Misconception6: Faith Guarantees the Healing of Disability
This article is part of a series that addresses common misunderstandings about disability within the church. It examines one misconception through biblical, theological, and pastoral reflection, seeking to discern how believers with disabilities and those without disabilities can together build a healthy church of the Lord. Previous articles have addressed misconceptions such as the belief that disability is a punishment for sin, the assumption that persons with disabilities are objects of pity rather than partners in ministry, the claim that persons with disabilities cannot communicate meaningfully with others, the idea that they desire only healing, and the notion that all disabilities are the same.
Testimonies of healing and miracles have long borne witness to the power of faith within the church. Accounts of physical recovery and medically unexplainable restoration often move us deeply. Such testimonies affirm that the almighty God remains living and active, intervening in the concrete realities of human life. These testimonies are a precious gift. However, when such testimonies and sermons develop into claims such as “If you have strong faith, healing will certainly occur,” or “If your prayer is not answered, it is because your faith is insufficient,” healing becomes a measure of faith itself. In such cases, believers who live with disability or ongoing suffering may begin to question themselves and carry a burden of guilt. They bear not only physical pain but also spiritual distress.
Consider, for example, parents of a child with developmental disabilities attending a healing service. The preacher proclaims, “If you hold on in faith at this moment, God will certainly heal. Do not doubt at all. Lay down your sins and repent.” During the time of prayer, the parents embrace their child and pray with tears and desperation. Yet after the service, their child’s condition remains unchanged. A few days later, a church leader offers encouragement, saying, “God is not lacking in power. We must continue in greater faith. If you persist in faith, healing will come.” At first, these words sound comforting. But as they are repeated, deeper questions begin to form in the parents’ hearts: “If healing has not come, is it because my faith is weak? Have I failed to repent of some hidden sin?” What began as comfort becomes a source of spiritual anguish.
A similar experience occurs for a believer living with chronic pain. He attends healing services and receives prayer repeatedly. Yet his symptoms do not disappear, and he must learn to live with ongoing suffering. One day, during a small group meeting, another believer shares, “When I was suffering from illness, a pastor prayed for me, and God healed me completely. True faith always produces visible results.” In that moment, the man experiences a wound deeper than his physical pain. He begins to feel marked as spiritually deficient. Eventually, he leaves the church. Testimonies of healing can bring hope to some, yet to others they can become a report card of faith that deepens isolation and discouragement.
Scripture clearly testifies that God heals the sick. Jesus healed many who suffered from illness and disability, and he commanded his disciples to proclaim the gospel while healing the sick. James declares, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven” (James 5:15). The church must therefore pray boldly for healing. At the same time, Scripture does not present faith as a guarantee of healing. The relationship between faith and healing is far more complex and mysterious than is often assumed.
Hebrews 11 describes people of faith, some of whom experienced miraculous deliverance. Yet the same chapter also speaks of others who endured torture, persecution, and death, longing for a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35-37). Scripture concludes, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (Heb. 11:39). Their faith was not diminished because they did not receive fulfillment in their earthly lives. Rather, their enduring trust in God, even without visible resolution, is presented as the true expression of faith.
The confession of Daniel’s three friends before the fiery furnace reveals the same structure of faith: “‘If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’” (Dan. 3:17-18). Their faith rested not only in God’s power to rescue but also in their unwavering loyalty regardless of the outcome.
Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane reveals the fullness of faith. He expressed his desire that the cup of suffering might pass, yet he entrusted himself fully to the Father’s will: “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matt. 26:39). Faith is not demonstrated solely through the removal of suffering. It is also revealed through obedience that endures suffering. Faith persists not only when the answer to prayer is yes but also when the answer is no.
This perspective invites the church to reconsider its understanding of disability. Some disabilities are present from birth, such as autism or Down syndrome. These conditions are not the result of personal choice or parental failure. God knows these lives and regards them as precious. No one has the authority to define their existence merely as a problem or a failure. While the world often defines disability in terms of medical diagnosis and functional limitation, before God each life possesses dignity and uniqueness. This does not minimize the real challenges associated with disability, but it calls the church to interpret disability with greater theological depth.
In 2004, I became a person with a spinal cord injury after a snowboarding accident, and I now use a power wheelchair. I prayed day and night for healing. I experienced clear answers to many prayers, yet my body did not recover its former mobility. I attended healing services and remained faithful in my spiritual life, but I struggled with fear that God had turned away from me. I wondered how much more I needed to pray or what more I needed to repent of. When delayed healing is interpreted as insufficient faith, a person carries not only suffering but also guilt.
Over time, I began to learn anew what kind of faith God desired. God did not prove himself only by granting the outcomes I desired. Instead, he formed in me a faith that trusted him even in the absence of healing. He led me to release conditional expectations and to hold firmly to the grace of the cross. In that process, I experienced freedom. It was the freedom to love God even without physical healing, the freedom to receive his grace with gratitude, and the freedom to know that Christ walks with me in suffering. I pray that this freedom may also come to those who have grown weary in seeking healing and to those who condemn themselves in disappointment.
The church has a clear responsibility in correcting misunderstandings about disability.
First, the church must refine its language of prayer and testimony. When sharing testimonies, it must be clear that healing is not a universal formula but a work of God’s sovereign will and purpose. The church must also give equal attention to testimonies of believers who have remained faithful through long suffering without physical healing Second, the church must avoid interpreting disability as evidence of insufficient faith. Prayer and pastoral care must never assume that disability or illness is the result of hidden sin or spiritual deficiency.
Third, the church must value the present lives of believers with disabilities. Rather than waiting for future healing, the church must invite them to share their gifts now. They must be welcomed into roles of worship leadership, intercessory prayer, hospitality, service, and leadership as full participants in the life of the church.
Fourth, the church must cultivate a community where suffering can be expressed honestly. Lament, tears, disappointment, and struggle are all valid forms of prayer. When believers with disabilities and their families are free to share their pain openly, the church learns to see God at work not only in healing outcomes but also in sustaining presence.
The faith presented in Scripture is deeper and wider than many assume. Faith includes confidence that God is able to heal and renew, as well as trust in his timing and purposes. Some experience miraculous healing in this life. Others live faithfully with disability until the end of their earthly journey. In both cases, the Holy Spirit is at work, and the grace of God is revealed.
When the church embraces this truth, believers with disabilities are no longer viewed as lacking faith. Instead, they are recognized as witnesses who trust God within weakness. Faith is the path of trusting God and living in a way that pleases him. Along this path, the church grows together as it bears one another’s burdens. I pray that churches will become communities where persons with disabilities and their families worship, grow, and serve together. I also pray that through ongoing trust in God amid suffering, the church will more fully experience the power of God, which is made perfect in weakness.