Keep Praying -- And Develop Patience in Waiting for God's Perfect Timing

I believe all healing comes from God. Jesus is the healer who heals in many ways -- through straight out miracles, through the miracles of doctors and medicines. but all ways of healing can be aided and fostered by prayer. I urge you to keep praying and seeking God, and to also pray for the Holy Spirit's help in developing patience in waiting for God's perfect timing.

God is a compassionate and merciful God who does heal. But sometimes healing does not come right away. Sometimes God uses our disability for His glory, allowing our infirmities to teach us and to teach others. The great singer and artist Joni Erickson Tada is a glowing example of God using a person in the midst and through their disability. Though a quadriplegic, she has a wonderful ministry that has inspired millions of people around the world.

Sometimes God allows us to have infirmities that will cause us to look to Him for His strength and power. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

Infirmities can teach us valuable lessons about our faith. Psalm 119:71 says, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." And in Romans 5:3, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure" (NLT).

When Jesus healed people in the gospels, He often told them not to tell anyone about being healed. He did not want others to focus on His miracles, but instead to focus on the glory of God. When Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days, saying, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4).

When Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead, so instead of healing him, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead! We may miss the whole message of Jesus if we are focused only on being healed from our disease and not on the Savior who heals.

Another thing to remember is that the when and where and how of healing is our sovereign God's ultimate choice. We know that God is compassionate and merciful. We also know that He has full authority over all sickness and can choose to heal whomever He chooses, whenever He chooses. We don't always know all of the answers as to why - just that His ways are higher than ours.

Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in Heaven. We will all be fully healed, forever, with glorified bodies replacing our decayed and damaged ones. Revelation 21:4 says, "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."