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Question: Why doesn't God always heal the sick when they are given priesthood blessings?
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Contents
- 1 Question: Why doesn't God always heal the sick when they are given priesthood blessings?
- 1.1 Elder Oaks taught the scriptural message that healing occurs through faith, not simply because it is the will of the Lord to heal or not to heal that person
- 1.2 The words of the blessing are not essential to the healing effect, and they will ultimately not override the will of the Lord
- 1.3 Sometimes God allows us to be His hand in helping to alleviate suffering
Question: Why doesn't God always heal the sick when they are given priesthood blessings?
Elder Oaks taught the scriptural message that healing occurs through faith, not simply because it is the will of the Lord to heal or not to heal that person
As D&C 42꞉48 states, it is not always the will of the Lord for them to be healed:
And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed.
Elder Oaks explained this very well:
Faith is essential for healing by the powers of heaven. The Book of Mormon even teaches that “if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them” (Ether 12:12).10 In a notable talk on administering to the sick, President Spencer W. Kimball said: “The need of faith is often underestimated. The ill one and the family often seem to depend wholly on the power of the priesthood and the gift of healing that they hope the administering brethren may have, whereas the greater responsibility is with him who is blessed. … The major element is the faith of the individual when that person is conscious and accountable. ‘Thy faith hath made thee whole’ [Matthew 9:22] was repeated so often by the Master that it almost became a chorus.” [1]
The words of the blessing are not essential to the healing effect, and they will ultimately not override the will of the Lord
Elder Oaks:
Fortunately, the words spoken in a healing blessing are not essential to its healing effect. If faith is sufficient and if the Lord wills it, the afflicted person will be healed or blessed whether the officiator speaks those words or not. Conversely, if the officiator yields to personal desire or inexperience and gives commands or words of blessing in excess of what the Lord chooses to bestow according to the faith of the individual, those words will not be fulfilled. [2]
Sometimes God allows us to be His hand in helping to alleviate suffering
Many people ask whether God intervenes in our lives. It is true that he does from time to time. But, perhaps a more important question is whether we are intervening in each others' lives. Should we pray that God will heal the sick? Yes. But, more importantly, do we visit the sick and administer to their relief? Should we pray that God will alleviate the suffering of the poor? Yes. But, more importantly, are we doing something to help alleviate the suffering? Perhaps God is more concerned with what we are doing to intervene than with intervening himself.
Notes