Healing = imparting total health & wholeness

The gift of healing is the divine strength or ability to act as an intermediary in faith, prayer, and by the laying on of hands for the healing of physical and mental illnesses.

Whereas all believers can “lay hands on the sick” and see them recover (see Mark 16:15-20), some believers have a unique ability to walk in this gift at a higher capacity. 

(The same thing is true of evangelism, by the way. Everyone can share their faith; some people have a higher effectiveness at doing so— it’s how the Spirit expresses Himself through them.)

That's a great way to understand the gifts, by the way. They're all available to each of us in some way. The Lord can work through any of us at any time in any way He chooses. However, in the same way our created design has specific strengths, so also do our gifts. There are likely one or two that you gravitate towards.

I used to believe this healing gift functioned only in the “miracle” sense. However, the more I read through the New Testament and the more I discover what Jesus did— and what He empowered His disciples to do— the more I believe that we need to expand our belief system regarding healing.

I know a physician, a family doctor, in my hometown whom I believe has the gift of healing. Sometimes, he prays for people and they are instantly healed; at other times he uses his training and imparts information and practical application to them that causes them to be healed over time. In either case, he has a higher percentage rate of “wellness” than the average doctor..

The gift of miracles is a related gift. I classify the difference as follows: 

For more on the gift of faith see Acts 3:1-10, Acts 9:32-35, Acts 28:7-10, 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28.