When we focus on the Lord and have unwavering trust in him and his plan, he promises that we will be healed according to his will and timing.
Recently, I had an opportunity to be healed from a physical ailment that I have had for more than 20 years. My husband and I both felt through the Spirit that God wanted to heal me, but the idea of being healed and freed from my lifelong pain scared me, so I didn’t receive a healing blessing. A few days passed, and I couldn’t stop pondering over a concept I once heard of: having the faith to not be healed. Supposedly, it can be harder to have that kind of faith, but for me, I felt that it was nearly impossible to develop the kind of faith I needed to be healed. I know I had the faith to not be healed, so why was it so hard for me to accept Christ’s grace in that moment?
Photo by Christine Schmidt
As I studied diligently to understand how to develop the kind of faith it takes to be healed, I came across an address given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks called “Healing the Sick.” His teachings helped answer some of my questions by bringing me closer to my Savior.
Having the faith to be healed means trusting the Lord completely. Elder Oaks shares a story where a man stated, “Our family’s faith is in Jesus Christ and is not dependent on outcomes.” From this example, I realized that my faith should be founded on Jesus Christ and not on miracles. Elder Oaks teaches, “The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith means trust.” If we focus on Christ, we don’t need to worry about the outcome. Christ will heal us, if it is the Father’s will, according to our faith in him. If we are not healed, then our faith in him can be strengthened as we continue to trust in his timing.
This address by Elder Oaks has helped me redirect my focus to Christ as I continue to search for answers. As we develop our trust in Jesus Christ by getting to know him more, our faith to be healed by him will increase. In doing this, we can find a greater willingness to accept healing.
Learn more about finding the faith to be healed and more about priesthood blessings by reading “Healing the Sick” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks.
Source: General Conference
—Leah Laret, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Find more insights
Learn more about how we can find the courage to ask for help and how doing so can strengthen us by reading Hannah Hubbard’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Finding Strength in Healing.”
Read Rachel Webb’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Healing from Addiction” to learn about how healing comes in all shapes and sizes and is needed for physical and mental health challenges.
This article focused on my experience developing the faith to be healed, but you can read more about my husband’s experience learning about the faith to heal others in my article “Developing the Faith to Heal Others Through Christ.”