A
positive approach towards healing is
needed. We should have faith in the promises of God when we pray for
healing—or when we affirm healing
in Jesus’ name. *
However,
in reality, not everyone gets
healed. This we already know from our own experience and that of our friends or
family members. Even those who minister in supernatural healing are perplexed as
to why God does not heal in every case.
Double-mindedness?
Aren’t
we being double-minded when we pray
for healing and, at the back of our minds, we harbour this thought that we (or
the one being prayed for) might not be healed?
No,
we are not being double-minded. Believing
in a God who heals doesn't give us the right to arm-twist Him and demand
that He heals in every case and on every occasion. For we are merely the clay. He
is the Potter.
Factors affecting outcome
There are more factors
affecting healing outcome than we care to think about––and God’s sovereignty is one of them. Another factor is the reality that we will die one day. On
that day, of course, we won’t be healed. The consequences of the Fall (Adam’s original
sin)––degeneration, disease and death––are all inescapable.
Undeniably, there are seniors who look and
feel healthy up till the end. But we need to bear in mind that, internally, organ
damage has already occurred. When people die something has to fail in the body.
Often it is the heart. Sometimes it is the brain, kidney or liver. People don't
live forever because our body is progressively degenerating since birth––whether we are believers or not. This fact is
consistent with both the Bible and medical science.
That
is why we are told to remember our Creator before our faculties
slow down and fail us, when we won't be able to give of our best to God even if
we wanted to (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7).
God, being sovereign, does not heal always. And
we cannot possibly fathom why some remain unhealed. Many disabled people
gathered round the pool of Bethesda. But Jesus chose to demonstrate His healing
virtue to one invalid (John 5:2-9).
Below (in blue) are
excerpts from: http://rev-ed.blogspot.com/2006/02/when-god-doesnt-heal.html
“Joni Erickson Tada
was paralyzed in an accident as a teenager. She prayed in faith many, many
times, and has written about those experiences. So why is she still in a
wheelchair? Why does Billy Graham have Parkinson's? Why do men and women of God
wear glasses or walk with canes?”
“God is glorified by
healing, sure, and I've seen it happen. But God is also glorified through a
life well-lived in spite of debilitating injury or a damaging illness. I know
that I am inspired by a Christian whose faith is not destroyed even if their
normal "healthy" body is. Praise God that He is thus glorified!”
God does not answer
all our whys this side of eternity when we’re confronted with
non-healing—even when all the
prerequisites have been fulfilled for supernatural healing. His thoughts and
ways are higher than that of ours.
Separate issues
As believers who seek healing, we must be clear in our minds the difference between these two issues: Maintaining a positive approach to healing and the actual outcome in real life.
Believing
in a God who heals doesn't mean He will heal in every case. And knowing He
does not heal in every instance doesn't mean we should stop praying for healing (or
stop commanding healing in Jesus’ name).
Not
every plane which takes off from the runway lands safely at the intended
destination Yet most of us have no qualms about air travel.
By
the same token, we shouldn't stop commanding healing or praying for healing just because things might
not turn out according to our wishes.
* A POSITIVE APPROACH TO HEALING
By
faith, we rest in the promises of God when we seek healing: He is Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:26)—God our healer.
When we are sick or
minister to those who are sick, what approach should we adopt?
·
Remove
hindrances to healing––unconfessed sin, unbelief.
·
Seek miraculous
healing and medical treatment which are not mutually exclusive.
·
Wait upon God.
·
Acknowledge His
sovereignty. Commit the results to God.
·
When miraculous
healing does not occur, do not put the blame on the sick.
·
Be open-minded about
miraculous healing without medical intervention.
·
Don’t try to figure it
out––God’s ways are beyond us.
·
His peace and presence
will comfort us when all else fails.
RELATED POSTS
WHEN GOD DOES NOT HEAL
DON'T TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT
HEALING VERSUS SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
MEDICINE AND SUPERNATURAL HEALING
WHEN SICKNESS STRIKES
http://limpohann.blogspot.com/2012/05/when-sickness-strikes.html
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