On Healing
I am trying to “unpack” my thoughts on healing. Mind you, I have no brilliant or inspired ideas to share, just some reflections. I have seen very few “miraculous” or sudden healings. My mom is said to have been healed of an inward goiter and went home and threw away her medicine, never to be bothered with it again. I also heard the story of dad on his deathbed with pneumonia, the doctor said to call their pastor to come and pray with him. Suddenly, dad sat up, asked for food, and lived to be 96 years old. I was in the hospital with measles and pneumonia as a 2 year old. I guess I am grateful to be here today. I was present when my mother in law was being healed of a mysterious fever at their church. Her doctor had no idea what it was or what to do, and said, “If I were a younger man, I would stay up all night researching this.” She was being anointed, and suddenly stiffened and gently laid down on the floor. She went home, went to bed and was never bothered with it again. I also recall when one of my grandchildren was small, she burned her hand on a flame heater at Panera bread. Her doctor put medication on it, wrapped it, and said to get back with him in a week to see how it was doing. My daughter and her husband prayed urgently, and the next day, while changing the wrap, noticed there was no sign that it had ever been burned; no redness, no blistering — nothing.
What is my interest in all of this? Some time back I had deliberately lost a significant amount of weight, around 55 pounds. Before that, a sinus infection was a fairly common, and extremely miserable thing. Accompanying these was usually a severe cough. I lived on cough drops, cough syrup, anything that would help. Once a few years ago, my cough got so bad, I actually fractured some ribs. I would beg, beg, and plead with God to relieve me of this. I got over them eventually, usually with the help of antibiotics, but it always took a while. I got to wondering, why does not God just touch me and relieve me? I totally get that sinus infections and severe coughs are not nearly as serious as some things listed above — I totally get that. I am of the opinion that God cares about our lives and wants to help. However, he must have something else in mind. Maybe I was asking for something that was already taking place.
Why do healings happen, and sometime, not at all, or not quickly anyway? Paul himself prayed to have his “thorn in the flesh” removed. It was never removed. He was told that, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Why did a family member suffer for two years before dying at 46 of brain cancer? A long time friend from my college days died of a heart attack at 46. Why was a beloved great niece of mine so cruelly killed on the interstate highway in Florida in February of ’21 at age 19? Philip Yancey says that these are WHY questions that will not go away. He also said there is no clear answer.
Many times I am reminded of what Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble.” He could have stopped there, but he continued, “Fear not, for I have overcome the world.”
God’s sovereignty, a reason we can’t comprehend yet, His will, all of these come to mind, but offer no comfort. Faith may be part of it, but an illustration on Facebook recently said an umbrella cannot stop the rain but it allows us to stand in the rain. Faith in God may not remove our trials but it gives us strength to overcome them. One place in the gospels states that Jesus could do no miracles because of their lack of faith. What should we have faith in?
Also on Facebook was the prayer of the old farmer, who did not like buttermilk, or flour, or lard, but he loved what happened when you mix them together — nice warm biscuits. When hard times come, or stuff we don’t like, hang in there, God is mixing something that will far outweigh what we are going through now.
God is invested in our development more than our comfort. He trusts us to handle it (Kyle Peters, Every Bush Afire). Is this part of the reason? Is this where I am now?
God wants to be our deliverer, but more so, he wants to empower us. (Peters)
The bottom line seems to be to trust and give him thanks anyway — no matter. That’s hard, but probably necessary.
