In adversity

This post will not be definitive on the subject of adversity but I just tried to post a comment/response on a blog writing addressing adversity. In particular, the desperately sad plight of a lady and her family touched me. I accidentally wiped what I had written (grrrr to that) so I figured, rather than writing again there, I would write something here.

The situation of the lady is so sad. Undoubtedly, within that, God has used people to bring some comfort and blessing to her and her children but as I read what she had said, 

"God knew what He was doing when He gave me leprosy.." I exclaimed aloud, 'NOooooo!'

Why?

I cannot ever believe God GIVES people illness. Jesus never did that in His life on earth. He is the image of God. He never refused anyone who came to Him for healing, saying, 'No - actually I won't heal you because I want you to learn from this affliction.' He healed them.

We pray as Jesus taught us, 'Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' There is no illness in heaven.

It is a dilemma in one way. Not everyone I have ever prayed for has been healed - two at the time of writing. But I will not stop praying for healing. 

Just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said, '...the God we serve is able to deliver us from it and He will deliver us...but even if He does not....'

God is a good God. He is good all the time. I cannot change my mind about that truth just because circumstances don't appear to back it up.

I don't know why people don't always get healed when I/we pray for them. But I know God can. I know God will. BUT EVEN if He doesn't, I will not stop praying. The gates of hell will not prevail.

Robbie Dawkins said,

'To call ourselves Christ followers, to seek to do the things that Jesus did, means coming to terms with also walking in His power'

That may not be evidenced in my life yet but I have to pursue the truth of Jesus' statement in John14:12 - 'Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father'

That 'whoever' is me. If you know Jesus as Saviour and Lord, it is you. 

Jesus chose to change the world with twelve men. He had no plan B. We are God's plan A in His world. Jesus died and rose to give us new life. Holy Spirit has come to be with us that we can walk in that new life and know the things of God. He has given us such amazing promises. It would be rude not to take hold of them. We have in us, He said, that same power that raised Christ from the dead. I am not giving up.

So I want to say to Suntali, your heavenly Father loves you beyond imagination. You are precious and treasured to Him. Thank You, Father for Your immense love for Suntali and her children. Jesus heals you, Suntali. In His powerful name and in His authority given, I command the cancer to be healed. I command the leprosy to be healed in Jesus' name. I speak life and full health to your body. I call out your mother's heart dreams, Suntali, that your children will grow up in the loving care of their birth mother and I speak those dreams into life, calling on God who gives life to the dead, and calling into being what is not, as if it were 

To whoever of you read this, pray also and to God be the glory!

Nothing of what I have written is meant as a condemnation but as a challenge to myself, to us all. God's natural life is the supernatural. Let's press in to live the life God intended for us to have.

And keep praying and pushing. Our God can. Our God will. But even if He does not.......