The Question No One Wants to Ask

A friend is diagnosed with cancer. They pray. Their family prays. Their church prays.

And yet, the cancer spreads.

They choose chemo, radiation—whatever it takes. But instead of full support, they hear whispers:

“If you just had more faith…”

“God will heal you if you truly believe.”

“Doctors only care about money. The medical system is corrupt.”

As a nurse, I’ve seen this over and over.

People who are already fighting for their lives now have to battle judgment from those who think trusting God means rejecting medical help.

It’s infuriating.

Because if prayer alone was supposed to heal every sickness, why did God give us doctors in the first place? Why did Jesus himself send out His disciples—not just to preach the Gospel, but to heal?

We need to rethink what we believe about miracles.

Miracles Were Never the Norm

Jesus walked on water. Once.

He fed 5,000 people with a few loaves and fish. A couple of times.

But these weren’t His everyday practices. Jesus had feet. He walked. He traveled by boat. He ate food prepared the normal way.

His miracles weren’t about erasing the normal order of things. They were about revealing something deeper.

Yet, when we talk about healing, we act like miracles should be the standard instead of the exception.

They never were.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Biblical Healing

Not everyone in the Bible who needed healing got it.

Jesus didn’t set up healing clinics where people lined up and left disease-free.

At the Pool of Bethesda (John 5), sick and paralyzed people gathered, desperate for a miracle. Jesus walked into that mess of suffering, stepped over countless hurting people, and healed one man.

Just one.

And that guy? He wasn’t even particularly deserving. He later sold Jesus out to the authorities (John 5:15-16).

So why him? Why not the others? We don’t know.

And that’s the point.

Paul’s Thorn: When God Says No

Paul—arguably the greatest missionary in history—had a “thorn in the flesh.”

We don’t know exactly what it was. Maybe it was a physical illness. Maybe it was something spiritual. Maybe it was relentless opposition.

Whatever it was, Paul begged God to take it away.

And God said no.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

If God refused to heal Paul, one of His most devoted followers, then what makes us think healing is always guaranteed for us?

Lazarus: The Man Jesus Let Die

We love the story of Lazarus because—spoiler alert—he comes back to life.

But we forget the part where Jesus intentionally let him die.

When Jesus got word that Lazarus was sick, He didn’t rush to his side. He stayed where He was for two more days.

Two. Whole. Days.

And because of that, Mary and Martha suffered. Their brother suffered. Their whole community mourned.

Jesus could have prevented it.

He didn’t.

Instead, He let the suffering unfold on purpose.

And that’s hard to swallow.

Because if Jesus allowed pain and grief to take its full course before stepping in, what does that say about the suffering He allows today?

God’s Power: Given, Not Hoarded

Now we get to the “why”.

In his The Heart of the Torah commentary, Rabbi Shai Held puts it this way:

“God is a ‘power-sharing’ rather than a power-hoarding God.”

Think about that.

God is all-powerful. He could fix everything in an instant. But He doesn’t.

Why?

Because He chooses to share power instead of hoarding it.

He gives us the ability to work, to heal, to build, to grow. He doesn’t override human agency—He partners with it.

Miracles aren’t God’s usual way of operating.

We are.

This is why the Lazarus story matters so much. Jesus didn’t just demonstrate His power over death – He demonstrated His willingness to work through human experiences, even painful ones, to accomplish His purposes.

Faith and Medicine Aren’t Enemies

Some people act like choosing medical treatment means rejecting faith. That trusting in doctors somehow means you’re not trusting in God.

That’s garbage.

Modern medicine doesn’t conflict with faith—it’s an extension of God’s work in the world.

God designed our bodies to heal. Medicine helps that process. It doesn’t replace God’s design; it supports it.

If you believe God provides through farmers, teachers, and builders… why wouldn’t He provide through doctors, nurses, and researchers?

Demonizing modern medicine is like refusing to eat because “God should provide supernaturally.”

It misses the entire point of how God typically works in the world – through human agency and natural processes He created.

The Purpose of Suffering

Nobody likes suffering.

But suffering changes us.

Think about every classic hero’s journey. The hero doesn’t become who they’re meant to be without hardship. The struggle is what forms them.

What if suffering isn’t meaningless?

What if the real question isn’t “Why doesn’t God take this away?” but “What is God doing in me through this?”

Ask yourself:

• What strengths is this challenge forcing me to develop?

• Who can I learn from in this season?

• How can my struggles serve a greater purpose?

We don’t get to choose whether suffering happens.

But we do get to choose how we respond to it.

The Real Question We Should Be Asking

At the end of the day, the biggest question isn’t “Why doesn’t God heal everyone?”

It’s “How can I be part of His work in the world?”

Maybe the reason some prayers seem unanswered isn’t because God is absent.

Maybe it’s because He’s waiting for us to step up.

To be His hands and feet.

To fight for justice.

To care for the sick.

To walk alongside the suffering.

To be the miracle someone else is praying for.

Both/And: The Tension of Faith

Yes, miracles happen. I’ve witnessed them myself—ironically, as a skeptic. God still moves in powerful, supernatural ways that defy medical explanation.

But here’s the paradox: We’re called to both pray boldly for healing and accept what comes. These aren’t contradictory. They’re complementary.

Think about Jesus in Gethsemane. He prayed with such intensity that He sweated blood: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.” But in the same breath: “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”

He pleaded for rescue while accepting what might come.

This is our model.

Standing in the Gap

So how do we, as faith communities, walk with people through suffering?

No one wants to suffer. No one wants to die. These are natural, human reactions to the brokenness of our world.

Our role isn’t to explain away the pain or offer empty platitudes. It’s to:

• Stand beside those who suffer
• Grieve with those who grieve
• Pray without ceasing
• Show up, again and again
• Never abandon, never judge

We lift our suffering brothers and sisters up to God as a living sacrifice, begging for mercy but trusting His sovereignty. Whatever the outcome, we commit to walking this road together.

Because sometimes the miracle isn’t the healing.

Sometimes, the miracle is the community that refuses to let someone suffer alone.

Final Thought

Miracles are real.

But they’re not the norm.

God’s way is usually through us, not instead of us.

So the next time someone asks, “Why doesn’t God heal everyone?”—maybe the real question is:

“What is God asking me to do?”