Christians hold a wide range of opinions on the topic of healing, from believing that God always heals—if we have faith—to denying that God performs miracles today, and everything in between. I’m not here to answer the question of whether God heals or not. Instead, I want to address those who are disappointed or disillusioned because they expected a healing that never came.

As I wondered how to reconcile the Bible’s promises of healing with the reality that not everyone who prays for healing experiences it, I came across Malachi 4:2. This passage helped me see something I had never noticed before.

The context is the coming “day of judgment,” when Jesus will return to judge the earth. But those who “fear his name” will get to meet their Lord Jesus, who is described as the “Sun of Righteousness… with healing in his wings.”

I don’t know why so many of us never experience healing during our lifetime. However, this verse makes one thing very clear—whatever healing doesn’t happen while we’re walking the earth will instantly take place when Christ returns.

The verse goes on to paint a beautiful picture of the joy that will explode at that moment. I’ve seen several short films on social media of cows and calves who were released from confinement and led into a field for the first time in their lives. They responded by leaping and running all over the field, bursting with joy.

I imagine my mother, who was confined to a wheelchair for the last few years of her life, running around and jumping up and down from the sheer delight of being made whole again. Untold millions will erupt in a deafening roar, rejoicing at being delivered from all their afflictions—both mental and physical. What a beautiful day that will be!

Yes, we want to be healed now. However, if you’ve prayed for healing but haven’t been restored to health, don’t lose heart. The day will come when Jesus brings healing to all His followers, restoring both our minds and bodies.