We find our belief that God loves to heal is negatively influenced by the sheer dearth of healings in our culture. We should never derive doctrine on the basis of what does or doesn’t happen, but rather, on th\
e basis of what we learn from God’s Word and especially from the Person, life, teaching and ministry of Jesus. Plus, God, through His Word offers insights into why, sometimes (a very important theological word!), healing does not occur, as we see in the case of the boy whose father sought healing on his behalf– the apostles had previously prayed successfully for many to be healed and yet were unsuccessful when ministering to this boy (see Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29). Jesus helped them to see why and did not imply that the boy was not healed because it was not the Father’s will to heal him (consider also Mark 6:1-6).
So, I firmly believe that God wants to heal AND I believe that when people do not receive a complete healing, that we must journey with them through their suffering and not judge or shame them (see Romans 12:15). We can explore, before God and with their consent, what might be standing in the way of their healing AND we must also eventually learn to accept that when healing doesn’t come, God will help us experience His comfort and grace without the healing we desire. We will also realize that sometimes death brings a welcome relief to suffering, both for the person who is afflicted and for their loved ones.
We look through a glass darkly, right (see 1 Corinthians 13:9,12)? So, we don’t see the full picture. I'm not one who embraces the belief that God “wills” sickness, but God does have an amazing ability to bring good from every adversity (see Romans 8:28). Thus, we need to learn to discern, together with members of our faith community, when it is time to prepare for “a good death” or to continue to pursue healing. Which brings me to some thoughts about death. I share these with you as someone who is on a journey of discovery and not as someone who thinks he’s arrived. I will share some thoughts with you about this next week.