“Why does healing happen sometimes—and other times, it doesn’t?”
That age-old question opened a recent segment of The 700 Club, as Gordon Robertson responded to a heartfelt email from a viewer named Peg. Her question pierced into a reality many believers face: “Jesus has healed me many times,” she wrote. “And Jesus has healed even my little dog through prayer. When I pray for others, they are not healed… What’s going on?”
It’s a vulnerable and honest struggle—one that countless Christians face, especially when their faith feels unanswered.
Robertson didn’t shy away from the complexity of the question. He shared a deeply personal story: “My mother was paralyzed. She had a stroke… with my mother, she never got the function back in her right arm and her right leg. And we couldn’t figure it out because we earnestly prayed.”
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Despite fervent prayer and anointing with oil, nothing changed. That raw transparency is what made Robertson’s message resonate. Because we’ve all been there—begging God, waiting for the breakthrough, wondering if we’re missing something.
But then came a shift in the story—one that occurred in a small village in India, over 30 years ago. Robertson recalled that moment vividly. He was preparing to preach about the Holy Spirit when, unexpectedly, the Lord spoke: “I want to heal the sick today.”
His initial reaction was all too relatable: “No, You don’t. You got the wrong guy. I’m a lawyer… I’m not a faith healer.”
But God doesn’t call the qualified—He qualifies the called.
A young boy, crippled by polio, was brought forward. “He looked like what happens to a spider after you step on one. Everything was curled up. He could not extend his legs.” Faced with the impossible and void of confidence, Robertson confessed to praying a desperate prayer: “Lord, I’m doing all I know.”
Then came the voice of Jesus again—not in condemnation, but in encouragement: “When will you rely on Me?” And suddenly, Robertson saw something differently—something deeper: “Jesus never prayed for the sick. He just commanded it.”
That revelation changed everything.
Looking into the boy’s eyes, Gordon pointed and said, “Get up and walk.” The child’s legs straightened. He stood. He walked. “It was an amazing miracle.”
So what does this mean for us? For the ones in Bible studies, praying and pleading with no visible change?
Robertson offered this vital encouragement: “If you’re having trouble healing, stop looking at your prayer. Stop looking at your oil. Stop looking at your elders… Look to Jesus. Let Him be the author and the finisher of your faith.”
This isn’t about rituals, it’s about relationship.
What does the Bible say?
The Scriptures confirm this truth over and over. In Hebrews 12:2, we are told to be “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” And in James 5:15, we’re reminded: “the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” But even still, not every healing is immediate. Paul, despite his many miracles, still carried a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). Healing isn’t always about our faith—it’s about His sovereignty.
If you’re praying for healing and haven’t seen the result, take heart. Delay does not mean the absence of God.
When you rely on Jesus—not the procedure or process—you have everything you need.
“God is my helper. The Lord is the sustainer of my life” (Ps. 54:4).
And sometimes, that truth is the greatest healing of all.
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
