why are some Christians not physically healed despite praying for healing ?

PART I

Some believers mistakenly believe that if a sick Christian is not healed, it is due to lack of faith.

This is, of course, not true.

There will always be sickness and infirmity on this earth.

For ever since the Fall from Eden, mankind had imperfect bodies and all kinds of sicknesses and afflictions will fall on any man sooner or later.

Nobody ever had perfect health on this earth.

Out of 6 billion people, 6 billion will definitely be sick at some point

and 6 billion will eventually die
(at least on this earth).

Sickness and old age are part and parcel of this mortal body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 compares the natural physical body that we have now with the kind of "body" that we will have when we are finally raised in heaven.
'So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.
The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;
it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.'

So what do we do? Should we give up praying? No - indeed, we must continue in fervent prayers, for God is good and He will honour our prayers.

We should have faith in praying for healing.. knowing that God is love (1 John 4:16). ... But at the same time, we leave the results to God, trusting that He loves us, even if we are not healed .


PART II

But, there is a greater glory awaiting us , if we choose to believe in God - and take Him at His word.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53
'.. flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
...Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye... For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable , and we will be changed.'

Jesus is coming again!

Revelation 21:1-5 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, ... ...They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' "

Jesus is coming again. Do we dare to believe it and receive the free gift of eternal life?

Romans 10
' ... Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ... ... That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." '

Facing the Winter ( Growing Old )

This article by Dr James Dobson appears in 'Today' (Oct 3):


My mother and father were married for 43 years in one of the most beautiful, loving relationships the world has ever seen.

When my mum turned 50, my father was beginning to think about the passage of time.

And he wrote a poem on that day that he called 'Your Birthday'. This is what it said:

"The whole world singing, now that Spring has come.
I saw a robin in the morning sun. Among the pale green leaves and bursting buds, I heard His talk. But it is Autumn, where we walk."

"'Tis true for us, the Summer too is gone.
Now, whiplash winds arise, and further on the ice and sleet and cold and grim assault to pierce us through. Does Fall in Spring time frighten you?"

"Impotent shines the April sun so fair, to melt the wisps of frost within your lair. My dear I know you feel the threatening gloom, but I'm with you and hand in hand we'll face the winter too."

The Winter did come for my mother and father, and now both of them have passed away. But my dad kept his promise and they faced those difficult years together. Even the ageing process is easier, when it is experienced in the context of love.

The loneliness of suffering. The light of God. Intercession. One talent. On his blindness.

From 'Peace with God (revised and expanded)' by Billy Graham 1984 (pg 68):

"The loneliness of suffering: Some years ago we received a letter from a radio listener who for five years had been crippled into a sitting position by arthritis. For five long, weary, painful years she was unable to stretch out or to lie down, yet she wrote, 'I have spent many a day alone, but never a lonely day.' Why? It was Christ who made the difference. With Christ as your Saviour and constant Companion, you too, although alone, need never be lonely.

You today who are lying on a hospital bed enduring the loneliness of suffering can rest assured that Christ can give you His grace and strength. While you lie there, you can be useful to Him. You can know something of the ministry of intercession, the greatest ministry on earth, as you pray for others."


Personal reflections:
Of course, I know that my situation is not as dire as that of many others sicker than me in this world. However, I believe that in my life, God has somehow allowed me to be in situations where I have understood better a little of the despair of those who are incapacitated by longterm injury or illness , even if I cannot fully comprehend all the difficulties they are going through...
I remember the time years ago when I had to go through months of consultations, review appointments and different clinical tests and finally undergo an operation in the hospital (the doctor had said that it might be cancer but in the end it turned out , thankfully, not to be; nevertheless, the time of waiting and repeated consultations & tests & worry was not fun)... and the time years ago when I was in hospital for a head injury in a minor traffic accident... and last year when I had a fractured tailbone and was worried and anxious (though God's Word tells us not to be anxious and worried about many things).... and now this leg injury.
When I started to worry a month ago about my future and how the recovery would or would not progress (when I panicked for a short while on discovering that I could not walk even after the cast was removed), and I read this page from Billy Graham's book, I felt that God was speaking to me through the words, especially "You can know something of the ministry of intercession ... as you pray for others" and to "spend more time talking with God and praying for others joyfully". But I was not prepared to accept it then. I felt anxious and a little resentful: "God, why should I be the one stuck here interceding for others while other Christians are having fun outside? And how long more? Will I be limping for the rest of my life? Will this affect my ministries, work, having fun , outreach to relatives and other people, marriage prospects, etc. ?" Yeah, funny how one incident can be extrapolated in so many future events :)
But that was why I didn't pray for a while.
It was a subtle rebellion and a lack of trust that God has the best for me. I wanted to do other things and to serve in other ways, ways that had been denied to me for years already, even before the injury.
I had to be brought to a point of greater dependence on my Lord and Saviour and realising that it takes love, humility, patience and an abiding trust in God to pray for self & to pray for others at the feet of the Saviour.
Sometimes, other people may not recognise that you are praying for them or other believers may neglect to pray/intercede for you. But why should this be a reason for not praying? God knows what's in your heart..... God knows "when I sit and when I rise" and he finds me "even if I rise on the wings of the dawn or settle on the far side of the sea" (Psalm 139:1-10). And this is at the heart of of it all: an issue of being secure in God, trusting that God really & deeply cares, and knowing how much God loves me as his child.



The poet, John Milton, who was blind, wrote 'On His Blindness':
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."

Milton depicted himself as asking God how God was able to ask for works from him when He denied him light (eyesight). One might sense some frustrations or bitterness there.

The reply? "God does not need either man's work or His own gifts .. Who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best."

Does this mean that man should not do anything for God, since God does not need man's work? No.

Out of the ashes of pride and the rebirth of humility & trust in the King -- the Father God who loves him regardless of what he can do for him -- Milton was able to continue serving God by using his "one talent" of literary giftedness.

Milton dictated epic poems such as 'Paradise Lost' and 'Paradise Regained' to others who typed them out for him. His visions depicted accounts of the fall of man and the subsequent glory of man based on parts of the bible. His works have been read by thousands. He used his 'one talent' well, despite - or because of - his disabilities. His poetry was widely considered to be second to Shakespeare.

Eh.. what happened to my newspaper ?? ( soccer news)

God has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Conversation overheard

Setting: A slightly hazy day. PSI 87.

The old man, bless his soul, was making a cast for the young lady.

Suddenly,
Wee (for verily that was the old man's surname): You want what colour?
Young Lady: Huh? Got colour one meh?

Wee: Ya. Got pink, blue, green. ALL I have. (pulls out drawer to show all the unchosen colours, then looks at her with critical eye) You , you pink.

Young Lady: Oh. Ok. (Thinks maybe pink is okay)

Wee: (takes out a cast of bright neon fluorescent pink that can be used for SOS signal or a feather boa in a cabaret)

Young Lady: Err. Uncle, so bright? (okay for feather boa but not for a medical cast)

Wee: (slightly disappointed) You don't want? This pink nice what. Not very bright.

Young lady: Err, Uncle, can change to blue please?

Wee: Ya, can. Blue, pink, green... (takes out the other colours) .. ALL I got.

Thank you, Wee, for the kindness.

ying huo de fu (blessings emerging from a negative experience)

Let's count some of the blessings from my current injury :

1. realised that I have grown in being more secure. In the past, I would have been more concerned about what people would think if I did not go to cg, ch, etc. but now I am more secure in what God thinks. Man looks at outward appearance but God knows the heart. ( However, one must explain properly to people around so that they do not misunderstand and are not stumbled :))

Life is like a marathon - we need to take a break at appropriate times so that we can keep going in the long-run.

One would not want to sustain a lifelong nagging body part just because the initial injury was not properly tended to. That will make one physically inoptimal for service in the long run.
Compare it to foolishly trying to push ahead when the engine needs maintenance, or trying to burn midnight oil when the body needs rest. Of course, there must be intention to run at speed ahead once the season of rest is over, and seasons of rest should not be an excuse for laziness :p

Especially if one's intention is to be in this Journey for the long distance and not a Peter Pan, it is crucial to pace oneself.

2. can still serve even when not in public eye .... We serve where we are and God has eyes.

3. touched by the kindness of people like Jac, GP, Mrs Q, Mrs Cat G, Raz, P, Mdm M, Ho, etc. from office who offered lifts, carried things, bought lunch, and helped me in other ways. I feel very humbled, esp with those pp whom I did not expect such kindness from / did not know well. Made me reflect more on how I have or have not built friendships with people in the office, especially in the busyness and hustle and bustle of daily work.

4. gave the little children a chance to serve me and put into action what they have learnt about character / values such as compassion, courage, etc. What better training for them than to practise these in a real-life scenario?

5. given myself a chance to be served.. remembering a lesson long ago: allowing others to serve us is actually part of humility...

6. re-evaluate my priorities and urgency in reaching out . . . When we are well / not injured, must seize the day because we don't know when we will be delayed by illness/injury/temporary setbacks.

7. learning to do things more efficiently because cannot move about so much right now , so, forced to sit still & do what one needs to do without making too many "double trips".