What You Need to Know About Healing by Harold J. Sala

What do you do when you are faced with sickness, suffering, those unexpected challenges?

Sala has written this book to encourage you, your family, and your church leaders.

The manner in which God brings healing is part of His sovereign dealing with you as an individual. Sometimes God brings healing supernaturally, immediately.

There are times when God works through the hands of skilled physicians. This Sala calls integrative healing. God brings healing through a combination of medical science and His grace in response to fervent prayer in faith.

There are times when God allows suffering. It is apparent, Sala writes, “that supernatural healing is not the way God intends to answer all our prayers to be healed.” (149) He looks at Paul's “thorn in the flesh,” pain, weakness and grace. The taste of His presence and goodness transforms pain to purpose. This Sala calls redemptive healing. He explains what one needs to do to turn pain and suffering into redemptive healing.

Sala provides an overview of how God brings healing. He goes through the Bible, reviewing the accounts of God healing and providing Scriptures that affirm God's power and purpose in healing. He looks at the healing acts of Jesus and those in the early church period, including those recorded by the early church fathers.

He notes that with the conversion of Constantine and the Milan Edict of 313, changes happened. “Slowly, over a long period spanning centuries, the church as a dynamic, living organism whose existence was demonstrated by its supernatural character including gifts of healing and the miraculous became an institution that vied for recognition and eventually political power.” (95) Christians transitioned to faith in science and accounts of healing are few.

Nonetheless, God heals and Sala gives several accounts of healing from the recent past. He writes, “I have demonstrated that God, on occasion, does intervene, bringing healing and health to some in such a manner that leaves no room for rational, human explanation.” (132)

He ends his book by giving eight steps to help find healing God's way. He adds an Addendum: Encouragement for Pastors and Church Leaders.

This is a very informative book. Sala thoroughly covers the complex subject of God and healing. Reading this book would be an encouragement to anyone experiencing sickness.

His last section really helps you understand God's purposes in healing and presents a good path of putting yourself in the right place to receive what God has for you.

Sala highlights, in the Addendum, the responsibility of church leaders with respect to healing. He suggests that this would be a good book for church leaders to read and discuss. I agree.

Harold J. Sala is founder and president of Guidelines International, Inc., a ministry helping believers be discipled and strengthened. He has written dozens of books and is the featured speaker on “Guidelines: A Five-Minute Commentary on Living,” a daily radio program. Find out more at www.guidelines.org.

B & H Books, 256 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from a publicity group for the purpose of this review.