This question can be put in another way: why doesn’t divine healing happen immediately?
I have been ministering to the sick for over 30 years and have observed that God heals instantly in some cases and progressively in others. I don’t have all the reasons why God doesn’t heal everybody instantly. But that doesn’t alter the truth that He longs to heal you.
Every case is unique and only God knows how to deal with each sick folk. A case in point is found in the healing of a blind man by Jesus; he did not receive his healing immediately.
Mark 8:22-25 22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Some folks brought a blind man to Jesus when He was in the town of Bethsaida. Instead of praying for the blind man right away, He took him by the hand, and led him out of the town. Why did Jesus do that? Perhaps there was so much unbelief among the onlookers.
Then Jesus ministered to the blind man. Immediately after laying hands upon him, He asked the man if he could see anything. That man was not instantly and fully healed so he saw men as though they were trees.
Jesus ministered to him the second time. After that, the blind man saw clearly. The healing was progressive, and not immediate, although the whole process didn’t take very long.
That reminds me of a little boy whom one of our Gospelighters ministered to in Muar, Malaysia, many years ago. That boy had a hernia that was rather large. After prayer, it shrank. The mother of this boy was being encouraged to bring him to the platform to testify for the glory of God.
By the time they reached me, the mother was excitedly trying to find that growth in her son’s body which had already disappeared entirely. She was stunned. That healing was progressive, although the interval between the healing prayer and the disappearance of the hernia was short in duration.
There was a lady who used to attend our healing crusades in Singapore in the ’80s. She showed up at our church not too long ago, and recounted the many miracles she had received from our ministry over the years.
I was reminded of one exciting night in which this lady had received healing for a host of sicknesses. After the meeting, when she was walking to her car, she suddenly discovered that another sickness of hers had been completely healed. And she later testified that when she reached home, she discovered yet another sickness being healed.
This is not unusual. In many cases, we have heard of people being healed, sometimes a few days later, or a few weeks later, or even a few months later.
Let me give you another example in the person of Helen Ang. When she was suffering severe rashes, she was in constant discomfort.
Trying to appease the itch all over her body, she scratched furiously till the countless of rashes broke and bled. Her doctor was alarmed at her condition and exclaimed, "I’ve never seen so many rashes in my life!"
The diagnosis revealed that her condition was known as cryoglobulin. The root cause of it was the abnormal blood protein in her system. As she researched into this dreadful sickness, she realized that her incurable sickness would eventually adversely affect her liver, kidneys, lungs and even the immune system.
Hers was a rare condition, and she was being advised to observe her toenails regularly. They could turn black and simply fall off if her condition grew worse.
Helen’s doctor strongly recommended the use of steroids, which she flatly refused, because of all the known side effects. Seeing there was obviously no hope as far as medical science was concerned, she decided to trust God.
For over 20 months, she attended our Miracle Service faithfully. Her condition improved progressively. There were ups and downs throughout those 20 months, but she kept faith with the Lord. Recently, the doctor had given her a clean bill of health.
Helen also suffered dry eyes for over 20 years. Often, she could feel her eyelids rubbing against her eyeballs. Again, she was progressively healed. Now she is also free from this painful condition.
That’s not all. The cyst in her left breast had also disappeared. Her doctor said that he could not find it.
Lately, Helen had been asking herself this question, "Why didn’t Jesus Christ heal me the first time?"
In retrospect, after 20 months, she answered her own question, "I learn so much and begin to know God much better as I continue to attend the Miracle Service."
When we come to the Lord Jesus for healing, let us come to Him just as we are, like a little child, in simple faith, and accept whatever way He wants to heal us, be it instant or progressive.
What would have happened to Helen if she had thrown in the towel when she did not receive instant healing? The story would be tragically different. Thank God, Helen persevered in faith and kept attending the Miracle Service.
While her health progressed over those 20 months, she drew closer to God. Progressively, she became a better person in every way.