“Preaching the Gospel means seeing signs and wonders,” Dr. Healy says. “Healing is meant to be commonplace in the life of the Church. But they only happen when we’re evangelizing and bringing Christ to others. We must deny ourselves for the sake of others, as Christ did. It’s crucially important for all of us; that is the Christian life.”

It’s a life Dr. Healy knows well.

Her journey in healing began nine years ago. As Professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Dr. Healy was preparing for a sabbatical semester when the Lord put a new intention into her heart.

“He made it clear He wanted me to study healing,” she says. “As part of my studies I went on a two-week mission to Brazil with a group called Global Awakening. The group is led by Dr. Randy Clark, who is a wonderful, humble, godly man who sees remarkable healings in his ministry.”

Dr. Clark’s challenge to Christians is simple: he believes that “God uses the little ol’ me’s of the world to do amazing things…. if you are willing to take a risk with God, he will use you to awaken others to all that Jesus is.”

It’s the powerful yes Dr. Healy also emphasizes in her teaching of scripture.

“We have to contemporize these stories of healing,” Dr. Healy says. “These stories aren’t ancient history, they’re all about what the Lord is still doing today. Christ has given us a share in his authority to heal. It’s He who heals, but he chooses to make us His instruments.”

And while Dr. Healy had seen minor healings before, she was not prepared for the power of what she observed during her two-week mission with Dr. Clark.

“Every day there were healings. Conversions. Powerful encounters with the Lord,” she says. “Lives were absolutely transformed. When I returned home, I felt compelled by the Lord not only to speak about it as a witness, but to step out in faith myself and pray for healing in a public setting.”

Although Dr. Healy now conducts healing services a dozen or so times each year, she still remembers taking her first risk in faith.

“It was the scariest thing I’d ever done,” she says today. “It’s risky to pray for specific healings in front of a crowd. Faith becomes faith when you’re putting yourself on the line. You’re asking God to show up, and if he doesn’t, you will appear foolish. But the amazing thing is, He does. He shows up in ways that are amazing and powerful and effective.”

During her first healing service, many people reported immediate changes in their physical well-being. But what stays with Dr. Healy is the testimony of the event’s next speaker.

“He came to the microphone weeping, and explained that he was suddenly able to hear in his left ear, after sustaining a soccer injury months before,” she says. “We all felt the power of the work God was doing in that room.”

Is every prayer for healing answered?

“Absolutely,” Dr. Healy says. “With God, there are only two possible answers: yes, or later. His answer is never, ‘No I don’t want you healed.’ It may be not until the Resurrection on the last day, but full and complete healing is certain for those who believe in Him.

“The Lord wants it more than we do. We don’t have to convince him.”