Sick Christians

Tonight at Bible study I managed to get us on the topic of illness among Christians, and what God really intends for us to suffer or not suffer in that area. Some people have told me that we should never be sick as believers, and that if we are it is due to sin or a lack of faith and/or understanding of what Christ gave us at the cross. While it seemed unlikely that we ought never be sick, Jesus' healings were contingent on faith, so I thought about that for awhile. Then I recalled some people who have prayed "in faith" for healing and it didn't happen. So assuming that they really did have faith, (and I would think it very insidious to assume that every failed healing is due to weak faith) then I have to conclude that sometimes it IS God's will for us to be ill. Hmmm. Certainly we learn through suffering, and God has never promised to spare us that. Quite the opposite, really. So, question answered, right? Well, I wasn't satisfied.

How can we just be the happenstance victims of viruses and diseases like everyone else? We have the same Spirit that Jesus had, and look what authority He walked in! He healed others, and while that may not be a gift the Spirit manifests in all of us (or any at this point in history), it doesn't seem like a stretch to think that He could heal us if asked. Perhaps it isn't always His will for us to be ill, but we never ask for healing. I for one didn't believe for a long time that He would heal me if I asked. I figured He let me get sick for a reason and I didn't question it. But then one day a year ago, my mother-in-law, a major prayer warrior, said to me "You know, I think there is a lot God wants to do but is waiting for us to pray and ask." And that really struck me. Something stirred in me then, the kind of stirring that comes when a light first comes on, when He is teaching me something key. So fast forward to this pondering, and I thought, why not ask?

I have had a cold/cough for a few weeks now. Pregnancy seems to have weakened my immune system and I can't shake this thing. I've tried resting, eating well, taking vitamins etc. And well it just seemed to linger. I accepted it. But then I became aware a few days ago of a friend who has been pretty ill with several things including migraines, nightmares and a sinus infection. Her meds didn't seem to be helping (and who can help a nightmare?). I felt burdened to pray for her healing. And as I began to pray, I somehow knew in my spirit that it was God's intention to heal her. But I needed to keep praying until the Spirit assured me that the work was done. So I prayed (in honesty wondering how I would know when it was done and if it really ever would be and maybe this was all in my head) but after not too long, I felt a peace and satisfaction in my heart that said the prayer had been answered. And when I say "felt" i do not mean an emotional feeling, but rather something in my spirit. Maybe some of you know what I mean. I hope you do. Well, sure enough, I talked to my friend the next day and her headache was gone and she felt better, she had had good sleep and no nightmares for once--even she was a bit surprised. And the night before she had taken her meds to help her head and to fall asleep, and she had not been able to keep them down. So we knew that it was truly the Lord and not just the medicine.

So today I began to think, hey, what about me? I could at least ask to be healed. So I went to the Lord in prayer and asked, and also felt assured that He would heal me. But I did not know when. My sinuses/cough did not immediately clear up at "amen", but I did feel the Spirit's prompting to start my day. It was a difficult decision, cause I still felt the sluggishness of the cold and thought at the same time that I ought to just succumb to it and rest. But the SPirit seemed to be urging me to walk in the knowledge of the promised healing--to walk in His strength. I have already had some experience with this kind of leaning on Him, in our trip to Alaska (I still need to blog about that--great stories! Maybe I'll just blog and get to pics when I can...). Anyway, I had already seen that He is able to give nearly miraculous strength to the weary, so this was only a matter of obedience not faith. I decided to get up and get going, and sure enough I felt Him supplying strength despite my body's protests. As the day went on , I began to walk more and more in strength, and felt that I was overcoming the illness in my spirit. Perhaps that seems odd, but what I realized is that they key is not to let yourself succumb to the illness, or to look to natural means of healing once He has said that HE will heal it*. That would be acting in doubt, not faith. Like I had suspected, the Spirit dwelling in me has all of the power and authority over natural phenomena as He did in Christ. So there is no need to doubt that He can heal when He says He will (one can only question whether one "hears" correctly, which is another can of worms. But in this case, I did know).

Now, I suspect that there are times when He will not answer requests for healing in the affirmative. We all die, and many solid believers die of illness. But I believe that even then the same power to walk in His joy and strength is available to those who will lean on Him. He works in us through the difficulties, holding us up "on eagles' wings". No doubt it is His purpose in illness that we experience the sufficiency of His supplies and goodness, and learn with Paul that "His power is made perfect in [our] weakness." We are not overcome by illness or any earthly power, but we overcome all weaknesses and tribulations in His grace, by His power at work within us. If we don't see that happening in our Christian lives, then perhaps the problem is that we don't realize the authority and freedom we have in Christ, by His Spirit. "In all things we are more than conquerers." And this is because there is nothing on this earth that can subdue Him, and He is in us. That is why the disciples ought not have feared when Christ slept in the boat as it was sinking--even should they all have drowned, the One with them could have brought them all back to life. They just did not realize Whom they were dealing with.

I used to think this was all too good to be true. But lately He has been showing me in no uncertain terms that there is a lot more available to us than we realize, and that we can walk confidently in His power as we give our lives over to Him. The more we surrender, the more His Spirit can work freely in & through us, and manifest His fruit. I can tell you without any hesitation that the more I let God have of my life, refusing to walk in fear or lean "on my own understanding", I experience a life I never imagined possible--I experience His life.

More on that when I get a couple of hours to blog about Alaska. I'll try to do it soon. I hope that those stories will encourage you like they do for me every time I look back. May you all find rest and joy in Him till then...

*disclaimer: I have no problem with doctors or medicine, and think that God will not step in to do a miracle/supernatural healing when there is medicine that will do it. But I am pregnant and can take almost nothing, and also knew that I had a virus that the doctors would simply prescribe bedrest for. I had already tried that, so I knew it was time to go to God.