When God Says “No”
Have you ever prayed for God to heal someone, and it didn’t happen? Have you ever asked the Lord to take away a physical ailment that caused you suffering only to be met with more pain? The Apostle Paul knew how you feel. The greatest Christian in the New Testament knew what it was like to repeatedly ask God for healing and relief and for his prayer not to be answered.
“. . . there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-8
Sometimes God says no. This does not mean that God is unable or unloving. When God says no to healing someone that you love dearly, it is not because He wants you or your loved one to be miserable. Consider these things as you wrestle with the physical suffering that we experience.
Disease and death are direct results of man’s disobedience in the garden. When God created man, He gave him a beautiful paradise beyond imagination. He crafted a helpmeet for him and gave him dominion over the animals. Everything changed when Adam and Eve listened to the devil instead of God. That day, God’s judgment fell upon both the serpent and man. When we experience pain, sorrow, and death today, we must realize that they were not a part of God’s original plan and design.
Jesus Himself knew what it was like to lose a loved one. The shortest verse in the Bible (John 11:35) reminds us that the heart of Jesus was touched by death when he mourned the passing of Lazarus. Yes, I know that Jesus raised him from the dead afterwards, but it still is comforting to know that Jesus knows how we feel when we lose a loved one. He wept too.
Some of the greatest men who ever walked this earth experienced great suffering. Job lost his children and his health. Paul was tortured and was near death. Jesus was crucified and hung on a cross. Not everyone who has cancer is a bad person. Just because someone is sick doesn’t mean they are being punished for their sins or shortcomings. Jesus is the clearest example of this. He did not suffer the greatest punishment known to mankind because of His sins, but for ours.
Healing may not always take place on earth, but it always takes place in Heaven. For those that know Jesus Christ as Savior, they can rest assured that they will no longer experience pain and suffering when they close their eyes for the last time. One day, “. . . God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Cancer, heart disease, and strokes will not be present in Heaven.
My friend, when God says “no” to healing you or your loved one, just remember that He always says “yes” to grace. Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I sometimes struggle when God says “no,” but these reminders help me go forward.