When Healing Doesn't Come!!!

A Fight of Faith & Hope...

So, yeah…well this past few weeks has been a real struggle for me (more-so than the past few months, which haven’t been great either). I’ve been bedridden with migraines and other health issues, including possible new one’s that the doctors are now investigating. And so trying to find a place where my mind is working clearly enough to write a study, and also having the spiritual clarity to write what God wants me to write - well it’s been a rough one.

But here it is…

Health is an important thing in our lives. It dictates what we can and can’t do on a moment by moment, day by day basis.

For some, you are a perfect picture of health and can go out and do whatever you want, whenever you want. Sorry, but this post is not for you…thanks for stopping by. But, if you want to read on to try and understand the struggle that friends or family members are currently battling through - then feel free to do so.

Rather, this post is for those who…on a daily basis have to battle against pain, discomfort, despair and the inability to even exist as you once did.

I am a firm believer that God does and will heal people - in Isaiah 53:5b we are told “by his wounds we are healed…” - I have personally experienced miraculous healing, and so have people within my family. Yet, on the flip side of that, I have also seen myself and family members struggle for years, even decades with significant health issues.

Yet, the struggle between mind, body and faith is real…and it is hard. It truly is a battle that some of us face, each and every day.

However, too many times, we who are chronically ill are told “Just give it to God!!!” - whilst this is a true statement - it is also a hollow, shallow, Christian platitude that does nothing to provide solace or comfort for a fellow believer who is truly struggling with the situation they are having to navigate. Or worse, our current health, or lack thereof is a direct result of some sort of sin - and not because we live in a corrupted world with corruptible bodies that unfortunately give out on us at some point.

Unfortunately, many church leaders (and by extension church congregations) do not understand how to engage with those who suffer chronic, and long-term ill health - this is partially due to the mirky mental and physical world that the sufferer exists in - the lack of joy, the depression, the anxiety and the despair that pile up on the shoulders of the sufferer. Sometimes, it is not a clear cut case of “read this scripture, or follow these steps to help build your faith and all will be better” - which to the religious in our churches poses a problem to their silver-lined faith. Sometimes, it’s a case of not knowing how to deal with the enduring suffering that only seems to get worse - particularly when such suffering seems to be at odds with what is found in the scriptures.

Many turn to verses such as…

John 10:10

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

We know that Jesus came, died and rose again for our healing and to give us a better life. While this is a source of encouragement and hope for us. Jesus also said…

John 16:33

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Here we have Jesus warning us that our lives are going to be inextricably linked to suffering, pain and struggle - yet we should not despair because HE has overcome this world. The problem is that for many of us, our physical and mental struggle only ends when Jesus calls us home, and it is only in the next life, our eternity that we will have the perfect bodies and never again experience the weight of struggle upon our lives. As believers, this is our hope…and really, this should be our only hope - for this world does not offer us anything eternal.

So…What happens then when a Christian who fully believes in God’s healing mercy…is not healed???

I can only speak for my own experiences, and my experiences of watching family members struggle through significant health issues. Some of which have led to their death. And for me personally, it has been several decades of mental health struggles, and now over the past fifteen years or so, ever increasing health issues - where physical pain, extreme fatigue, physical weakness and lethargy and even once ending up in hospital at death’s doorstop - are all now a constant thing.

I know what it is like to struggle to think, to drag oneself out of bed because of the exhaustion, the pain and the weakness - in order to go to work, so that the bills keep getting paid, and there is food on the table.

I know what it is to struggle to not get flooded with despair when none of the medications or treatments work. Or to go to endless doctor’s and specialists appointments and get nowhere.

I know what it is like to feel the soul destroying weariness that comes from having to fight your body and mind each and every moment, of each and every day.

I know what it is like to question God, and ask the ‘Why?’ question. I know what it is to question the point of all the pain and suffering. I know what it’s like to look at these circumstances and question one’s own existence, or to ask if the fight for that particular day is worth it.

These sorts of sentiments are not foreign to the writers and characters within the Bible - we are all human after all.

Psalm 38:5-8

"My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken. I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart."

How many of us can relate to these words of David???

How many of us live out these words of David???

How many of us struggle like this day in and day out? Waging a war against our broken flesh, with our minds, and with our souls. The exhaustion and weariness that this sort of struggle produces soaks deep into your soul. It makes waking up and doing it all again, so very hard. It makes doing the simple chores around the house hard. It makes maintaining relationships hard. It makes working and providing for your family hard. It makes reading and studying the word hard. It makes praying and meditating hard. Everything becomes a struggle, even the normal everyday things that so many people take for granted. And it makes being out there and doing other things for the church and for the benefit of others, almost impossible.

The apostle Paul understood this.

In Galatians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, the Apostle Paul mentions his own physical infirmities and struggles that impacted his quality of life and ability to minister - so much so, he called them a “thorn in my flesh.”

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Yet, even in that struggle Paul is able to say with faithful clarity that he does not gain his source of hope or strength from his own body - which was failing him at the time - but rather that it is God’s grace that was sufficient for him. This should be something that we who suffer need to cling to - be it on a day when you are able to get out of bed and go to work, or do things around the home - or be it on a day when you physically can’t manage, and all you can do is lay in bed or sit on the couch…

“God’s grace is sufficient for ME!!!”

And because God’s grace is sufficient for me, and for you - we can make it through the day to the next. Even when it feels like there is not much point to fighting anymore.

I have lost track of how many times I have just prayed this simple prayer “God help me through today…”. It’s an honest prayer. It’s a real prayer, and it’s a prayer that HE always answers. And I know HE answers because I end up back at home, after being at work for ten hours, and I made it. My pain, my discomfort, my suffering didn’t consume me - rather, God’s grace, HIS strength got me through each and every moment of that day.

Psalm 23:4

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."          

These words of David, in the iconic Psalm 23, are some of the verses that I desperately cling to during the hardest of days.

If God hasn’t healed us yet, then there is a reason for it. We may not know what that is, and we may never truly know what the reason is - but I do know that whatever we go through, especially the times when God helps us through our struggles - that is for HIS glory, and for the sharing of God’s grace and mercy to others. The illness, the pain, the struggle might not really be about us, but about how we can reflect the light and truth of Jesus Christ even in the midst of our darkness.

Sometimes, our infirmities are used by the devil and his cohorts to pull us away from the kingdom mission God has planned for us. The devil uses our physical and emotional fragility to make us too weary and ill to do things for others and for the Kingdom of God. This is particularly true when the illnesses are unexplained, or a random (or even extremely rare) nature, and do not respond to treatments in any way. When in this situation, it is important to get others to pray for you and your situation to break that demonic oppression over your life.

Our infirmities should not push us away from God, but should draw us closer to HIM.

Why???

Romans 8:18

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

For the very same reason that Paul drew close to God, because HIS grace is sufficient for us. And for the same reason the woman with the bleeding problem dared to move through the crowds in order to touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak - because HE is our healer. Whether that healing comes in this lifetime, or in the next - that is up to God, and God alone. But there will be a time when we will be whole again, and our current sufferings. These 80 or so years that we walk this Earth are but a blip in eternity. The years and decades of struggle and pain will fade into nothingness, as we spend eternity in new, resurrected bodies - our bodies as God intended them to be - in the glorious presence of our saviour.

For those of you who suffer with chronic illness and chronic pain - I’m not going to tell you to be of good cheer - life is too hard and too painful for that.

Rather, I’m going to say this - hang on to Jesus with everything you have, and let HIM walk you through this “Valley of the Shadow of Death” that you are currently moving through.

Even if you have to keep praying “Jesus help me through this moment” or “Jesus help me through this morning/afternoon” over and over again throughout a day - HE will answer you…and HE will walk you through it, no matter how painful, or how difficult that particular day might be.

So, I leave you with this…

Deuteronomy 31:8

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

You are not alone.

God is with you…

And there are multitudes of believers around the world who suffer from chronic illness and chronic pain. They know how we feel, and they can empathise with our plight. They cling to the same hopes, they struggle with the same thoughts and despair. They also worship and serve the same - I AM…Yahweh…Jesus. And it is in HIM that we will find our peace.

God bless…stay strong and stay in the fight!!!!