One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” [Luke 18.1-8]
Okay, well, it's been a full year since I wrote Never Give Up. In that article I was transparent about a physical infirmity affecting my body.
I am happy to report today that... I continue to look only to God to heal this infirmity, and now, another.
Even though I have experienced no relief, I have not sought "professional help" but instead held my faith in the Great Physician as the only source to heal me. I have been personally questioned many times why I do not seek medical help and I am relatively certain people talk amongst themselves about my condition wondering why I do not just stop being hard-headed and go to the doctor. I've had more than one person defensively reason that God uses doctors and medicine...
But, here I sit, more sure today than ever before that medicine is an idol (along with debt, insurance and technology). The past year has been nothing if not a total eye and ear opener for me to the real and present idolatry that our society (including the Church) is literally saturated with. And, although the pain and discomfort in my body have not subsided one bit, I believe myself in company with those in Hebrews 11 who refused to turn from God to deliverance elsewhere so that their faith would remain untouched, intact and focused.
Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. [Hebrews 11.35]
I continue to pray for miraculous healing and have no intention of giving up or giving in. Jesus NEVER sent anyone to the doctor even though Luke, the man who penned the Gospel titled in his name, was indeed a doctor. Ironically, it was Luke who documented Jesus referring to Himself as a doctor in an allegorical sense:
Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. [Luke 5.31]
Jesus always demanded faith in the miraculous and never resorted to, or referred anyone to, the reasonable wisdom of medicine. If medicine is God's answer, then, why do I actually need God? I don't need God if He merely brokers healing as a middle-man! Call me radical if you wish, but I don't have to offer complicated explanations for "abstract faith"; I firmly believe instead that the first two of the Ten Commandments mean exactly what they say!
You must not have any other god but me.
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind... [Exodus 20.3&4a]
The Second Commandment also gives critical detail that God is a jealous God (Exodus 20.5). Jealously is not based on reason (let that soak in when reasoning that God uses medicine). A jealous spouse not only demands their spouse stay away from other lovers, but also from other potential lovers... Reason has NOTHING to do with it. Maybe we should tell God He just shouldn't be jealous??? (Let me know how that works our for you.)
So, I will continue to pray to the Great Physician alone to heal my body. Jesus' story above gives me hope that my dedication is not foolish, but instead, faithful.
WHY didn't the widow go to someone else for help if the judge was ignoring her? I mean, it would have been against the Ten Commandments, but she could possibly have taken matters into her own hands and even resorted to violence with her enemy. But she didn't. Again, WHY? Because she knew the right solution would come only from the rightful judge. And, for her persistence, NOT her reasoning, she was eventually rewarded.
God will reward my faith and persistence in prayer. The Bible tells me so.
Father, my testimony is not one of immediate healing. Even so, I continue to pray and look to You for healing in my body. But, if my testimony serves You better right now as one of blind hard-headed faith to persistently continue to pray to and believe in You (like the widow with the unjust judge), then I am willing and hopeful that You should use my story here to implore others to break off their relationships with idols and get in a monogamous and tenacious relationship with You - because it is the right thing to do... And because nothing but faith pleases You... So be it.
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