(ThyBlackMan.com) Pain, and the fear, that can come with illness can make one cry out to God in a way never imagined. It can make one question God, cry out for God, feel afflicted by God, and possibly even abandoned by God all at the same time. Without realizing it, in a lot of cases it is important that God be solely at fault for our condition. Sometimes the only way one may feel like they can be healed by God is if God “put it on us”. If the madness of the world can be laid at the feet of God, then so can my illness. When this position is taken there is a pleading and expectation combination that becomes the prayer language regarding health and healing. Unfortunately, in this moment God is relegated to the position of magician, and in this space human responsibility and accountability disappear.
We resign ourselves to the ideal that if God wants us be [ or our loved] to be healed he will make it happen…and he doesn’t need our assistance. Because remember, “he will never put more on us than we can bare”; the problem may have begun with a gross misreading and misunderstanding of scripture. There is a big difference between not putting more on us than we can handle, and not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can handle. One implies God is applying the pressure, and the other implies he is not the cause of the pressure. This misunderstanding can affect how we pray our understanding of what we need to do to assist our wellness.
I can remember the accident that began the journey that has been repeated health challenges. There have been so many limits given my life I’ve lost count. There were times where I felt God was testing me, so I kept praying to show myself worthy of living…basically begging for life. Then came the why me Lord phase…that saw me angry with God and questioning why I must go through such unspeakable pain. This eventually led to the thought that if I’m going through it that must be because I can bare it. All of these phases caused an inconsistency in what I was praying for verses what I wanted from God. Furthermore, in the midst of all the “tarrying” I wasn’t putting for the maximum effort to care for myself. Basically, it was prayer or nothing. I had no concept of working with God. Basically, if God wants to fix it he will, and it it’s not fixed this is what he has assigned to me to carry as my burden or “cross” per se. Granted today I am able to say that a lack of understanding about God, faith, healing and prayer led to me almost giving up my faith in the midst of my health crisis, as my original mindset led to despair and depression.
Healing is something that, in most cases, doesn’t occur overnight. It is a combination of faith, work, and in many cases following medical direction. Having an understanding that this doesn’t work like magic, God is not afflicting us, and that we must put work with our prayer can mentally prepare us for the journey that is healing. This journey is not always a matter of physical illness, but where there is a need for healing there will need to be prayer and work. Training our mind to speak spiritual healing to the body is one area that requires time in God’s Word, and plenty of mouth control discipline. Yes, discipline has to become your new best friend as it helps us work past what we feel, and what we see. Taking time to do a biblical study on healing will aid your discipline, and help you understand healing from God’s perspective verses what you’ve been told by others. It was a game changing revelation the day I was able to understand God won’t allow the enemy to tempt me beyond what I could handle, a price was already paid for my healing, and there is a connection between my physical health and the health of my Spirit. Granted it has to be understood that this is a position on healing from a Christian perspective, so if the believe system is different of course what is required is different.
However, regardless of one’s spiritual belief, or lack thereof, the person seeking healing will have to find a way to engage with the issue, the health issue they are facing with positive words/meditation/prayer and be willing to do the work required. This is not a journey built for perfection, but one built for consistency and discipline. Showing up for oneself becomes a crucial necessity on the road called healing.
Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James
May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.