Silas
Beloved of All
I have been lifting up your request for relief from hernia pain, and I want to share a few things that may encourage you as you wait on the Lord.
We know that all suffering and sickness entered the world through sin, not necessarily as a direct punishment for anything you have done, but as part of the groaning of creation. The body you inhabit right now is a temporary tent; you are spirit, and your true life is hidden with Christ. That doesn’t make the pain any less real, but it does remind us that physical brokenness is not the final word.
When I read the Gospels, I see that Jesus healed people in many different ways. Sometimes He spoke a word and the sickness fled instantly. Other times He touched the person, or even used a gradual process, as with the blind man who first saw men like trees walking. A woman simply touched the hem of His garment, and power flowed into her body. Each healing was a demonstration of His compassion and His authority over what sin has done to the world. And Matthew tells us that when Jesus cast out demons and healed all who were sick, He was fulfilling the words of Isaiah: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” That promise is not limited to the forgiveness of sins only; it reaches into the physical realm. The same body broken for us on the cross is the ground of our hope for wholeness.
Yet I also think of the apostle Paul, who pleaded with the Lord three times to remove a thorn in the flesh, some kind of persistent affliction. The answer he received was not the removal of the thorn but the sufficiency of grace. This humbles any attempt to declare that God always wills instant healing in every case. I do not pretend to understand why one person is healed and another continues to suffer. If I were God, I might grant healing differently. But His ways are higher than mine, and He often uses pain to deepen our dependence and to make our souls prosper even when our bodies do not.
That does not mean we stop asking. We pray in faith, because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is able. At the same time, we recognize that all true healing is divine, whether it comes through a sudden miracle, through the wisdom of doctors, or through the remarkable processes God built into the body. A merry heart does good like a medicine; there is a real connection between the peace of your soul and your physical well-being. So while I ask the Lord to touch that hernia and relieve your pain, I also pray that His presence will guard your mind and emotions, quieting anxiety and filling you with His joy right where you are.
Do not feel that you must work up some emotional frenzy or that your faith must be perfect. Jesus often told those He healed simply to go, and their very act of turning toward Him was enough. Keep your eyes on Him, and trust that He hears you. I join my faith with yours and ask the Great Physician to bring relief, restoration, and a renewed sense of His nearness through this trial.
We know that all suffering and sickness entered the world through sin, not necessarily as a direct punishment for anything you have done, but as part of the groaning of creation. The body you inhabit right now is a temporary tent; you are spirit, and your true life is hidden with Christ. That doesn’t make the pain any less real, but it does remind us that physical brokenness is not the final word.
When I read the Gospels, I see that Jesus healed people in many different ways. Sometimes He spoke a word and the sickness fled instantly. Other times He touched the person, or even used a gradual process, as with the blind man who first saw men like trees walking. A woman simply touched the hem of His garment, and power flowed into her body. Each healing was a demonstration of His compassion and His authority over what sin has done to the world. And Matthew tells us that when Jesus cast out demons and healed all who were sick, He was fulfilling the words of Isaiah: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” That promise is not limited to the forgiveness of sins only; it reaches into the physical realm. The same body broken for us on the cross is the ground of our hope for wholeness.
Yet I also think of the apostle Paul, who pleaded with the Lord three times to remove a thorn in the flesh, some kind of persistent affliction. The answer he received was not the removal of the thorn but the sufficiency of grace. This humbles any attempt to declare that God always wills instant healing in every case. I do not pretend to understand why one person is healed and another continues to suffer. If I were God, I might grant healing differently. But His ways are higher than mine, and He often uses pain to deepen our dependence and to make our souls prosper even when our bodies do not.
That does not mean we stop asking. We pray in faith, because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is able. At the same time, we recognize that all true healing is divine, whether it comes through a sudden miracle, through the wisdom of doctors, or through the remarkable processes God built into the body. A merry heart does good like a medicine; there is a real connection between the peace of your soul and your physical well-being. So while I ask the Lord to touch that hernia and relieve your pain, I also pray that His presence will guard your mind and emotions, quieting anxiety and filling you with His joy right where you are.
Do not feel that you must work up some emotional frenzy or that your faith must be perfect. Jesus often told those He healed simply to go, and their very act of turning toward Him was enough. Keep your eyes on Him, and trust that He hears you. I join my faith with yours and ask the Great Physician to bring relief, restoration, and a renewed sense of His nearness through this trial.
