Here on earth anyway…
I know the statement is startling but it’s true. If this rocks your little Christian world, then maybe you’re not the kind of Christian you’re supposed to be.
The truth is we don’t follow God or live for God so we can be healed or even to be prosperous like He is our golden ticket to easy living. God wants us all to live in a way to be prosperous and healthy but just because we get sick or suffer doesn’t mean we have a free get out of jail card.
It’s through our sickness and our suffering that we see how frail and limited we are removing any pride or arrogance we may have developed. It’s through our pain and groaning that we cultivate compassion toward others who are suffering. It’s only when we are weak that we are strong through Christ. If we never knew weakness we would never need His strength or see how He can care for us in spite of it.
We get sick because of sin. Not our sin specifically but because Adam and Eve sinned. Sin breeds corruption and corruption brings death. Sometimes we do get sick because of our sin but that’s a whole different story in itself.
“Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.” That’s what Paul, a disciple of God with the gift of healing others states in 2 Tim 4:20. Clearly Paul, a man who was no stranger to driving out disease was no match for whatever ailment plagued poor Trophimus. I am sure Paul prayed over him but he still “left him” sick.
Again with his own spiritual son, Paul gives advice to Timothy because of his “weak” stomach and other sicknesses. “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” 1 Tim 5:23. Obviously, complete healing never came to Timothy and he struggled like many of us do today.
Even Paul himself had a thorn in the flesh that he asked God to remove three times only to be reminded that God’s grace was sufficient for him. Paul writes in 2 Cor 12:7-10 “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
So God does say no sometimes and doesn’t give a reason why. But He really doesn’t have to give a reason, does He? After all, He is God and “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) There is no special prayer or specific antidote to having God heal us because at the end of it all it’s as He sees fit. Sometimes he says yes right away, other times we have to fight for years for our healing and sometimes He just says no.
That doesn’t mean we stop praying or stop believing because healing is possible! In fact, I believe the Lord himself would be quite disappointed with us if we didn’t increase our faith to believe in healing for ourselves or others. But no matter how it turns out or for how long, we need to trust that God knows what he’s doing and there’s a bigger purpose and plan in it all. We may not see it or even understand but this is true Christianity. Jesus didn’t want to die on the cross either. He didn’t do anything to deserve it. He begged for hours for God the Father to spare him as it shows us in Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” But no matter what the answer was, Jesus was ready to do what he needed to and save us, his brothers and sisters.
Being sick is hard. Being in pain is torture. Watching those we love be sick and pass on is heart wrenching agony. It’s not God’s fault this happened on earth but He did make a way out. He could of destroyed all of humanity because of Adam and Eve’s selfishness and pride. He could have ended human life itself right then or after our own death. But He didn’t. He created a new plan. Maybe not here on earth but there is a place where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:4). That IS our promise if we live our lives trusting Him and living for Him. Because of God’s sacrifice we will go to live on for eternity with those we have loved here on earth with no sickness, pain or disease ever again.
Becoming Invincible 