I am all too familiar with chronic pain, and I have spent years praying for God to heal my body. But it hasn’t happened yet. I am often so discouraged by the limitations this pain places on me and my ability to do things. I know God is able to heal me, but why doesn’t He?
I hear of these amazing stories of people going to see their oncologist to begin cancer treatment only to find their cancer is miraculously gone. I recall a friend who shared her story of going to the doctor with x-rays of broken bones to find them totally repaired in a week. Miraculous healing happens.
Sometimes God uses medical intervention for healing. Several years back, I was awoken in the middle of the night by the voice of my Heavenly Father saying, “Go to the doctor.” So, I did as I was instructed, and the doctor found and removed some cancerous cells that I never would have had a clue about. I am today, cancer free.
But I also hear of so many strong men and women of God falling victim to horrible diseases and suffering – and even dying without ever experiencing healing. Sometimes I am tempted to think I am not being healed because my faith isn’t strong enough, or my own sin is in the way. While there have been instances in the scriptures where healing was directly related to faith or sin, this is not a blanket verdict for all Christians who have not yet been healed. In fact, there were several times we see Jesus heal people that didn’t have faith in Him at all simply because it was glorifying to God for Him to heal them.
The Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy saying this:
“If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
Your healing is not dependent on you, but rather on God. It doesn’t depend on you.
The book of Revelation paints a beautiful picture of paradise with Jesus after He returns for His church: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse (Revelation 22:1-3).
This is a promise. Though our feeble bodies are subject to withering and decay right now, there will be a time that we can live in complete restoration. This is the hope that we can hold on to on the bad days – because let’s face it, along with sickness and pain come bad days.
But what does that mean for right now? When I am barely able to walk, this hope in a perfect pain-free eternity doesn’t always cut it for me, as much as I would like to tell you it does. There are a few ways I would like to encourage you in your walk of surrender even through sickness and pain. So here goes.
5 ways to surrender
Suffering allows you to persevere, and healing is a process
But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5). Pain and sickness are a challenge we get an opportunity to persevere through with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and this can sometimes even become a blessing.
I have struggled with hypoglycemia all my life, and there was a time that I became so ill because of how frequently I was having hypoglycemic episodes. I still have hypoglycemia, but now I rarely have an episode because my illness forced me to change my dietary habits, and I am healthier than I have ever been as a result. God didn’t heal me of the disease, but rather empowered me to make changes in my lifestyle that are necessary and good for me to live a long and healthy life. This has been way more difficult than if God would have just healed me; but I am better for it. I persevered. I am still walking alongside my heavenly Father through this same process with an autoimmune disorder. I am better today than I was ten years ago. I still wouldn’t call myself healed, but healing is a process.
Know that you are here for a purpose
Our experiences are the platform we use to make a difference in the lives of others. You may be struggling right now, but if you look back on your life, there is somewhere that God’s hand impacted you in such a way that you can encourage someone else with your story. You are not the only person you know or will meet that is struggling, and everyone needs someone to relate to. Maybe your suffering is just what enables you to meet the need of someone else in a powerful way. God has a plan for you specifically to make a difference in the world, and He has hidden beautiful abilities within you to do just that. As the Apostle Peter says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms,” (1 Peter 4:10). Instead of focusing on your own pain and sickness, focus on loving others.
Remember that God knows we need Him, even when we don’t recognize the need
It’s easy to look toward ourselves and everything right in front of us for provision in our day to day lives. But when we are going through something difficult, we run to God and depend on Him. I can recall several times in my life when things were going well, and it felt like God was far away. He wasn’t – I was. We naturally move away from Him when we feel like everything is okay, and this always eventually leads to a spiritual breakdown. Spend time in your Bible every day just getting closer to your Lord no matter where you are. The safest place to be in life is wholeheartedly dependent upon Him.
Consider the struggle that the Apostle Paul went through. He shares in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that in order keep him from becoming conceited, he was given a thorn in his flesh. Though he pleaded with the Lord to take it away, God did not. Instead, the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
His power is made perfect in you through your weakness.
Trust that God is working behind the scenes
Just as it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him, we can trust that He has something better in store for us. We can never see exactly what lies ahead, but God is working all things together for our good because we love Him and are called to live a life according to His design. (Romans 8:28). Though healing hasn’t yet come, it is something we can look forward to. Though that healing is in God’s timing – it may or may not be on this side of heaven – it is a promise from our Lord. He who forgives all your iniquities, and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:3-5). So, don’t give up on praying and seeking God’s presence in your life; and continue to trust Him and His timing.
Praise God through difficulty; He loves you abundantly more than you can imagine.
God’s love for you does not change because you are having a difficult time. For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs (Zephaniah 3:17). Your healing is not definitive of His love, and neither is your pain. Despite your struggles, God is worthy of your praise. He gave His only son so you could be His adopted daughter and live in His love eternally. He chose you from the beginning of time to be His own and created a purposeful and rewarding plan for your life. Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever (Psalm 106:1).
