Faith is a big part of healing but it isn’t the only factor. When it is the “cause” of the healing it is most often found in the faith of family and friends. This means that pastorally we should never place the burden for the lack of healing upon the sick person, BUT there is nothing wrong with suggesting to everyone involved in the prayer that they exercise all the faith they have.
My mentor Ken Blue makes a wonderful distinction between authority and power in the context of healing. You may not have come to recognize that distinction, but I think it is very important. If we become convinced that we have been given the authority to heal [from God] then having faith for healing and risking praying for healing becomes easier and in fact “Biblically logical.”
But that leads to another question I was asked. This question was written to me as: “When God does not heal- even though you prayed- do you ever wrestle with the question of: “Did we have enough faith?” How do you combat that tendency in us and our thinking?”
I struggled with that question for years, in fact it tormented me. I am a skeptic by nature [doubting Thomas is by favorite Biblical character – I feel safe with him]. I also have a problem with hyper-responsibility. This means that I always chide myself for a lack of faith [in every failed healing]. It started to change for the better one day while I was in prayer and dumping on myself for my lack of faith. This thought came to me, “when you experience a healing through your prayers do you take the credit for it?” I said, “no, I know it is only through Your power that healing takes place.” The next thought that came to me was, “then why, when healing doesn’t happen, do you take the responsibility?” I took these thoughts to be from God. The net effect is that now I pray out of obedience and with as much faith as I have in the moment, and I leave the results to God. Also, and this is very important, I believe that faith for healing is a gift from God. Corinthians lists it as a gift along with the gift or miracles. If faith is a gift that must mean that I do not produce it or even earn it. I just receive it and respond to it. I can and should ask for more and I have been doing that for [literally] decades. What I have found is that as I ask for more faith what has happened is that my threshold of risk has increased dramatically but my level of faith has not – it is just about what it was when I started this endeavor [possibly even a little less, if that makes any sense]. My experience suggests that all of us have somewhat different levels of faith for supernatural ministry. I have friends who have faith that just amazes me. I always find them when it is time to pray for healing, BUT I have a very high obedience and ability to risk. Because of this I end up praying for allot of sick people. I don’t see as many healed as my high faith friends but I see way more than if I didn’t risk and obey. I am now comfortable with who I am on the faith continuum.
