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When Healing Doesn’t Come: Holding Onto Hope in a World of Suffering
Jul 11, 2025
This article is dedicated to my beloved husband, Bruce—who, though non-ambulatory with advanced MS, is scaling the highest places with Jesus, step by surrendered step.
By His wounds we are healed.
It’s a promise we cling to, especially when life hurts. Isaiah 53:5 is often quoted in hospital rooms, whispered in prayers, and etched on hearts that ache for relief. And it’s true—beautifully, powerfully true.
But what happens when the healing doesn’t come?
When the diagnosis doesn’t change, the pain persists, or the grief lingers long past what others consider “normal”?
Some well-meaning voices say, “If you just had enough faith, God would heal you.” They mean to inspire hope. But this message can quietly wound. It can leave us feeling like our suffering is our fault. That we didn’t pray hard enough. That if we were better Christians, our bodies—or our circumstances—would be whole by now.
But that’s not the full story. The Bible tells a deeper truth—one that acknowledges pain, honors faith, and holds space for both suffering and hope.
Let’s walk through that truth together.
Suffering Is Part of This Life
From the very beginning, Scripture doesn’t shy away from suffering. Genesis 3 describes the fall of humanity—and with it, the unraveling of God’s perfect design. Pain, toil, sickness, and death enter the human story.
“Cursed is the ground because of you… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…”— Genesis 3:17–19
This world is broken. And even creation itself is groaning under the weight of it.
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”— Romans 8:22
We feel that groaning, don’t we? In doctor’s offices. In silent nights when sleep won’t come. In unexpected losses and prayers that appear, to us, unanswered.
But none of it means God has left us. He will never leave you or forsake you.
God Is With Us in Our Suffering
God never promised a life without pain. But He did promise His presence in it.
“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”— Psalm 34:18
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”— Isaiah 43:2
God doesn’t wait for us on the other side of suffering. He walks with us through it.
Jesus—our Savior, our Shepherd—knows suffering intimately. He was betrayed, beaten, mocked, and crucified. He wept at a friend’s grave. He sweat blood in a garden in agony. The Man of Sorrows is not unfamiliar with your pain.
But Doesn’t Isaiah 53:5 Promise Healing?
Yes—and it’s a breath-taking promise:
“By His wounds we are healed.”— Isaiah 53:5
But what kind of healing is Isaiah talking about?
Let’s read the whole verse:
“He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on Him,
and by His wounds we are healed.”
The healing in Isaiah 53 is first and foremost spiritual. It’s about being made right with God—our guilt removed, our shame covered, our hearts restored. This isn’t to say God doesn’t heal physically. He does. But this verse isn’t a blanket guarantee of physical wellness in this life.
Peter echoes this in the New Testament:
“By His wounds you have been healed. For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”— 1 Peter 2:24–25
This is soul-deep healing. The kind that cancer can’t touch. The kind that depression can’t erase. The kind that death can’t undo.
Faith Isn’t a Formula
Sometimes we’re told that healing is just a matter of faith. That if we believe hard enough, pray long enough, claim the right promise, the miracle will come.
But that turns faith into a transaction—and God into a vending machine. That’s not biblical faith. True faith isn’t about getting what we want. It’s about trusting who God is, no matter what.
Even Paul, who saw miracles firsthand, wasn’t spared suffering. He prayed for a “thorn in the flesh” to be taken away—and God said no. His explanation to Paul was:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”— 2 Corinthians 12:9
And even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, prayed:
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”— Luke 22:42
Faith is not the absence of struggle. It’s the presence of surrender.
Healing Is Promised—In Eternity
So where’s the healing? Where’s the redemption? Where’s the peace we long for?
It’s coming.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…”— Revelation 21:4
This is the unshakeable hope of every believer: eternal healing. Whole bodies. Whole hearts. Whole relationships. A new heaven. A new earth. And Jesus at the center of it all.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”— Romans 8:18
This doesn’t minimize your pain. It puts it in perspective. The brokenness we experience now is real—but it’s not forever.
Until Then, We Groan With Hope
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day… So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen…”— 2 Corinthians 4:16–18
We live in the tension of the “already and not yet.” Jesus has already conquered sin and death, but we haven’t yet seen the full unfolding of that victory. And so we wait. We trust. We groan with hope.
And we hold space for each other in the waiting.
What This Means for Us Today
Pray for healing—boldly, faithfully. God still heals.
Trust God’s heart, even when you don’t understand His hand.
Walk with others in their pain. Your presence matters.
Anchor your hope not in what God might do today, but in what He has already promised and accomplished forever.
If You’re Suffering Right Now
If your body aches, if your heart is tired, if your prayers feel unanswered—please know: you are not forgotten.
Your pain is real, but so is your Savior. He sees you. He’s with you. And He hasn’t wasted a moment of your story.
One day, the healing will come. Whether here or in eternity, Jesus will make all things new. And until that day, He offers you His presence, His peace, and His promises.
Hang in there, dear one.
He’s holding you through it. And He's coming back for you.
This article was found at the following link: https://www.mystillwaters.org/post/when-healing-doesn-t-come-holding-onto-hope-in-a-world-of-suffering
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The Lagniappe Enjoy a beautiful reading of "Hinds Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard. (This is chapter one, you can find the remaining chapters on YouTube at the link below.) https://www.youtube.com/@pamelanelsonministries/search?query=hinds%20feet)
Sunday, September 6, 2026
I Was Diagnosed With Stage 4 Cancer
Testimony from Mercy, Mexico
Hello there! I am so happy to share this testimony with you and with everyone who might be listening.
I am very grateful to the Lord, because you often hear people talking about others:
“A friend’s cousin has cancer, the neighbor has cancer—oh, please pray for my friend’s sister who has cancer.”
And so, you hear about these people, you pray for them, and you let them know that the Lord loves them.
And, of course, it comes as a surprise when it involves people you know or who are close to you.
But the experience I had when I went to the doctor for a colonoscopy... the doctor looked at me with eyes wide open—like full moons. Even before she spoke, seeing those eyes told me it wasn't good news.
She finally gathered the courage to tell me that she saw something concerning—something that needed to be checked out—but that it clearly looked bad.
And yes, they ran the pathology tests, and it turned out I did indeed have stage 4 cancer.
It’s a completely different story when you hear that the person is *you*. When you hear that word... when it’s something happening in your own life, to your own body—it’s something you just can’t believe.
I didn’t ask, “Why me?” nor did I say,
“My God, what is happening?”
I simply couldn't believe it.
My question was: What’s going to happen? What am I going to do? What decisions do I need to make?
Well, I decided to take action and move forward.
I followed the instructions given by the doctor—the oncologist. She referred me for chemotherapy, which is the standard procedure; I had undergone about three or four rounds when they ran more tests.
And that’s when the toughest battle began. The doctor told me—based on the results—that the cancer had spread; it was now in my lungs, my liver, and my uterus.
According to her, it was everywhere, and... well, you just go into shock. The only thing that crossed my mind was, "What am I going to do?" So I asked the doctor, "I already have a trip to Guadalajara planned; what do you think? Should I go, or postpone it? What do you suggest?" She told me, "Just enjoy your life, take your trip, and have a good time—because we never know how much time we have."
As it turned out, the trip was to visit some missionaries—to attend a gathering, a time of fellowship, a Christian missionary event. But interestingly, what I didn't know was that a missionary with the gift of healing was coming to that meeting from another country—I don't recall which one. And the main theme of the gathering was "healing."
Everything centered on the Word—on being reminded of what the Lord says: that by His wounds we are healed, and that we would do even greater works.
Because Jesus Christ was going to the Father, He would give us that gift—if we believe—that gift of healing. And this brother believed it; he was certain, and I believed it too.
It so happened that upon arriving in Guadalajara, we had to take a bus to the meeting.
And it turned out that the missionary with the gift of healing boarded that very bus.
There were other missionaries on board, all heading to the meeting.
The bus was packed with people traveling to that town; I was there with my husband.
Then the missionary stood up and asked the people, "Who among you needs healing? Who would like me to pray for you so the Lord can heal you?"
There, on that crowded bus, I raised my hand. I didn't care that it was full.
I believed; I said, "I want you to pray for me." He asked what was wrong, and I told him what I *had*—and I say "had" because I am free now; that was in the past.
He prayed for me; I believed, and I embraced God's promises for myself with all my heart. Finally, he said to me—just as Jesus did when He gave His life for us—"It is finished; you are healed." And I believed it with all my heart.
And something else, very important: he told me, "Many people might tell you—just like the doctors—that you are still sick, that you are unwell..." But you have to reject those thoughts and comments; you have to think and repeat, "I am healthy; Jesus has already healed me; I am healthy." It doesn't matter what people tell you, or if you undergo further tests and the results are bad. Just keep saying, "Jesus has already healed me—He has healed me—I am fine, I am fine."
On that note, I’ll share something: many people used to tell me, "Well, there's nothing to be done; just prepare yourself," and that kind of talk is discouraging. But He told me, "Don't listen to negative things." Try to listen to positive people—listen to stories like, "My cousin recovered," or "That person beat it." All of that fills you with vitality and the knowledge that if they could do it, you can too.
That is a very important point I’d like to emphasize.
Maintain a positive attitude. If people with good hearts suggest things—like, "This is good for fighting it [the cancer]"—it’s okay.
There’s no harm in trying things, provided you know that the Lord has already healed you.
And keep a positive, positive, positive attitude—always!
Because, let me tell you, people will come at you with a thousand "remedies" that supposedly cure it [the cancer].
Honestly, I clung to everything—I tried everything—but the main thing was knowing that the Lord had already healed me.
To continue with my testimony: the missionary brother prayed for me.
At the gathering, they prayed for the sick again, and I witnessed many answers to prayer there. And every time he prayed, I kept repeating, “I know Jesus has already healed me; I know I am already healed.” And for every Bible verse he quoted, I would say to myself, “That’s for me—that’s for me.”
The meeting ended, and my husband and I returned to our city, Mexicali.
Then came my next appointment; I went with full faith, waiting to see what would happen.
I felt excited to hear what they would tell me and what changes there might be.
But no matter what they said—and the brother had already told me, “You must reject it”—I didn't go in with a closed mind; I went prepared, as if protected by a shield. That is how I felt.
So, I went for the next test—a CT scan.
The doctor was going to carefully check everything on the scan to see how things had progressed—or so she thought. And lo and behold—to her surprise—she spent a long time reviewing the images, zooming in on the scan. And there I was, waiting.
Then she said, "Well, I don't know what happened, but I don't see anything in these scans anymore; everything is clear."
So I told her, "Well, Doctor, God healed me."
I was overjoyed and told her all about my experience attending that gathering. She believed in God too, and she just smiled—she just kept smiling.
Oncologists tend to be very serious people.
But her face lit up with happiness.
And the doctor said to me, "Give great thanks to God," because everything looked perfect to her.
I followed her protocols for a while, and eventually, she discharged me.
I feel so grateful and happy, and it brings me such joy to share this hope with you.
It started as a hope, but now it is a reality, because God never fails.
And all His promises are true and faithful.
"I will never leave you nor forsake you;
I will be with you every day. Do not fear what they can do to you, for I am greater than he who is in the world."
So many beautiful promises.
I hope this testimony encourages you and gives you the strength to emerge victorious.
Let us always remember that God is a God of miracles and that prayer changes things.
You simply have to believe that it is possible and that it is already done. Amen.
Monday, February 9, 2026
Trusting in God for Healing
February 9, 2026
By M. Fontaine
Audio length: 11:35
Download Audio (10.6MB)
Download Audio (10.6MB)
For the longest time I tried to figure out the how-tos of divine healing. I had wanted to be able to boil everything down into a step-by-step, one-two-three healing formula so I could say, “If you need God’s supernatural healing, all you have to do is follow these steps.” But I finally reached the conclusion that it doesn’t work that way.
If two people followed the same steps, one might be healed and the other might not. The more I studied various cases, the more I saw that each situation was different. The Lord seemed to handle each individual differently and tailored their healing to their particular needs and His will and work in their lives. Every person is unique, and the Lord works differently in each of our lives—not only in the matter of healing, but also in our circumstances, the lessons He teaches us, the tests and trials of our faith that we endure, and the blessings He gives us.
Trying to give universal counsel on how to get healed is just not possible, because the Lord doesn’t follow a set pattern. That is why, if you read many accounts of people’s healing, they can be very different. In some cases, the Lord miraculously heals someone through His divine intervention, while in other cases He requires us to do our part, through changes in our lifestyle, diet and exercise, or through natural remedies. In other cases, God works through medical interventions, including doctors, medication, surgery, physiotherapy and other treatments.
When we realize that the Lord works differently in each of our lives, we can better understand why in some cases He heals and in other cases He doesn’t—at least not right away. If we can grasp this, it will help us to put our trust fully in Him and His work in our lives and to not fall into condemnation or discouragement if our prayers for healing don’t result in our immediate healing from whatever is ailing us.
When we understand that God doesn’t always heal every affliction of every Christian in this life, it also helps us to have compassion on those who are suffering long-term afflictions. He is the God of all comfort who loves His children unconditionally as this beautiful passage from the Apostle Paul expresses:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:3–5).
One Bible translation of this says that “God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (NLT). What a beautiful picture to bear in mind when we are suffering any affliction or time of trouble!
Divine wisdom at work
It is important to bear in mind when pondering God’s healing that each of us is a complex physical and spiritual being. The Lord has bestowed on each of us different abilities, physical and spiritual attributes, and strengths and weaknesses. No two of us are alike. The Lord, our Maker, knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows everything about us—our every thought, our every weakness, our every joy, our every need. He knows exactly how to teach us the lessons He wants us to learn. He knows what tests and trials we need to endure to make us into what He wants us to be, and He measures these things out to us in the exact portion that He knows we need—never too much and never too little—and so it is with our afflictions and our healing.
Two people could have precisely the same affliction, they could both pray to be healed, and one could get healed immediately and the other could continue to be afflicted for years. Does this mean that the one who gets healed immediately is stronger spiritually or closer to the Lord than the other? Not necessarily.
The reasons the Lord allowed these two people to be afflicted in the first place may have been completely different. If His reasons for allowing the affliction are different, then His reasons for healing or not healing are different as well. Whatever the case, afflictions can be blessings in disguise because they have the potential to bring about spiritual growth and blessings in our lives.
Faith in times of affliction
Faith comes—and it grows—from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When we walk in faith, we know by His Word that the Lord is sovereign over our lives. We trust that the Lord has a plan and design for our lives, whatever that may be. Whatever we face is meant to draw us closer to God, and He has promised us that nothing in all creation can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38–39).
Those who suffer long-term illnesses or injuries have to keep the faith even when they aren’t healed. When the affliction persists month after month, they have to hold on and trust the Lord to either heal them eventually, or to give them the grace to continue to bear the affliction and grow and learn through it. They have to seek, find, and accept the Romans 8:28—“all things work together for good to those who love God”—in their situation. In each and every case, when they trust the Lord and hang on and don’t give up, it bears good fruit in their lives through the lessons they learn.
Who really has the most faith?—The person who is instantly healed of an affliction, or someone who has to bear that affliction and still carries on loving and trusting the Lord even though they may not understand why they haven’t been healed? They both have faith, but the one who has had to suffer long-term affliction has had to have enduring faith—not necessarily for healing, but faith to trust the Lord day by day to take care of them and bring them through.
In God’s time
If the Lord hasn’t healed you in answer to your prayers, or your infirmity is a long-term one or He’s made you that way from birth, should you feel condemned or discouraged? No, because whether you are healed or not, you are God’s beloved child and “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Whenever we are tempted to fall under condemnation or discouragement, we can remind ourselves of the truths in this passage:
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:32–34).
He wants to give you faith to endure the trials and tribulations you may face in this life—faith to praise and thank Him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and faith to be a good testimony to others in your affliction. Then, when He’s ready to heal you, “the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:15).
If you’re doing your part, praying, trusting the Lord, and walking by faith and the Lord doesn’t choose to heal you, you shouldn’t feel condemned. Perhaps it’s not yet the Lord’s time to heal you because there are things He wants to teach you first or He is working in some way in your life through the illness. Or perhaps He wants to use you as an example of someone who perseveres in faith through the difficult times, because He knows that will help and encourage others. Whatever the case, faith means trusting in the Lord for your situation, trusting that He knows best, whether you get healed or not in this life.
Personal comfort in times of illness
One thing that can make your physical afflictions easier to bear is knowing that you can bring your every burden and care to the Lord and receive His love and encouragement. The Bible says to “give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). You can pour out your heart to the Lord in prayer and receive His help in your time of need, and His Spirit will pour out His comfort. He tells us to “call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).
He can guide you in your time of affliction and help you to discern what He wants you to do about it, and how to go about receiving healing, whether through His supernatural healing, making lifestyle changes or seeking out medical assistance. He will guide you through His Word in the Bible, as well as through counseling with others and seeking His wisdom. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
Take your heartaches, burdens, and questions to Him. He said to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He wants to lighten your burdens and make your afflictions easier to bear (Psalm 55:22). He loves you and He will never suffer you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, but will always make a way to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). That way of escape often comes through His personal words of comfort and love and encouragement that will lift you over the storm and bring you to the light of a brighter day.
Let Jesus bear your burdens, ease your pain, and lighten your load as He has promised to.
Originally published March 2004. Adapted and republished February 2026. Read by Debra Lee.
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