There are many ways healing is provided, and when the elders of the Church are called to pray for someone's healing, it's the faith of the Elders, the ones doing the praying, that is the key!

It's interesting that throughout the gospels Jesus NEVER even suggested that the faith (or lack of it) of the person who was sick should be a barrier to their healing.

1. He showed that if they had enough faith they could TAKE their healing as in the case with the woman with the issue of blood.

Mark 5:27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

2. He also showed that once they had asked elders to pray for them to be healed the responsibility for having faith for healing fell onto the elders. We can see this when a man brought his son to Jesus' disciples to be healed.

Matthew 17:16 "I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

So in this case Jesus tells the disciples, the ones praying for the miracle, that their unbelief was the problem. Unbelief had negated their faith.

We notice in the above case the disciples asked why THEY could not heal the boy and that's what Jesus focussed on. There's no question in the scriptures of God not wanting to heal 'in his sovereign will' or the boy's faith being a problem. Jesus only ever said that faith was required by those praying for the sick and also those hanging around looking to see the miracle; guardians, the general crowd or the townsfolk.

3. Which brings us to the problem of the 'faith' of the gathered crowd!

Speaking of another time and location the scriptures tell us this regarding the area of Nazareth.

Mark 6:5 And he (Jesus) could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.

Jesus marvelled that the unbelief of the people of His hometown could be so high that it limited what God's Spirit could do to help them. So this is the second area to watch out for when praying for the sick.

I can see that unbelief can turn up in many disguises; because of wrong knowledge; because of fear; because of past experiences; and perhaps others; and we have to watch out for it when we pray for healing or a miracle or when we attend where people are praying for the sick.

The good thing is that once we know either our unbelief or the unbelief of others around us can be a problem then WE can draw close to God; point EVERYONE to the source of all faith, 'God' and learn how to remove the unbelief so that we can be of more help to those for whom we pray. Then we can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ and access His faith without unbelief! Thus even our mustard seed of faith, without doubt being a factor, will be able to do the miracles that Jesus did. And, Jesus said that with growth we will do even greater things!

It'll be great when we allow God's plans for us to come together!