Why Won’t God Heal Me?

When you pray for healing and it doesn’t come, you begin to wonder, why won’t God heal me? Learn all about God’s healing power and what to do when God doesn’t heal.

Why does God heal some and not others?

That’s a valid question we all have at some point in our lives. You know God can heal, but when you or a loved one is in pain and life isn’t going the way you thought it would, you might begin to wonder, “Can God heal me?”

If you’ve been there before, you are not alone.

If you or a loved one are struggling with pain or an exhausting illness, this article about “why does God not heal all the time” is for you.

God Please Heal Me

It started after the birth of my son. I woke up screaming at 2 in the morning. I felt as though my uterus was literally falling out.

My husband quickly called an ambulance and off we went to the hospital. After staying for two days, doing tons of tests, they gave me no answers, and I was sent home.

Off and on that went for 3 years now. Are we getting closer to an answer? I sure hope so.

Is the pain gone? Nope.

In my room, so many times I have called out to God and prayed: Why won’t You just heal me? I have faith, I know you can, why won’t You? Don’t You see me suffering? Don’t You want to help? Have You abandoned me?

Try reading these psalms for healing to give you prayers and hope for the future.

Where Is God Right Now?

All of these reactions are normal. Grief is the pain we encounter when we lose something. For many, it’s not only the lost health that causes grief.

Grief is not unique to humanity. God knows it, too. Jesus also experienced it. Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) reads:

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

The NLT translation explains that Jesus was “acquainted with deepest grief.” Since Jesus knew grief, He understands exactly what it is to experience loss.

On the Cross, His cry echoes our own: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 KJV)

It doesn’t make you weak or a failure to wonder where God is or why He isn’t healing you. It only means that you are human and your understanding is limited to the things of this world.

While it’s normal to feel alone, it doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. In Psalm 34:18 KJV, David proclaims: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Check out other Psalms for hope

While you are struggling, please don’t forget that God has not abandoned you and He is with you, right now, during your hardest moments.

Find comfort, strength, and hope in God’s Word with this heartfelt devotional journal designed for seasons of pain and illness.

Can God Heal?

One of the hardest trials that anyone can face is a chronic illness. Often, these illnesses come with no definable end date. Some people, like myself, don’t even have a diagnosis for why their bodies are malfunctioning.

It’s easy to get through something when you have a belief that it will end. For example, if you’ve ever had the flu, the thing that kept you going was probably that you knew you would become healthy or “normal” again. That hope enables you to see beyond your present miserable circumstances.

With a chronic disease, you don’t have that comfort and assurance it will end…at least, not in this earthly life.

Instead, you’re faced with the prospect that your suffering may last for years or decades in some cases.

But it’s not merely the physical or emotional aspects of an illness that’s hard. There’s also a spiritual side that can be difficult to endure.

You may wonder if God has abandoned you. You might think you’re being punished or worry you brought this on yourself. You may begin to doubt your faith or try to bargain with God.

You might even ask, “Can God heal me?”

Does God want to heal everyone?

Yes of course He does! God has healed and will continue to heal, in His own timing and if it is His will to heal you or someone currently suffering that you know of.

If it is God’s will to heal, He will heal you.

But, unfortunately, it often is not His will to heal everyone.

It would be nice to have a world where every person is healed! But, then where will we grow? What trials will help us become who we need to be?

How would we ever die to live with God again?

There is a reason every time why God heals diseases and why He sometimes doesn’t heal the people in our church or lives.

So can God heal cancer? Sure, absolutely! Will He? I don’t know.

But I do know, as a loving Heavenly Father and parent to all of us, I know He does truly want to heal all of us. I know He does not like to see us in pain.

Will God heal me?

Does God always heal? No, He doesn’t. But, it is always okay to ask, “Will God heal me?”

You never know if He will or will not heal you, but it never hurts to ask Him yourself.

Here is a prayer to ask for healing: Dear Father in Heaven, I am struggling. I am trying everything in my power to stay strong, but I need thee. Lord, heal me, if it is Thy Will. If it is not, please help me to find things that will strengthen me and help me through this trail. Allow me to have thy Holy Spirit to help me have peace and comfort. I love Thee and will continue to serve Thee whatever comes my way. But, if it is Thy Will, please heal me Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read these Psalms for strength for more encouragement.

Did Jesus heal everyone who asked?

In the Old Testament we read plenty of times when Christ healed others.

In John 5, Jesus heals a man at the pool of Bethesda. This man has been ill for 38 years but has continued to hope for healing.

Jesus grants the deepest longing of his heart.

God healed a blind man and shared this insight to us in John 9:3 KJV:

“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

This verse proves that sometimes God uses an illness to showcase His glory. It could be that God intends to cure you at some point in a miraculous way.

Regardless of the cause of the disease or illness in your body, God is always compassionate. As His child, His heart is tender toward you. He longs to bring you into His presence and be with you once again.

Woman holding stomach in pain on the couch

Why didn’t God heal Paul?

But it could also be that God intends to show the world His strength through your weakness as Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV, concluding: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Check out some of my favorite biblical affirmations

I’m not entirely sure the actual reason why God didn’t heal Paul. But, maybe He didn’t heal Paul to teach and show us that He cannot heal everyone. But, through our pain and illnesses, He can still use them for good.

How Can I Stay Encouraged When God Doesn’t Heal

Here are a few ways I’ve found how to stay encouraged when God doesn’t heal. Hopefully one of these ways will touch your heart to help you too.

Accept Your Feelings

One of the challenges of being chronically ill or when God doesn’t heal you is staying spiritually and emotionally strong when you feel terrible each day.

Some days I feel like I start my day with an empty gas tank. I don’t wake up feeling refreshed or energized. I feel like I have the flu or some type of pain every morning.

Some Christians believe they should “push past it” or “smile through it all” or “tough it out” when they’re dealing with a chronic illness.

Instead of trying to paint a smiley face over those feelings, stop! Go into God’s presence and share these deep emotions.

You are allowed to struggle and have negative feelings over your illness and pain. You need to sit in those feelings in order to move forward.

I listened to a lot of songs about depression that helped me accept my feelings as well.

Take it to God

In Psalm 62:8 KJV, one of my favorite bible verses for anxiety, David instructs God’s people to be honest about what they’re feeling:

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

The emotions you’re going through may not always be pretty. Take it to God. It’s OK to say, “God, today I’m missing out on another milestone in my child’s life because of my illness and it’s breaking my heart.”

Or even, “God, I’m angry today. I’m sick and none of this feels fair and I don’t understand why You haven’t healed me.”

Our emotions are not sins. God gave us emotions so we could enjoy our lives and experience love, affection, and intimacy. But the flip side of living in this world is that we also experience emotions that are painful—sadness, guilt, fear, or shame.

Learn more about what to do when God says no.

Create

Besides talking to God, some people with chronic illness find it helpful to deal with their emotions through artistic activities. Often the act of creating will give you space to express your feelings so you finish feeling uplifted.

You don’t have to be an “artist” to take up a creative hobby. All actions of creation are acts of worship. Because when we create, we honor our Creator.

Your “art” may take many forms – it could be knitting, drawing, painting, embroidery, rubber stamping, coloring, writing fiction, crocheting, scrapbooking, pottery, gardening, taking photographs, or hand lettering.

These are just a few examples to get you started. If you don’t have one, consider choosing a hobby that appeals to you. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You might try a few artistic endeavors until you find the one that cheers you up.

Minister to Others

When you’re dealing with a chronic illness, it can also be helpful to look for a way to minister to others. You don’t have to do something huge. Most often, I minister to others one on one, especially since I am a deep introvert.

You can do something simple like write a note to a friend, call an elderly neighbor, take a meal to someone in need, give a book that spoke to you during a dark time to someone from church, or leave flowers on a stranger’s car along with a Bible verse.

It’s easier to cope with chronic illness when you’re bringing sunshine to other people. As you lift up those around you, don’t be surprised if you feel encouraged, too.

Does it take away the pain? No, but it often lifts my spirit just enough to give me more hope along the way.

What If I Blame God?

Sometimes, illness comes into our lives with seemingly no cause. In these situations, it’s tempting to blame God. As humans, we want to understand the “why” behind our suffering and without a clear answer, we turn on the One who created us.

But consider Job. Upon hearing that he lost everything, his response was…worship (Job 1:20-22).

Worship is the one activity that can drive away bitterness, soften a hard heart, and remind you of the Holiness and Majesty of God.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t express your feelings in worship. God longs for us to worship in Spirit and in truth. That means being honest about our feelings but also meditating on truth.

Some Biblical truths that can be helpful include:

God is working this for your good (Romans 8:28).
God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11).
God’s ways are perfect (Isaiah 55:9).
Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33).
You will receive an eternal reward for your present suffering (James 1:12).

If you do blame God, share your feelings with Him. It’s okay. He will help you through it.