He Healed Them All
Lala Sorenson. December 2021. Charlotte NC
My family spent this month reading accounts of Jesus Christ’s miracles as we counted down the days to Christmas. Through the lives and experiences of those who witnessed and were blessed by His miracles, we gained a deeper understanding of who He is. Many of these miracles involved healing the sick. He gave sight to the blind, restored hearing, caused the lame to walk, healed the leprous, and even raised the dead.
Today, I would like to speak about two miracles that have shaped my testimony of who Jesus Christ is.
In Luke 4:40 we read:
“When the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.”
And in Luke 6:19:
“And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.”
I would like to emphasize the phrases “He laid his hands on every one of them” and “healed them all.”
The first miracle occurred about four years ago when I traveled to California to spend a week with my best friend. Her doctor had told her she had about two months to live. She had been battling cancer for nearly two years and had undergone chemotherapy, radiation, a double mastectomy, and brain surgery—all to no avail. She was clearly dying and preparing to leave behind her husband and her two- and four-year-old daughters.
She had received many priesthood blessings, all pronouncing healing. Well-meaning friends suggested that if she only had enough faith, she would be healed. Her family and friends fasted and prayed repeatedly. Our entire stake in the Philippines fasted for her healing. I believe there was sufficient faith, yet the miracle we all pleaded for did not come.
Her parting words to me as I left for the airport were, “See you in the next life.” She passed away a little over two months later.
Some may ask: Where was the healing pronounced in those priesthood blessings? Where was the miracle? In Luke 6:19, it says the Lord healed them all—so why not my friend? At some point in our lives, many of us ask similar questions. Why not heal me, or the one I love? If Jesus raised the dead, why not keep my loved one from dying?
Shortly before we recorded video messages for her daughters, my friend and I offered a prayer together. We asked for peace and comfort—and we witnessed the miracle the Lord intended to give her.
As we began to pray, an overwhelming peace enveloped us. It was as if a bright light had been turned on instantly, leaving no darkness at all. The peace was immediate, real, powerful, tangible, and beyond description. After the prayer, we paused and asked each other, “Do you feel that?” We both did.
In the darkest moment of her life, the Lord gave her the strength she needed to do what mattered most to her. Days earlier, she had been fearful and burdened with worry, believing the Lord was punishing her for past mistakes. But on that day, she was filled with love and comfort from the Savior.
She told me she understood why she had to go through those trials. She said she felt forgiven, at peace, and ready to go. While we were all pleading for a miracle to heal her physical body, the Lord gave her something far greater—a healing of her soul, a healing that extends beyond this life.
I witnessed that miracle. Though her world was collapsing, she was filled with peace, joy, and hope.
That day, we also witnessed the truth of Nephi’s testimony in 1 Nephi 18:21, after he had been bound by his brothers for four days:
“And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.”
I testify that the Lord has the power to calm the storms in our lives. Sometimes, like Nephi, we must endure the storm for days or months. Sometimes, as in my friend’s case, until our final breath. But in God’s time and wisdom, through Christ and His Atonement, we will all experience that great calm.
The second miracle I would like to speak about is what I call the miracle of the cross.
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught in his October 2021 General Conference address, “The Greatest Possession”:
“Come unto your Savior. Come completely and wholeheartedly. Take up your cross, however heavy it may be, and follow Him. When difficult things are asked of us, even things contrary to the longings of our hearts, remember that the loyalty we pledge to the cause of Christ is to be the supreme devotion of our lives.”
The crosses we carry come in many forms. Some are temporary; some last a long time; some remain for a lifetime. We may carry crosses of loneliness, regret, illness, financial strain, or emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical burdens—often several at once. In every case, the commandment remains the same: we are to carry our cross and follow Christ.
Not long ago, I cried almost every day for two weeks, pleading with God to take away the pain I was feeling. I did not want it. It was straining my family and eroding my testimony of the Church and of Christ’s apostles. The cross of polygamy felt unbearable. I was angry at the actions of past leaders and on the brink of leaving the Church altogether. I was miserable, constantly arguing with my husband, and deeply worried for my young children.
I prayed for days without relief—until one day, my prayer changed.
“Heavenly Father, I don’t like this pain. Please take it away. I have been hurting for so long, and I can’t take it anymore. I despise polygamy, and I don’t want to be part of it. Please give me answers. Please tell me why.”
Then I added, “I am willing to wait. I will not leave the Church. I will wait until You are ready to give me answers—however long that takes. But please take this pain away.”
Immediately, the pain I had carried for weeks was lifted from my heart and mind. I was enveloped in peace and love, accompanied by the words, “Everything will be okay.” I did not receive answers that day. In truth, I still do not have them. But the Lord removed the burden.
He healed me. He preserved my family and my testimony. He made me whole. His assurance of peace, comfort, and joy—both in this life and the next—gave me the strength to move forward in faith. That day, I received my miracle of the cross.
In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus teaches:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
We are commanded to carry our crosses, but we are not required to carry them alone. Christ carried His cross so that He could succor us. I testify that through His Atonement, Jesus Christ has the power to heal our hearts, strengthen us to bear our burdens, and at times, carry them for us entirely.
God loves us and desires to bless us. He is the Master Healer. Often, miracles come after we choose faith and choose Him first. Sometimes we ask for miracles so that we may believe; yet I have learned that faith often precedes miracles. Frequently, the miracle He gives is not the one we expected—but peace is always present. Christ is the Prince of Peace, and His voice is known through the peace that comes by the power of the Holy Ghost.
As we face storms and carry our crosses, may we remember that we are not alone. Nephi testified in 1 Nephi 11:17:
“I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.”
Understanding every trial or receiving answers to every question is not a prerequisite for discipleship or eternal life. Christ’s healings and miracles, like our trials, come in many forms. May we have eyes to see the miracles He gives—even when they differ from what we hoped for.
Just as Christ “healed them all” in New Testament times, I testify that He will heal us all.
In 2 Nephi 8:3, we are promised:
“For the Lord shall comfort Zion… he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”
As we trust God’s love and rely on Christ and His Atonement, we will witness miracles. He has the power to make something beautiful out of what we offer Him—to transform the wildernesses of our lives into gardens.
I know that Jesus lives. He was born, He lived, and He died so that we may live through Him.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.