Need Divine Healing? Appeal to the Mercy and Power of Jesus Christ
Are you sick, suffering, discouraged, or praying for someone who needs healing? The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ not only heals through His power, but also through His great mercy and compassion. In this Bible message you will discover healing Scriptures, real-life testimonies, and encouraging examples showing that the mercy of God can bring hope and divine healing to people in need of it.
In Short:
The Bible shows many examples of people receiving healing because they appealed to the mercy and compassion of God. Faith remains important, but Scripture also teaches that Jesus responds mercifully to those who cry out to Him in weakness, sickness, pain, and desperation. Through Bible verses, testimonies, and practical encouragement, this message points hurting people to the compassionate healing mercy and power of Jesus Christ.
Key Takeaways:
- • Jesus often healed people who cried out for mercy.
- • Faith and God’s mercy work together in many healing accounts.
• The Bible repeatedly encourages believers to trust God actively for healing. - • The compassion of Jesus Christ extends to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
- • Believers can pray for healing both for themselves and for others.
- • God’s mercy and loving care still bring hope and healing today.
- • Personal testimonies of healing can strengthen the faith of others.
- • Christians should extend mercy and compassion to hurting people around them.
Key Scriptures:
Psalm 6:2; Matthew 9:27-30; Matthew 15:22-28; Philippians 2:27; Hebrews 4:15-16; Mark 5:18-19; Matthew 5:7; Habakkuk 3:2
Welcome to Original Pentecostal
Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.
Brief Bio: Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D., is a Pentecostal Bible teacher with more than 50 years of Spirit-filled ministry experience. His sermons and Bible studies are personally written and drawn from decades of service as a church planter, senior pastor, Bible college teacher and Dean, and as a trainer of ministers internationally in the Pentecostal tradition.
Summary: Divine healing is a gracious gift from God, to be received by faith. But many of those needing healing do not remember another important way of receiving God's healing touch — that is, the kindness and mercy of God and His Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Jesus Heals Through Mercy and Compassion
Divine healing is among the most blessed and greatly appreciated promises of God. The Old Testament records many occasions of healing by God’s power. While He was on earth, Jesus was an instrument of divine healing to all who looked to Him in faith. Miraculous healings continued to accompany the ministries of the New Testament apostles and other believers who walked in faith in the Lord’s promises to heal the sick.
But as important as faith is to experiencing the Lord’s healing touch, there is a related biblical approach to receiving divine healing. It does not replace faith; rather, it seems to work together with faith for healing by bringing another blessing of God into the equation — that is, the MERCY of God and of Jesus Christ His Son.
“Be merciful to me, Lord ... heal me”, the Psalmist cried out to God. He understood that the mercy of God is a powerful blessing that God is pleased to give to His people. A brief look in the Gospels will show the kindness and compassion of Jesus healing people in response to Lord-have-mercy appeals.
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Blind Men Asked Jesus for Mercy — and Were Healed
Two blind men came to Jesus and were healed. The Scripture record reveals two factors that were present in this healing scenario:
- 1) The blind men had faith in the Lord — “Do you believe? ... Yes, Lord.”
2) They also appealed for the mercy of God — “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Healing Through Mercy and Faith Working Together
The evening before our wedding 35 years ago, my fiancée and I were at the hospital. Her mother had fallen seriously ill, and our pastor arrived and went in to pray for her. Finding her asleep, rather than awaken her, he prayed silently at her bedside. I’ll never forget my pastor’s words as he came out to us in the hospital lobby. He said, “She was asleep, so I wasn’t able to discover her level of faith. But I never hesitate to pray for divine healing based entirely on the mercy of God.”
I am reminded of the words of the apostle Paul about his fellow minister Epaphroditus, that "he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him" (Philippians 2:27, KJV). Paul attributed Epaphroditus's recovery from near-fatal illness to the mercy of God. If you're dealing with sickness, never hesitate to cry out, "Lord, have mercy!"
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A Mother Asked Jesus for Mercy for Her Daughter
As noted above, faith is vital in our seeking healing from the Lord. Jesus said to the woman, “You have great faith!”
But notice also how she approached Jesus for her daughter's healing: “Lord, have mercy on me!” It was her appeal to Jesus for mercy that put her in a position to receive the healing for her daughter through her faith.
This Scripture shows us also that our faith-filled appeal to the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ for healing can be made on behalf of another. Here the woman successfully interceded for her daughter’s healing by the Lord's mercy.
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God Showed Mercy in Healing Barrenness
The story in Luke 1 touches our hearts. Elizabeth and her priest-husband were elderly and had no children (vs. 7). Verse 13 tells us that Zechariah had been praying to God that his wife would become pregnant, despite their advanced years. And God showed mercy! Elderly Elizabeth did conceive, and she bore the child who became the famous prophet, John the Baptist. Upon John’s birth, Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her and declared that “the Lord had shown her great mercy” (vs. 58).
My wife and I have a similar testimony of the mercy of God upon us. For the first six years of our marriage, my wife was barren, due to a medically diagnosed infertility condition. Then one day a godly woman in our church told us that the Lord had spoken to her the previous night concerning us, and to tell my wife from the Lord, “Your barren days are over!” And — thanks be to our God of mercy, power, and love — one year later my wife bore to us the first of our four children, after seven years of desiring children, but having none. We call our four children — now all grown up — our “miracle children”. They are four living illustrations of the mercy of God for healing!
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Jesus Understands Human Weakness and Suffering
In our sinful humanity, we humans experience weaknesses of all sorts. Jesus Himself became man and (while remaining without sin) experienced the full range of human weaknesses while on earth. Remember, the Bible records that Jesus wept in sorrow (John 11:35). He feared (Hebrews 5:7, KJV). He needed sleep (Matthew 8:4) and food (Mark 14:14). And in His human body He was able to be killed on a cross.
Because of these experiences, Jesus is able “to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). The Bible's encouragement to us, then, is to approach His throne of grace with confidence, to receive Jesus' mercy in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). Feeling weak? emotionally down? puzzled and confused? sick and feeling no hope? Come to Jesus the Healer, prayerfully asking Him out of His mercy to respond graciously and powerfully to your need with His healing touch.
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Share Testimonies of God’s Healing Mercy
The mercy of the Lord for healing should be part of our testimony. I have written about how God mercifully healed my wife’s infertility. We share that testimony everywhere we go. As a result, other barren couples have asked for prayer for healing from the Lord, and a significant number of those couples subsequently bore children as the Lord mercifully healed their infertility.
As my pastor told my wife and me over 30 years ago — Never underestimate the wonderful mercy of God! And you in turn share with others your experiences of that divine mercy and compassionate healing touch. You will see that it will become a powerful part of your personal Christian testimony. Unbelievers need to hear that the God whom we serve is a God of mercy and love for the people of this world — including them.
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Christians Should Show Mercy to Others
More than just telling people about the mercy of God, we ourselves need to be giving mercy to others, as Jesus did and still does.
You have heard of Jesus telling about the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:29-37). That Samaritan man went to help another man who had been robbed, stripped naked, beaten, and cast down by the roadside. In concluding the story, Jesus spoke highly of the Samaritan (vs. 37), because he was the only one “who had mercy on” the man who had been robbed and beaten. He was the only one who stopped to offer aid.
In the days ahead, I predict that you will find numerous opportunities to be a vessel for giving out the mercy of God by extending mercy to someone around you.
- • A friend or neighbor who suffers some tragic loss.
• A woman whose car is broken down by the roadside.
• An elderly man in a store or on the street looking confused and needing directions.
• An exhausted young mother needing a reliable, volunteer babysitter to give her a few hours' break from her stress.
• A sick friend in the hospital, needing an expression of mercy through a visit, as well as a prayer of faith for divine healing.
• The possibilities are many. Be prepared this week to be an “angel of mercy” to those in need. God promises that you, in turn, will receive mercy because you have been willing to extend mercy to others on His behalf.
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Pray for God to Show His Healing Mercy Today
In times of old, the Scriptures record many illustrations of God’s mighty deeds. In this brief message we have focused on examples of God’s mighty healings — both in the Old Testament and in the ministry of Jesus and His followers — as willing expressions of the infinite mercy of God for us.
My confident prayer, taken from Habakkuk, is that the Lord will “renew them in our day ... make them known ... remember mercy”. My prayerful appeal to the Lord goes like this:
- • “Lord, show your awesome mercy in the form of divine healings.”
• “Lord, the Bible records often how you healed by your mercy. Renew those merciful healings in our day!”
• “And let us be your ambassadors on earth, bringing the powerful message of divine healing by Your mercy to others as gracious and powerful expressions of the wonderful mercy of God.”
And above all, may your appeal to Jesus for healing also draw you into a deeper relationship with Him as Lord and Savior.
A Simple Prayer for Divine Healing
- Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You in my weakness and need. Please look upon me with mercy, compassion, and your divine healing power. Strengthen my faith and help me trust You fully. Touch my body, mind, and emotions with Your healing grace. I ask You to heal my physical body and bring peace to my heart. Thank You for Your love, Your mercy, and Your wonderful healing for me. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions About Divine Healing
Does God still heal people today?
Yes. Christians throughout the world continue to testify that God still heals people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Bible reveals God as compassionate and merciful, and Jesus Christ still responds to people who come to Him in faith and prayer. Believers are encouraged to pray confidently and seek the Lord’s mercy and healing power in times of sickness and suffering.
What does the Bible say about divine healing?
The Bible contains many examples of God healing the sick. In the Old Testament, God healed people through His mercy and power. In the Gospels, Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the sick, and the demon-oppressed. The New Testament also records healings through the ministries of the apostles and other believers. Scripture teaches that God is compassionate and that believers may come to Him in faith, prayer, and dependence upon His mercy.
Can I ask Jesus for healing mercy?
Absolutely. Many people in the Bible cried out to Jesus for mercy when they or their loved ones were suffering. Blind men pleaded, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” A mother cried out for mercy for her afflicted daughter. Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to come boldly to Jesus so that we may “receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Jesus cares deeply about hurting people.
Is faith important for receiving healing?
Yes. The Bible often connects faith with healing. Jesus frequently told people that their faith had played a role in their healing. At the same time, this message emphasizes that God’s mercy also works together with faith. Even when people feel weak, discouraged, or uncertain, they can still sincerely cry out to the Lord for compassion, mercy, help, and healing, and can expect God to answer faithfully.
Can Christians pray for healing for others?
Yes. The Bible gives many examples of people praying for the healing of others. In the Gospels, some appealed to Jesus on behalf of family members and friends. Christians today may lovingly pray for spouses, children, relatives, friends, church members, and others who are suffering. Praying for the sick is an important expression of Christian compassion and faith.
What Bible verses talk about healing and mercy?
Many Scriptures connect God’s healing power with His mercy and compassion. Some important passages include Psalm 6:2, Matthew 9:27-30, Matthew 15:22-28, Philippians 2:27, Hebrews 4:15-16, Mark 5:18-19, and Habakkuk 3:2. These verses show that God responds mercifully to people who seek Him in faith and need.
Why does Jesus care about our suffering?
Jesus understands human suffering. No Scripture of the Bible speaks of Jesus ever being physically sick. But He Himself lived on earth as a man and experienced weakness, sorrow, pain, rejection, and suffering. Hebrews 4 teaches that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. The Gospels repeatedly show His compassion toward hurting people. His mercy flows from His loving and compassionate nature. And that kindness and love for us certainly motivates Him to extend to the sick His healing touch.
Can emotional suffering also be brought to Jesus?
Yes. Jesus cares not only about physical sickness, but also about emotional pain, grief, fear, discouragement, anxiety, and spiritual struggles. The Lord invites hurting people to come to Him for mercy, comfort, strength, peace, and help. Many believers have experienced the comforting, liberating presence of Christ bringing victory from seasons of emotional suffering and deep personal need.
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Check out our featured sermon on "Divine Healing for Today"
For a short version, check out our Healing Scriptures for the Sick: A Powerful One-page List
Build your faith for healing further with our extensive list of Healing Scriptures
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Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.