Can I Believe God for a Gradual Healing?
It is easier to believe for a gradual healing than for an instant healing, and it is far better than not believing to be healed at all. However, God’s best is to be healed all at once. In practice, we see more gradual healings because they’re easier to believe for.
Most Bible miracles were instantaneous healings; the “began to amend,” “as they went,” type miracles were the exception and the healing was very rapid even then. Being able to believe for an instantaneous healing is God’s best and should be our goal. But what if you’re unable to walk at all and you don’t feel ready to just spring up by faith and run around the church? (Some people have done this, but it is still comparatively rare in the church world at this writing.) I’d rather that we agree for you to be able to walk with a walker than for you to stay in a wheelchair unable to walk at all. If you’re able to use a walker, I’d rather believe for you to be able to use a cane than for you to stay dependent on a walker forever. If you’re using a cane, I’d rather believe for you to walk without it than for you to need your cane forever. If you’re able to walk and not run, perhaps we’d be ready to agree that you could run again. We laid hands on a woman who could walk but not run for 20 years and she was able to run again.
I’d be more inclined to believe for the whole thing, and even if the improvement were gradual after that, I would continue to confess that I am completely healed by the stripes of Jesus and I’d end up with the full manifestation. But if you want to believe for a gradual (or partial) healing, I’d agree with you as long as it isn’t a keep-my-disability-check kind of deal. Your healing, regardless of how long it takes to fully manifest, has been fully paid for in advance by the Lord Jesus.
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