Unrevealed Revelation

There are times when medicine fails, does not have a solution, or reaches its known limits. At those times, many begin to rely on their faith and ask God to intervene. It is unfortunate that some call on God as their last resort instead of their first. God, through his loving mercy, often provides comfort, peace, and assurance to those who seek him in periods of illness and uncertainty. Those who fail to rely on God during these times may miss the warmth that only Jesus can give. Psalm 55:22 reinforces the notion that God cares for his people. “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be shaken.” If the ailing do not cast their cares on the Lord, they may carry their burden alone.

When one calls on God for healing, he may answer the petition as requested; he may answer differently than asked, or he may even respond with a no. Regardless of how God answers, the Christian believer knows that God is in charge and that he promises to be with his followers through life’s most difficult circumstances, even grave illnesses.

Some people misunderstand and even misuse prayer. The purpose of prayer is not to try to persuade God to conform to the will of the one praying, but for the petitioner to seek and discover the will of God for the circumstance over which he or she is praying. With this attitude of prayer, we are, essentially, asking God to show us how to go through our circumstance. We may ask him to remove our situation, but he may, instead, respond by providing direction concerning how to go through it. We place our confidence and trust in him when navigating life’s difficult roads. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). By going through our difficulty, our faith becomes stronger and we are better equipped to serve God.

When one petitions the Lord, he or she has faith, or confidence and trust, that the request can and will be answered. In the Bible, 1 John 5:15 reads, “And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”

One understanding of the above verse is that John is referring only to spiritual matters. A second, and broader, interpretation is that “whatever” refers to anything that is not against the will and purpose of God. If one accepts the second meaning, it would certainly include a physical illness. Moreover, if the second interpretation is believed, it should not be taken to be a Santa Claus promise. Instead, part of Christian faith is the acknowledgment and understanding that prayers of all types, including those for healing, are answered according to God’s purpose and plan. They are not always answered in such a way to make an individual feel physically better, although God is merciful and frequently responds that way.

From a human perspective, the ability to understand and accept disappointing answers from God is often difficult. The Christian believer looks toward Heaven in these types of situations and relies on scriptures such as Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We may never understand some of God’s answers, but we can certainly accept them. When they are accepted, life becomes easier. We can then plan and live around his answer, knowing that we are in compliance with his desire for us. When God failed to answer the Apostle Paul’s three-time request for the removal of his “thorn,” he accepted God’s answer and used it to his spiritual and missional advantage (2 Corinthians 12:1-10).

Another part of Christian faith is action. This principle is clearly stated in the Bible in the book of James. “…Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). I once knew a lady who was diagnosed with breast cancer but refused to seek medical treatment. I believe this lady said a good-faith prayer for healing, but within one year she was deceased. Had she pursued the action of getting medical treatment, she possibly could have been healed through medical science. There, apparently, was no intervention from man or God, and the lady succumbed to her illness. Although her faith was strong, her actions were weak. God didn’t kill this lady by not answering her prayer as petitioned; instead, he answered by allowing the disease to take its natural course.

At one point during my illness …, my good pastor asked if I would like to be anointed with oil and have him offer a prayer of healing on my behalf. I agreed, and was anointed and prayed for in a public worship service ... I had faith that God could immediately heal but, I must confess, my personal prayer was different from that of my pastor. My prayer was that God’s will be done over the whole matter and for him to continue to give me peace.

There are different understandings among Bible scholars regarding the interpretation of certain scriptures referring to anointing with oil for physical healing. Both James 5:14 and Mark 6:13 seem to support the practice. James states, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” The scripture in Mark says, “They [i.e., the disciples] drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Some interpret the “sick” in these verses to be those who are spiritually rather than physically ill… Regardless of the interpretation, the Creator of the universe and the God I worship certainly has the power to heal the physically ill if he chooses.