A Question of Power or Plan?

My poor mom is hating having to take her new blood thinning medicine. I know how hard this is for her because as so many tend to believe, she feels she isn't giving God a chance to heal her if she resorts to medication. Also, "If I feel good there must not be anything wrong." even when the tests prove otherwise. But I have learned these ideas aren't what God teaches, scripture can be so easily distorted. In my past I also have felt this dilemma and hurt, so I understand and my heart goes out to those under these teachings.

God can do it, He can do ANYTHING that He wills and even before we decide to use other means. We don't have to give Him a "chance". When He doesn't give instant healing He has given us doctors and medication for our use. He doesn't have to explain to us why He does or doesn't, and He has never told us to not use one means toward health in order to see if He will use another more desirable means down the road, or else He might withhold it from you altogether. I have known some who have held off until it is too late to use any other means He has provided. I realize that even the medical route is no guarantee, this just proves to me that the One who created my body still owns it for His purpose and He is the ultimate decision-maker. He has given each of us a certain number of days and He is the one in control. Medications can work good for one problem while at the same time possibly cause another. So it can be a hard decision to weigh and I wouldn't judge anyone who has to make it. For mom's case she needs to prevent blood clotting, a very present threat for her condition. A threat not worth ignoring, so she dreads having to actually stick to it's regime, especially because of what it does to her energy level. My niece has been on blood thinners for most of her life. God is allowing it to prolong her life and although it causes other problems it is a Godsend and meant to be taken advantage of.

Our limited knowledge can't understand why God doesn't always allow healing but yet allows medication, procedures, and doctors to help us while we are here, and we'd be foolish not to put it to use. As we see in Job, whatever concerns us has to be OK'd by the Father who does all for our good, and we see that He DOES okay it. If He truly never wants to allow sickness He does not lack the power to accomplish this and no one would ever have to experience the end result of man's fall. We would also have one less reason to draw still nearer to Him, to realize our gratefulness for the mercy He showers on us, and to wonder at why He would even give us our next breath.

I am saddened for those who are deceived into thinking they have deficient faith when in truth being forced into a position to REALLY trust His purposes when we cannot see "why" requires even greater eyes of faith. There are sadly so many who are being manipulated to live in frustration over their illness, being taught that they are the one limiting God's power when it is bad enough that they have to learn to cope with their thorn. We all have some health issue even if it's on & off, it would be sad if all I would think about that situation is that if I can work hard to whoop up my faith some more God might think I love Him enough to deserve His healing touch. Funny how most from that camp will of course urge you to get a broken leg fixed instead of waiting to see if God will heal it miraculously sometime later. My faith will never be great enough to will something into happening that God isn't, and He certainly doesn't require the measly power of my self-will or "visualization" to help Him accomplish anything. So, better to use it for good as He intends. To draw so close to Him that we can experience what it means to be content in our circumstances, and yes, to find those reasons to give thanks in everything. To cause others to see God's glory through trials.

In scripture God healed people lacking in faith, just as He does now, often, so I know that is not the requirement. We are shown that His main purpose while here was not to physically heal, but spiritually heal (salvation). He even walked away from multitudes that He was healing, through it He had proven He was of God, He was more importantly drawn to go to those who needed to know Him. If this seems puzzling it should lead us to find deeper answers in His word as to what He is all about, not to the twisted interpretations of an unqualified and blindly elevated "leader" who create their own hype for fame and income, as so many have proven about them-self. I know God weeps with us over our pain even though He can end it. Would He really want us to glide by with no thorns? No reminder of the effect of sin which is the proof of our need for a Savior? No reasons to draw us into learning of His nature and His will? Have us not to be used to show others God's glory through hardship? If being His child had to be sufficient enough for Paul (as if being His child isn't enough) and God chose a doctor for his companion, I guess us disillusioned so-called "sub-faithers" are in good company.

I could go on with multitudes of scripture about God's will concerning illness but there are many other resources that say it more intelligently and eloquently than I. The hard part might be in finding the ones that know how to rightly divide the truth of God's own teachings and not people that just make them line up with their own traditions, for their own purposes. But you would also have to learn how to 'discerningly' find those authors and to choose your leaders.