Gods Wants Us to Heal from Illness
Our paster at the Kalamazoo SDA church said something yesterday that it seems many Seventh-day Adventists feel conflicted about. He said
"It is always God's will that people get well [heal]."
We have several young people with serious, life threatening illnesses. And we have others in our church with cancer and serious health problems.
Yes, we know that even Christian's don't always heal. We don't always get well. But still, God wants only good things for his creation, especially for his people.
Why do we doubt God's grace regarding good things? Wouldn't anyone who loves us want us to feel good? I think our hesitance resolves from some basic insecurities.
"If it be thy will, God..."
But some things are always God's will. God always wants to forgive us. He always wants to receive our friends into his arms of grace. He always wants our influence for good to be strong. He always want us to have friends. He always wants us to enjoy good health.
We can pray for these things without apologizing. We don't have to preface these requests with "if it be thy will." God may not intervene in every case. But we know that God only wants good things for us.
It is our responsibility to ask God for these good things without apology. It is our responsibility to challenge God to build our faith. And it is our responsibility to trust God even when the mountain doesn't get moved.
Pastor Quenten Purvis didn't fear to call us to return in the afternoon to pray for those who are sick in our church. We came. We expressed our confidence in God's power and grace. We dedicated ourselves to him. We challenged him to build our faith. Without challenging God to build our faith in matters like this we strenghen our lack of faith. And we hesitate even more next time.