Why Does God Heal Some People and Not Others?

On a recent drive home from an out of town work trip, I was listening to the Carey Nieuwhof leadership podcast which is typical for many of my long drives. Carey was interviewing Nicky Gumble who is the pastor of Holy Trinity Brompton in London. Among other topics, they discussed how as we get older and gain more knowledge, we seem to just have more questions. I feel this. I have accumulated alot of knowledge over the years but I end up feeling more ignorant the older I get. The complexities of this life are just hard to unwind sometimes. At times I have way more questions than answers. Such is the case with sorrows and the hardships of life. We can attribute all of this to living in a fallen world. The impact of sin on this earth, our bodies, our culture, and our spirituality will never be fully known this side of eternity. Some people seem to suffer greatly, some do not seem to suffer much at all. Some people are miraculously healed from diseases and pain, others die from the same thing. Why? I think I heard the greatest explanation of why God heals some and not others from Nicky Gumble. I needed to record it so I would never forget his answer. 

Now and Not Yet

Carey and Nicky were talking about healing coming by the power of the Holy Spirit. Carey asked the question of why God heals some people and not others.....valid question. Nicky started talking about the Kingdom of God. At first I thought he misunderstood the question. He said that the Kingdom of God is referenced over 80 times in the New Testament. Jesus always talked about the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom had a "now" and "not yet" aspect to it. Jesus arrived on this earth and said "the Kingdom of Heaven had arrived" but he also said the Kingdom of God was coming. 

Our Future Hope

What are we to make of this? Well, God's Kingdom is perfect. There is no sin, pain, or dying in God's kingdom. When healing happens by the power and work of the Holy Spirit, we get glimpses of the Kingdom of God. We saw Jesus exert power over death through his resurrection but he also brought people like Lazarus back from the dead. There is no dying in the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven's ruler is who called Lazarus out of the tomb. Jesus healed the sick and he healed the lame. He brought aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth and we caught glimpses of it through his life. However, the Kingdom of Heaven has also not completely arrived. It is still in the future. It will not be fully realized until Jesus returns. Yet, God in his mercy gives us glimpses into the Kingdom of God here on earth at times. Sometimes, he heals miraculously and we are reminded of the hope we have in the future Kingdom where there will be no more dying or pain. Other times, God doesn't heal and we are reminded that the Kingdom has still not arrived. We are still waiting in faith for the future hope of the amazing Kingdom. 

God's Promises

This is the Kingdom that John tells us about in Revelation 21:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Only God knows why he heals some and not others. It is futile for us to pin our hurts and confusion about such matters on an omniscient God who knows all and sees all. Rather than accuse God of inequalities, perhaps instead we worship God for giving us glimpses now of a future kingdom where perfection, love, and goodness are the norm. Perhaps too we continue to lean into our faith which produces a hope so profound that we understand even if God doesn't heal now, we will ultimately live forever in a place where healing will never be needed.