To fully know God, we must know Him as the Healer. Exodus 15:26 says, "For I am the LORD who heals you."

If we don't know the Lord as our Healer, we are missing a major dimension of our relationship with Him. Healing was important to God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Importance To The Father
The Holy Spirit inspired John to write and tell us that healing is the will of the Father:

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
(3 John 2)

It's necessary that we understand healing is always God's will. It is also recorded that Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).

Importance Of Healing To The Son
As we follow Jesus through the Gospels, we find He ministered healing in many different situations. His compassion for the sick was constantly evident. Healing was a large part of His ministry:

Then a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." And Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
(Mark 1:40-41)

Healing was also important to Jesus because He came to do the Father's will:

Then I said, "Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God."
(Heb. 10:7)

As Jesus went about healing people, He was doing the will of the Father:

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
(Matt. 9:35)

The Importance Of Healing To The Holy Spirit
Healing is important to the Holy Spirit and part of the purpose for His anointing. In Luke, we read how the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to heal the brokenhearted.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed."

The Holy Spirit also anointed Jesus to heal those oppressed by the devil:

...How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
(Acts 10:38)

Healing Confirms The Word Of God
Healing is also important because it's the Lord's way of confirming His Word to a lost and dying world.

Mark 16:20 says, "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs."

The world today needs Jesus. God has commissioned us to go everywhere with accompanying signs to confirm His Word. Casting out demons and healing the sick will help open the eyes of people to the truth of the gospel.

Did Jesus Suffer in Vain?
If we don't minister healing to the sick, then some of the suffering that Jesus bore on His body was in vain:

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
(Isa. 53:5)

When we ignore what God's Word says about healing, we are ignoring the grace of God. We are making the suffering—the stripes—Jesus bore for our healing of no effect.

The Bible says in Galatians 2:21: "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."

Healing Is Important Because It Saves Lives!
Healing can save your life, the lives of your family, and your friends. The prophet Hosea wrote, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6).

Healing for our body and soul is a provision God made for us. We, like David, should not die but live long and healthy lives as witnesses for Jesus: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD" (Ps. 118:17).

The revelation of healing in God's Word has kept many from dying early:

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
(James 5:14-15)

Healing Is Part Of The Great Commission
Healing was an important part of the training and ministry of Jesus' disciples and followers. Just as Jesus went about healing the sick, He commanded the 12 disciples to do the same:

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
(Matt. 10:1,7-8)

Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will do the same works that He did. Healing must be important to us if we are to actually do what Jesus did.

Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father" (John 14:12).

Jesus said we will minister healing and do miracles just like He did. Laying hands on the sick and ministering healing is part of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to all believers. He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).

And Jesus' final commandment was this:

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
(Mark 16:15-18)

Jesus' last words to His believers weren't suggestions—they were commandments!

Healing the sick is important if we are to be truly obedient.

Source: God's Provision For Healing by Dr. A.L. and Joyce Gill.
Excerpt permission granted by Powerhouse Publishing