Was a question posed or not answered?

But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience;

1 Peter 3:14-16a (KJV) 

 Not long ago, a dear brother in Christ posed an interesting question. But before hearing more of why he had such a question, my mind flew rapidly to find an answer. In a split second, I realized that I would better continue carefully listening to his thoughts and then search for an answer. Or even be ready to respond with the humbling I do not know. The question may seem not as heavy as I may describe it. But I hope it is harder to digest than to answer. Why are we not experiencing healing today? Feathers are lightweight, but if the ducks do not have them, they will drown. Indeed, so it feels to be this question. It may be an easy task to answer it, only using the coldness of the mind, but when we let it succumb in our soul and heart, suffering becomes real and healing absent. We will then understand, perhaps, such as the apostle Paul, I am limping myself and is a heavy burden. Yet, on the other bank may be someone living with a terminal illness and very close to death. Therefore, if we pose the question again, we might sink in God’s grace as a featherless duck in a fathomless puddle. I like to think that whenever I am asked a question I respond. But many times, I thought I was, yet I reacted rather than having the humility to listen, digest and formulate a loving and kind response. 

Why are we not? 

It would be blunt, insensitive, unloving and not empathic at all, to start by saying we do experience healing. Such as, I think, the best healing we see and experience is Salvation. Is the healing of the soul, mind, heart and will. However, whoever asks this question and they have been renewed in the blood of Jesus, then what they are seeking is the healing of their bodies. And someone who is healthy and not experiencing irreversible diseases in their bodies, will not be the most qualified to answer, such as I am. Therefore, I am merely attempting to expose the Bible with a heart full of empathy and honesty, declaring that I do not know why we suffer and why God allow for illness which brings us unexpectedly closer to meeting Jesus. 

First of all, I would like to say that it is not wrong to ask the question and desire not to die. Death is the enemy! It was never intended to be part of our existence. Death was designed for sin only. Therefore, because we are sinners saved by Christ, death is to be embraced now as to be the last test of our faithfulness to Christ. Now, I would like to direct you, my dear reader, to the beginning of church times. I was recently reading about the church fathers and how most of them have been martyred, in different ways. Among the “fathers”, in the literature I am going through now, is listed Perpetua of Carthage, a young Roman lady, who was killed in the gladiator’s arena for her faith in Christ. Even her father witnessed her death. Then I asked myself Why would God allow such a horrendous death? They are not the only ones who were martyred though, except John, all other disciples were martyred. Then, as I was on the verge of raising my fist in indignation against God, reflecting on the martyrdoms of my early brothers and sisters, God kept silent. No reaction and no response. Then, in that silence, He allowed for the early church brothers and sisters to answer my question. Reading through, you cannot not notice, how all of them embraced martyrdom. None of the ones I met on history pages have fought against it. Some have even gone so far, as to decline any kind of help from others to intervene in their destination. I found my answer there, in God not talking and their deaths, being living testimonies even today, two millenniums later. They desired death, and they walked into the arenas with a smile on their faces and embraced the cruelty. Another testimony that comes to my mind, is Stephen from Acts 7:58-60. I know I am not there yet, to be like them to honour Christ even in death. So, to answer the question Why are we not experiencing healings today? It may be that God is providing us with the last chance to honour him with our death. If he heals us, then that may be only the delay of that opportunity, until we fulfil our earthly mission for the work of the gospel. 

Is there healing today? 

I have been blessed since childhood to be born and brought up in a loving Christian family. About the age of three years old, I was diagnosed with a common eyesight dysfunction which required glasses to be prescribed. Once a diagnosis was given, my parents took me to fetch the glasses so I could continue to enjoy my childhood. Once I was put on the new pair of eyes, not just to aid me to see, but to treat my illness, the world looked now upside down. Literarily! I could not distinguish what I saw nor could I make any sense of why was I given those glasses. Time passed by, my mute complaints reached my parents’ attention and here I am again, after many months, visiting my doctor who prescribed the glasses. My parents explained to him that it seems is no better at all and they would like to know what is happening. With all courtesy, the doctor asked me a few questions to which I responded with only what I could see, which was nothing. The doctor did, perhaps what any doctor would do, took my glasses and checked them and that was when he realized the wrongdoing. Whoever assembled my glasses, reversed the lenses. The right lens was on the left eye and the left lens was on the right eye. The world was not upside down, but the glasses were, literarily. Since then, I have been wearing glasses and I have been told, because of that mistake, I will wear glasses for the rest of my life. It has been more than a lifetime since I wear glasses. There are few childhood pictures without glasses. I only needed to take my glasses off, and people would not recognise me anymore. Have I ever wanted to be healed? Many times, but it never happened. I am peacefully and comfortably living with it? Not at all. The first and last thing I do is to put on and take off my glasses. Without them, the world is a strange place. 

I hope my story will provide you with the insight that I do believe in healing. However, I am also resounding with the Bible and just reflecting on the many occasions of miraculous healing. And the situations where people have not been healed, I concluded, reflecting on my situation deeply, that God will use any imperfection for perfection. I know, and do not believe it any longer, that God always wanted to be my sight and to not lean on my perception of the world. We do not know what was happening with Apostle Paul that he asked three times to be healed and it did not happen. However, the answer is so profound. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 – KJV) I meditate on this verse and ask myself, when was grace sufficient? Because, looking back at the day when I understood Who was nailed on the cross for my sin and deadly debt, grace was not sufficient. Grace was over-sufficient! Grace has embraced me whole. So, my blurred eyesight is now made perfect by the grace of seeing, through faith, beyond the skyline.  

Why are we not experiencing healing today? 

I would say we are experiencing it. However, in the most unexpected way, the same as the apostle did. Notice what God told apostle Paul for my strength is made perfect in weakness. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. Perhaps you have heard people praying, it may have happened even to you, for patience. And after that, unexpectedly, trouble comes into your life. God operates on a different level. He blesses us with the troubles which will make us patient. The healing we are experiencing is not the one we desire. Perhaps we might want to reconsider our position on this topic. I am asking myself, what would I do if my eyesight was normal? Honest answer, I DO NOT KNOW! Since I have relied on God to show me the way for so long, I do not want to lose what evolves into a better and perfected vision. One last thought, how about we reverse the perspective on our life trials and illnesses? Same as Paul did. What if in our weaknesses God is seeking to become perfected strength in our life? Even if it’s terminal, what if he seeks for me to be a testimony over years and perhaps centuries to inspire and turn to Christ as many as possible? Without the martyrdom of the many from the first century, the gospel would have been, presumably, weakened. However, their deaths have a clear message. Christ is resurrected and with all might He sits today at the right hand of God the Father. Why are we not experiencing healing today? It may be that God is providing us with the last chance to honour him with our death. If He heals us, then that may be only the delay of that opportunity, until we fulfil our earthly mission for the work of the gospel. 

Father God, bless us to honour You in our life and death!