Can we ask GOD to heal us? Can we ask GOD to give us material things?

These are some questions that caught my interest

Act 3:6 But Peter said: Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.

By inference we can understand that GOD does want to heal us.

Jesus never denied healng anyone. He never turned anyone away who came to HIM for healing. He performed this healing to lead someone to HIM. My belief however, when it comes to material requests, it is a completely different matter.

We who claim to have already met Christ need to look at this deeper.
Yes, we can seek healing. We should then question our motives for this healing. Do we want the healing in order to have a closer walk with Christ? Is our motive the love for God or the love of the healing.

Some food for thought:
Jesus is the potter and we are the clay. Do we really believe this? Of course, Christ tells us we can ask for healing. But do we believe Christ is THE POTTER or that GOD is the VINEDRESSER.

“Mat 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Now this is what we hang on to…… We claim this scripture. GOD is sitting with a magic wand waiting for our bidding. While this is not wrong in its self, it takes for granted certain requirements.

Some things we often close our eyes to.
1. We have to have a relationship with GOD.
2. We spend time with GOD every day at least 30 minutes out of justice which is what we owe GOD and above that we need to spend more time out of Charity, just because we love GOD.
3. We be surrendered to GODs will for us. We would accept a NO
4. We recognise the voice of GOD. I know many claim to recognise this voice of HIS. However, Till we are confident of our method of recognising the voice of GOD we need spiritual direction to confirm that we are right. This requires humility. A prerequisite to the kingdom of GOD
5. We need a spiritual director. Someone who can see things from outside. We need guidance. We need Humility for we approach Holy Ground and cannot look upon a Holy GOD.

If we fulfil the above we will have faith and know how and what to ask of GOD.

We get carried away with emotions and feelings. If the praise and worship is good, we feel anointed. We are there for the feeling not the creator. A rock show makes people feel good as well, it does not mean the people are anointed. We have a vision of heaven being a happy place. What do we know about happiness in heaven? Only that we will feel happy, in our minds our body responds in a particular way. We know this as a feeling and emotion we call it happiness. However, remember we will die and this body returns to dust. So, the happiness we will feel in heaven is totally different. Why did I make this comment? I make it because GOD is Spirit (Joh 4:24 GOD is a spirit: and they that adore HIM must adore HIM in spirit and in truth.) We do not worship HIM only with feelings we worship HIM with Spirit. As we grow closer to HIM, GOD will speak to us Spirit to spirit. There are no bodily feelings involved. When we pray like this, we will hear the voice of GOD. We better practice because this is something we have never done consciously.

Now this below is what we could lack in our walk with GOD we claim one promise and don’t want anything to do with the other. We do not seek GODs will in various situations of our life. We ask GOD to bless our plans.

Rom 9:21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?
Jn 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

GOD moulds us into HIS image. GOD prunes us and when we bear fruit this process can be painful. If we do not bear fruit, we are taken away.
Very often we don’t want to be moulded and we don’t want the pain of pruning. We ask GOD to take the situation away.

In our walk with GOD as a Christian, since we are subject to HIS will, whatever happens to us comes from GOD you can reject this but it does not alter this fact. In the world we have terms for things that happen, like LUCK, COINCIDENCE or KARMA in the worldly life we no longer hear the word GOD WILLING being spoken. But as a Christian everything is good and comes from GOD. period. He will use these situations to mould us and to prune us into what he planned for us to become. (We said yes and gave HIM permission when we accepted HIM as Lord of your life) Sadly we pray instead for deliverance from many difficult situations. For example, if we dislike our job, we will not let GOD work in us and mould us through this situation and lead us in his time. We ask instead for a new job, we apply and when we get the job we graciously say its GOD given. We do not seek GOD’s direction as to which school or college we need to put our kids into we pay for the best, we choose the school. we mould our child into what we believe to be the best in our eyes often based on what the world teaches us, instead of letting GOD make this decision for us. For the world has taught us its values and we hang on to this even while professing ourselves Christians. We choose the King (rulers of this world who tells us we need the best we need money) We will reject GOD’s choice; like the Israelites we reject GOD as our ruler and guide. Long live the king. We may never even ask HIM guidance for fear of HIS choice.

Though we can pray for healing, we can accept sickness as well. Many saints have done this and died of their ailments accepting them from GOD. We often fear death so we want GOD to wave HIS wand and heal us. We do not ask HIM out of love for HIM and because it will draw us closer to HIM. We ask HIM because we want to live. We want the healing not the healer.

My mother was diagnosed with cancer around 2015, when she heard this, she said it was now time to go to her creator. she refused treatment and chemo. A lot of pressure was put on her by well-meaning doctors and friends. She however just took palliative care. Three years into her sickness she fell and got bed ridden. When I asked the doctors the same ones who suggested treatment, how long she would live they told me they cannot say anything because she had not taken any operation and chemo, her body was not weak like she would have been after treatment. She lived 5 years after being diagnosed with cancer and died peacefully with me being at home that day. She never had to face covid as she died just before the outbreak. She did not need to pray for healing she prayed for GODs will to be done. In her words, she was waiting for GODs train to arrive at the platform so that she could board it.

Quotations from the book (The Ways of Mental Prayer)
Whether we are in consolation or in desolation, let us submit ourselves with confidence to GOD’s treatment. According to an expression of St. Francis of Sales, we must accept everything without fear from the hand of GOD, whether from the right hand or from the left; from the right consolations, from the left desolations; for GOD, like a father, as loving as He is wise, always intends our greater good.

St. Teresa, treating of vocal prayer (or rather of vocal prayer meditated), and starting from the principle that GOD dwells in the just soul as in a magnificent palace and a little paradise, highly praises what she calls the prayer of active recollection. We close our bodily eyes; and the soul, collecting together all her powers, enters into herself with GOD. She ceases not to look upon HIM interiorly while the lips are reciting some pious prayer, and, knowing for certain that He is quite near, and that she has no need to cry out aloud, she speaks to HIM lovingly and noiselessly as to her Father, her Brother, her Spouse, her Lord. Since GOD is ever within us the saint exhorts her daughters not to leave such an august companion alone; she wishes them to look at HIM while speaking to HIM; it is the means to excite attention, to inflame devotion, and to prepare the soul for a higher kind of prayer. She declares that she herself never knew what it was to pray with satisfaction until the day that GOD taught her to act in this way. This is a method which depends on our will, and though we had to spend six months or a whole year in acquiring it neither our time nor our trouble would be lost.

As you see Prayer is more than just words its part of a relationship with GOD

These are my personal views, I do not claim that they are from GOD, I encourage you to discover for yourself what is right and what is wrong. I am sure GOD leads you as well.