical healing”
* ILLUS - for years, I have prayed for sick family members in the church and ministered to grieving families.
-- after losing my parents in 2014 & 2015… and especially after losing Debby(wife) in 2023 (little over a year ago) I have had to reevaluate my ministering to grieving families and my praying for those who are physically sick.
- As many of you know my dad became ill about 9 years before he passed away …in 2014. It all began when his body was attacked by the shingles virus. The rash wrapped around his body from the front of his belly, around to his back. Initially, my dad continued to work but after a few weeks of excruciating pain from the shingles, he finally came to the point that he couldn’t work any longer. The rash eventually went away but His nerve endings were damaged through the virus and the only relief from the pain he could get was through oxycodone and hydrocodone. We took him to Mayo clinic in an attempt to get him some relief, and we came back empty handed. I drove him to Memphis to begin a series of nerve blocks to get relief from the pain. The first one was somewhat effective…Dad said, “I haven’t had this much relief from the pain in months.” I took him back to have another one and he wound up in the emergency room with heart problems. No more nerve blocks. Dad wound up dependent on pain meds. Without them, he wept, because the pain was so unbearable. My dad was no cry baby. The pain was real, severe, and debilitating. I watched my dad go from a strong, healthy, everyday hard working man to a disabled frame of bones with skin and minimal muscles.
I prayed for his healing,…our family prayed for his healing,…our church prayed for his healing…and he suffered for almost 9 years. God said NO to physical healing in my dad’s life.
When God says "No" to prayers for physical healing, it can be a profoundly challenging and painful experience. This response often leads to feelings of confusion, frustration, and even a crisis of faith.
I want you to see first of all...
I. Paul’s desperation.
* How Paul felt when praying for physical healing.
* See Paul’s desperation when God said no to physical healing.
- Paul desperately wanted a yes to his prayer for physical healing.
* Paul was praying for miraculous physical healing…
-- apparently this physical ailment (thorn in the flesh) had been a long standing illness …II Cor. 12:1-6 – 14 years ago v.4 “how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
- It’s written in such a way as to suggest that at the time of these revelations is when he received this thorn in the flesh (v. 7)…it was to keep him from becoming proud.
Paul , II Cor 12:7-10
2Co 12:7-10 NKJV And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. (8) Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. (9) And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
v. 8 – “pleaded”, stronger word than “ask”, (NLT=”begged”), Paul is desperate
Did Paul literally pray 3 times…only 3 times
Maybe Paul's prayers went something like this...
1- God I’m serious… this is not a “now I lay me down my eyes to sleep” prayer!
2- God, I mean it this time…you don’t understand how this is hurting me and hindering me. This physical burden is keeping me from being 100%. And don’t you remember …3Jn 1:2 NKJV Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
-----Albert Barnes …- You will remember that the Lord Jesus prayed three times in the garden of Gethsemane that the cup might be removed from him, Mat_26:44. At the third time he ceased, and submitted to what was the will of God. The probability, therefore, is, that Paul on three different occasions earnestly besought the Lord Jesus that this calamity might be removed from him. It might have been exceedingly painful, or it might, as he supposed, interfere with his success as a preacher; or it might have been of such a nature as to expose him to ridicule; and he prayed, therefore, if it were possible that it might be taken away. The passage proves that it is right to pray earnestly and repeatedly for the removal of any calamity. The Savior so prayed in the garden; and Paul so prayed here. Yet it also proves that there should be a limit to such prayers. The Savior prayed three times; and Paul limited himself to the same number of petitions and then submitted to the will of God. This does not prove that we should be limited to exactly this number in our petitions; but it proves that there should be a limit; that we should not be over-anxious, and that when it is plain from any cause that the calamity will not be removed, we should submit to it.
-- so whether he prayed three times or repeatedly, we see the desperation
II. Paul’s Actions
…What Paul did
A. Prayed v. 8
. (8) Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me
* …besought (pleaded) with the Lord (Prayed)
- Paul did ask for physical healing.
- I’m afraid that too often our first response to sickness is to make an appointment with the doctor before we make an appointment with the GREAT PHYSICIAN.
- There is nothing wrong or irrational about asking God to physically heal us.
- Paul asked for what he wanted and desired…not knowing whether it was God’s will to heal him or not
-- Maybe Paul had in his mind, if I pray hard enough and long enough God will realize I’m right and He’s wrong in not responding with a YES to my prayer for physical healing.
B. Listened v. 9
to Lord v. 9 “…Lord said to me”.
- God spoke…Paul listened!
- Listened and received the Lord’s perspective on his situation…a perspective that was different from his own.
- ? When God tells you NO, are you listening?
- Sometimes we are so busy telling God what we want Him to do…what He should do, that we don’t take the time to listen to Him.
* Paul had a sensitive spirit to hear God speak
C. Trusted v. 10
(v. 10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- He continued to trust in God:
- Maintained his faith and hope in God’s goodness and sovereignty, even when God’s answers were not what he wanted to hear.
- When God told Paul NO, he didn’t stomp out of the room and abandon his faith.
- Paul eventually accepted God’s NO and continued to trust God.
III. God’s Response
. (9) And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
A. God spoke v. 9a
. (9) And He said to me,
- Don’t overlook this… God spoke to Paul (audible?...hear with physical ears or if God spoke to his heart?)
- God didn’t sit Paul in a corner and tell him NO…He told him more than that.
-- He told Paul why His answer was NO to physical healing!
-- He told Paul He wanted him to depend on His grace…that He needed Paul to be weak, so His(God’s) strength would be brought to completion in Paul’s life.
- When God tells us NO, we too, will need God to speak to our hearts!
- We will need a (ramah) word from God,
- God spoke, and when God speaks things happen…lives are changed…mountains are moved,…worlds are created!
B. Grace given v. 9b
(9) And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
BBC – “Paul's prayer was answered, but not in the way he had hoped. In effect, God said to Paul, “I will not remove the thorn, but I will do something better: I will give you grace to bear it. And just remember, Paul, that although I have not given you what you asked for, yet I am giving you what you need most deeply. You want my power and strength to accompany your preaching, don't you? Well, the best way to have that happen is for you to be kept in a place of weakness.”
This was God's repeated answer to Paul's thrice repeated prayer. And it continues to be God's answer to his suffering people throughout the world. Better than the removal of trials and sufferings is the companionship of the Son of God in them, and the assurance of His strength and enabling grace.”
* Grace is God’s unmerited, unearned love.
-- “My love, Paul, is all you need and what you have!”
* It is truly amazing at how often in our lives, Grace, is the answer to our problem.
C. Paul’s satisfaction v. 9c
v. 9…Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
* At the end, the apostle is completely satisfied with the Lord's answer,
-- so he says, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
? What is Paul doing here? SUBMITTING to God’s NO
* No complaints that God told him NO
* No rebellion,…No bitterness,…no temper tantrum,…no puckered up bottom lip
-- Paul is fully satisfied with a NO answer from God!
Lessons for life
I. We all have an expiration date
Psa 31:15 NKJV My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.
* ILLUS - Almost all the food you buy these days has an expiration date.
* Eventually we are all going to die…unless the Lord returns.
- “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment.”
- Unless you die in a fatal accident, eventually God is going to say NO to your prayer or the prayers of others for your physical healing.
* While God designed our bodies to heal themselves, these bodies were not meant to last forever. We do not live in an immortal body.
II. Physical healing often occurs with the combined efforts of physicians, medicines, and prayer.
- This is true to life right here!
- It’s why doctor’s offices and hospitals are full all the time.
* Supernatural miraculous physical healing is rare today. When i use the term supernatural miraculous healing I am talking about the kind of supernatural miraculous healing that took place in the garden when Peter chopped off a man's ear and Jesus touched his ear and healed him instantaneously! I have never prayed for a child's broken bone (arm or leg) and witnessed instant supernatural miraculous physical healing...nor have I heard testimony from anyone of such an event. Not that it doesn't happen, or couldn't happen...my point is that that type of healing is rare.
* Even Jesus said, They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” Jesus said sick people NEED a doctor. God often uses those doctors.
* Paul had no problem recommending to Timothy the use of wine for medicinal purposes for ”his stomach sake and thine often infirmities.” (often infirmities?...seems like Timothy was a sickly person)
* Paul also had a traveling companion named Luke in the book of Acts and Luke was a doctor (physician).
- Paul had room in his theology for a miracle working God and a doctor at the same time. (Not one to the exclusion of the other)
* Sometimes Paul prayed for healing and God healed miraculously
Act 28:8 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.
Other times, Paul left people in their sickness
2Ti 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
- I wish I could come every time someone from the church is physically ill, pray for your supernatural miraculous physical healing, and you would be immediately healed…BUT rarely does that happen.
III. It is not useless to pray for physical healing
* There are those that would have us to believe that whatever will be, will be
- It’s a deterministic or fatalistic view of life.
- That prayer doesn’t play a role in healing at all. God’s will shall be done in the end.
* But Paul prayed for physical healing at least three times (fervently) even though God eventually said NO.
* We don’t want our loved ones to die!
* Our desire is to keep them with us for as long as possible.
* When I pray for the physically ill, I don’t know if God is going to heal them or not.
- God has never given me a dream, nor a vision,…not even a premonition that He was going to physically heal a person, before I prayed for them.
* Yes, Prayer can make a difference when praying for the physically ill.
- Yes, God is involved in the healing process when we pray for the physical health of others.
-- There are some things God will do in response to our prayers that He otherwise would not do.
- Ex. Ask, you shall receive , Knock, it shall be opened
But if you don’t ask, or knock…you won’t receive…the door won’t open.
- James – “You have not because you ask not!”
IV. We should always pray for God’s will when praying for the physically ill.
* God really does know best…His will is best.
* Never be afraid to ask for God’s will to be done when praying for those that are ill
- I’m not using “God’s Will” as a cliché , or as a meaningless religious phrase.
-- "Sincerely, God, I want what you want…what you know is best."
* Should pray , “God, if it is within your will to bring physical healing, to (whomever), I ask you to grant healing to this person. Give the doctors wisdom and insight in their treatments. Use medicines in their body to help restore their health.”
* Jesus said pray like this …”thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven!”
* I pray about matters in my life in which I don’t know what God’s will.
-- I don’t know what the will of God is and I just say, Lord, I want what you want.
V. God will sometimes say “no” to prayers for physical healing.
* God saying NO does not diminish his sovereignty or his healing power one bit.
-- God can still, to this day, heal any disease and bring any person from the brink of death.
* But this does not change the fact that sometimes God will say NO to prayers for physical healing.
* Like a little child of a parent, we don’t like to be told NO.
* Like Paul, I struggled with a NO answer from God concerning Debby(wife).
* Honestly, I was surprised when God’s final NO to Debby’s healing for cancer came to be a reality.
* Debby was diagnosed with breast cancer in her mid-twenties.
- She had a lumpectomy and radiation treatment and lived 40 plus years free of breast cancer.
- When she was diagnosed with stomach cancer…in my mind, God brought us through breast cancer 40 years ago, God will get us through this stomach cancer, just like He did in the past.
- Debby dying, never entered my mind until August 4, 2023, about 4 or 5 hours before she died in the early morning hours of August 5.
* I know it’s difficult when God says NO to prayers for physical healing
* But when God says NO to prayers for physical healing… Follow Paul’s example..
1- Pray , 2- Listen (to God speak) , 3- Trust and submit , (Trust God’s wisdom and trust God’s timing.)
* Notice – Paul begins in desperation (pleading, begging God to say “yes”) and he ends in delight.
- From Desperation to delight.
- It was grace that took him on that journey from desperation to delight in God’s answer!
* Paul realized that God was smarter than him…that his life would be more effective if he would just submit and accept God’s NO answer.
- when God says NO, He is not trying to be mean…not trying to be a killjoy,
- when God tells us NO, we too will find His grace is sufficient …His timing is perfect.
Listen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efgAa9wvlH4
