Through the Fog: 6 Days of God's Goodness Amidst Physical Suffering, Chronic Pain, and Chronic Illnessமாதிரி

HEALING TRUTH

God’s heart is to heal us holistically.

DEVOTIONAL

“I’ve been listening to the song, Even if the Healing Doesn’t Come, by Kutless. “It’s really been helping me get through,” I texted my friend.

“My boyfriend doesn’t like that song. He believes God’s healing should always come, so he doesn’t agree with the song’s theology.” Her reply shot through the balloon of hope that had been holding me up.

During the darkest part of my fog, I questioned if it was worth it to live in so much pain. I doubted whether a God who existed could be good if He allowed me to endure such suffering. And yet, there were pieces of His Word I couldn’t get out of my heart, promises He had written into the fabric of my DNA that I couldn’t deny, and special nuggets of encouragement that always seemed to find me at just the right time to keep me going. Kutless’s song had been that recent buoy of encouragement to me, until my friend’s text.

My heart breaks right now because I know that so many of you can relate to my story above. I’ve heard more stories than I would like over the years about well-intentioned Christians telling those in the fog of physical suffering to have enough faith to be healed. This idea comes from passages like Hebrews 11:6 that says without faith it is impossible to please God, Jesus’ own statements that a person’s faith made them well (Luke 17:19, Luke 18:42), and passages like Matthew 13:58, where the Word specifically says that Jesus could not do any miracles in His hometown because of the people’s lack of faith.

There is too much Scripture about faith to deny where ‘faith healing’ gets its origins. But the problem with believing God always heals miraculously based on someone’s faith is that there is also ample evidence in Scripture that God doesn’t always heal people, even those who likely had great faith.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul talks about a ‘thorn in his side’ that God refuses to remove, even after he has asked Him to multiple times. Instead, God declares that His grace is sufficient for Paul amidst Paul’s limitations and frustration. Additionally, at the end of the day, the ultimate reality is that every single person Jesus miraculously healed would eventually experience death, including Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

The issue of healing is complex. While we may know some of the ingredients to heal, like faith and perseverance (Luke 11:9-10), we do not know all the ingredients. It would be wise for us not to judge others’ healing or lack thereof when we do not know precisely what is going on in their particular circumstances, both seen and unseen.

Regardless of where you find yourself today, we must acknowledge that God is a healer and He longs to heal, even if you haven’t seen His healing in the way or the timing that you would like in your own life. It’s important that we not let others’ incomplete view of God’s healing nature lead us to believe that if God hasn’t healed us yet He must not be in the business of healing. In addition, we must acknowledge that healing addresses more than just our bodies. God wants to heal us holistically in our mind, body, heart, and soul - our entire identities.

My hope and prayer for you is that you first understand who God is, how much you are loved, and that God’s heart is never to delight in your suffering (Lamentations 3:33). As we move forward, I want you to know that regardless of all the mysteries surrounding pain and healing, we can rest on the bedrock foundation that God is good, He does good, and He is constantly working all things together for good in your life as you surrender to Him (Romans 8:28). From that cornerstone, we can move forward to build our house on the Rock.

PRAYER

God, I have to admit that when I start delving into the theology of healing, I’m often left with more questions than answers. You’re not a God I can fit into a neat little box. Please teach me to enjoy that part of you – the part I can’t control, can’t contain, and can’t always understand. I believe that you are good and that you want what’s best for me, including my healing. I don’t understand why that’s played out in my life the way it has so far, but I choose to rest not on my feelings, but on the truth of who I know you to be. Help me take heart and wait on you until you show me the next step in the journey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.