Do Believers Ever “Lose” a Cancer Battle?

A few ago years ago the wife of a well-known faith healer called me through her friend to ask questions about my healing in 2003 from one of the most deadly cancers, Stage IV metastatic melanoma. Her husband was fighting it at the time. She eventually took the phone and said, “Dozens of the best faith healers from all over the world have come here thinking they had a word from God to come and heal him. He only gets worse and is about to die. If faith is what it takes for healing, he would have been healed a long, long time ago!”

I told her I believe God undoubtedly heals on this side and healing is His default based on the prayer in 3 John 1-2 which surely reflects God’s will: “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” Yet I told her I also believe He heals on the other side as well. She agreed. Her husband had a short remission, and soon after was called home to be with the Lord.

My heart goes out to this dear woman and the loved ones of thousands of cancer patients for whom I have prayed “the prayer of faith” believing God would heal (James 5:13-16). Yet the Lord still took them home. Many of these believers had an amazing confidence that God not only would them, but that He had already healed them.

So did this faith healer and my friends “lose” their battles with cancer? No, I don’t believe so at all, and there are several verses that explain the why of an “early” death of one of God’s righteous ones.

• Isaiah 57:1-2 – “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil. He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, each one who walked in his upright way.” I think this explains much of the “mystery” of why people are not healed on this side! God is sparing them from further suffering and anguish of this life. By the way, don’t let that words “righteous” throw you as under the New Covenant we are MADE righteous through faith in Christ – more here on His GIFT of righteousness.
• Psalm 116:3-15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones.” Please note the Psalmist also proclaims in this same Psalm in verse 3, “The cords of death encompassed me” (verse 3); and “O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!” (v 4); and “For You have rescued my soul from death” (v 8); and “I shall walk before the Lord In the land of the living.” (v 9). Still, he acknowledges in the end that God delights to have His kids with Him… in-person! Perhaps we see the passing of our loved ones too much from our vantage point and not enough from God’s.
• Hebrews 11:13 & 11:39-40 – “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” Clearly, God considers earthly promises fulfilled even if their fulfillment comes after a person’s death. I believe this includes the healing promise of Jesus carrying away our infirmities (sicknesses) which is first stated in Isaiah 53 and fulfilled in Matthew 8:16-17.
• Romans 8:36-39 – “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, … is able to separate us from the love of God.” His love and conquering power in our lives extends to all circumstances, even our deaths!

These verses are why we can say we ALWAYS win through Christ. Consider the “Win-Win-Win” of the Believer: God either 1) Heals us here, 2) Heals us there, or 3) Gives us more than enough grace until He heals us!