A Question of Power or Plan?

My poor mom is hating having to take her new medicines and tests, and I feel for her. I know how hard this is for her because so many of us tend to think - is our faith weak if we resort to medication? Also, I think most of us like to think that if the problem isn't bad enough maybe we can do without the meds. Sometimes taking the risk of ignoring the problem will not have disastrous results, but I don't read where God expects us to take that risk, I do read just the opposite though. By the way it can take a lot of faith to risk the side effects of medications after weighing the pros and cons. At one time frame of my life I also have felt this dilemma, so I understand. Yet when I look back I wonder how I could even think that I need to give such a powerful God "a chance" to do His work before I walk out in faith with doctors & trust His reasoning for what he allows to come into my life.

Scripture tells us that God does everything that HE wills to do. He can do ANYTHING, and WHENEVER He wants to accomplish it, in His own time, not ours. When He doesn't give instant healing, or any healing at all, He has given us doctors and medication for our use, and He is powerful enough to work through them, or even to nullify their attempts, as He chooses. We are not rejecting the healing awaiting us if we choose to use other available routes. We cannot void His ability to do what HE wants to accomplish. It won't make Him decide to be mean to His child and withhold His loving care. If it did He would never help me with anything, because we never do anything perfectly. Whether I make bad decisions or excellent ones God will step in and make things go the way He wants. That doesn't mean we aren't responsible, it means He won't let ANYTHING happen to His beloved that is not for a good purpose in our spiritual growth, even if we think it seems bad at the time.

If the life He had planned for us seems bombarded by Satan, remember our God is more powerful than Satan, He kicked him out of heaven, and makes him ask permission for any dealings with His children (Job), so what He allows to come our way will have His purpose, we learn peace through that. Trusting the One who created us is a daily challenge for our lack of understanding. He does not expect us to do nothing while waiting to see how He will direct our life. We have to be walking, using our sense and resources. 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, but many threats are not worth ignoring. 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 worth the risks to take advantage of it. It's like the man sitting on his rooftop during a flood awaiting God to fix the situation. When a boat comes to rescue him he rejects it saying he is waiting for God to take care of things. God could have receded the waters and restored his possessions, but most of the time God uses the creation around us to accomplish His goals. One of those goals is to grow us through it all.

There are sadly so many who are being manipulated to live in added frustration over their illness, being taught that they are limiting God's power (as if anyone could do that), 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 harder 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 right away 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 power of my measly faith to make Him decide something. So, better to use illness for good as He intends. To draw closer to Him and experience what it means to be content in our circumstances, and 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 a requirement. We are shown that His main purpose while here was not to physically heal, but to prove Himself as God so we could be spiritually healed (salvation). He walked away from multitudes during His healings because He had done enough to prove that He was God. He left them because He was more importantly drawn to go to those who needed to know Him. If this seems puzzling it should lead us toward finding deeper answers in His word as to why He came and away from the twisted interpretations of unqualified and blindly elevated "leaders" who create their own hype for fame and income, as so many have proven to be about.

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? If just 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 list scriptures about God's will concerning illness but there are many other resources that say it more intelligently and eloquently than I. The hard part is really in finding authors that know how to rightly divide the truth of God's teachings and not ones that just make the words line up with denominational traditions, or for their own agendas. Like those in Berea, we need to line up any teaching with God's word and choose those who we allow to lead us. So it's up to how determined you are to learn more about the One who wants you to trust Him with whatever He is doing in your life.