Does God heal people divinely? yes. Is it his will for every sick believer to be healed? I don't think so. A pastor at one of Tulsa's large churches who strongly advocates for believing in divine healing passed away recently. He was not healed, and it got me thinking more about God's plan in our lives. There are those who believe that it is God's will for every believer to be healed of disease. I don't see how you can believe in this line of thinking when there are scriptures that say such things as "In this world you will have trials, many and bitter" and the overwhelming theme is that in this life we are resident aliens and that our true home is in the eternal...
God wants us to mature and to love him for more than for the good things that we get from him. How are we ever to advance to this level in our Christian walk if we are not faced with unanswered calls for relief from suffering, whether from disease or other? If God answers every cry for relief, then we would never know if the love we have for him is a true love for him... or just a love for the good things that we get from him.
I do believe in divine healing! But logically extended, if God healed every disease affecting a believer, some people would not die, because it is not the normal functioning of the body to die, that is the product of disease or dysfunction, the very thing people pray for divine healing from. So, if God kept healing someone of cancer or heart disease there should be some little old church lady who is about 700 years old and riding up to heaven on a chariot of fire! And I do not hear of this happening. Moreover, God can and is glorified when Christians suffer in disease and in death. The salvation of souls is a priority over physical health.
All that to say, I do believe that God at times does divinely heal, but my faith is not IN divine healing... my faith is IN God. I will not be let down or disheartened if divine healing is not in God's plan for my wife. He will help us, just as he has helped many other people, to rise above physical affliction and persevere. The spirit can conquer any suffering. Purpose and love can diminish pain. God has never left us and his love is evident. He is growing my character and maturing my love.
Scriptures to back up this line of thinking:
Psalm 51:8 "Let me be happy and joyful! You crushed my bones, now let them celebrate."
2 Timothy 4:20 "erastus stayed at Corinth. Trophimus was sick when I left im at Miletus." Paul didn't even talk about praying for or healing Trophimus who was trying to do God's work.
Romans 8:28 "We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him."
Romans 5:3-4 "we know that these troubles produce patience. and patience produces character."
Philipians 4:13 "Christ gives me the strength to face anything."
Romans 8:17 "we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory."
dngilb md
Its interesting that you write on this topic. Most of my friends would like to agree that God heals. I grew up to believe that all good things are of God and all bad things are of the devil.
ReplyDeleteNow, I dont believe any of that. I think it is our way of not accepting that life is cyclical, cells break down and die and eventually we will die. Its life, its what happen with every living organism, and its worse with any man made item.
We can choose to accept illness and death and make the best of it, or we can choose to blame someone else.
As someone who grew up in the Church, I now dont even believe it is necessary to pray, however, if it makes you feel better, like meditating or exercising, then by all means pray. I still believe very much that there is a God, but I dont think God's purpose is to guide and protect people from all harm. I think God's purpose in our lives was to give us a brain to think a heart to feel, a conscience to guide us and a mind to evaluate things. This is what is supreme about God, because man cannot control the mind, people's emotion, their thoughts, etc.
If we think that God intervenes for everything, is it not fair to say that God will prevent a fish from being caught (which means it will die)? To believe that God intervenes and let good things happen is to believe that God stands by and permit bad things to happen as well.
This is just my humble opinion.
God is good. and most pain and suffering is a product of the devil or evil in the world... a product of the fall... but it was allowed by God because God knew it would happen even before he created the universe. so is God bad? no.
ReplyDeleteso if a good God created a world in which he knew there would be pain, that can only mean that not all pain and suffering is bad. or he is not truly omnipotent... or you the reader has devastatingly incorrect assumptions about what omnipotence really means or what the definition of good truly is.
if you haven't read CS Lewis's "The problem of pain" you must. you have a philosophical problem with pain that will SEVERELY limit your relationship with the creator of the universe and prevent a life of riches... (note... a life of riches will indeed be full of pain as well. as mine is. but ignoring the truth doesn't lead to happiness... it leads to death.) Because God is good... and prayer is not something that is optional to "make you feel good" you are missing out because you are limiting God by your current conception of who/what He is.
harsh words? you may think so, but if you read the book, your eyes will likely be opened as mine were approximately 1 year before God allowed pain to enter my life. It prepared me for the battle I am now going through... and if I had not been prepared, I wouldn't be winning this battle... nay, God wouldn't be winning this battle in my heart.
david.