What about…

When you have received prayer for healing numerous times and nothing seems to have happened?

When you have sought to address some of the commonly known hindrances to healing and nothing seems to have changed?

There are some things we need to consider…

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Near But Not Here

With the arrival of Jesus Christ on the scene of history, the Reign of God was suddenly “at hand” (Matthew 4:17).  In other words God’s reign was not just in the far distant future somewhere.  It was now close enough for people to experience in the moment.  The confirmation of this was seen as Jesus healed people of various kinds of ailments and cast out demons (Matthew 4:23 – 24).  He even sent His followers out to heal the sick and announce the arrival of the Kingdom  (Luke 10:9).

That, however, was just the beginning.  While the Kingdom of Heaven is still at hand, the fullness of the Kingdom will only arrive with the return of the King.

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:

“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
    and he will reign forever and ever.”

The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. And they said,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty,
    the one who is and who always was,
for now you have assumed your great power
    and have begun to reign.
The nations were filled with wrath,
    but now the time of your wrath has come.
It is time to judge the dead
    and reward your servants the prophets,
    as well as your holy people,
and all who fear your name,
    from the least to the greatest.
It is time to destroy
    all who have caused destruction on the earth.”  Revelation 11:15 – 18  NLT

Until that time, we are only getting a foretaste of the coming age.  We are only getting a glimpse of what it will be like when the King will subject all things to Himself and peace and righteousness will prevail.  We long for that day with all our hearts.  In the mean time, in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet,” we may lose some battles along the way.  There may be some prayers that go unanswered with no explanation as to why.  In those heartbreaking moments we must keep in mind that the Lord is still in control.  I learned a long time ago that as long as He knows what is gong on I don’t have too.  My only job is to continue to live under His loving sovereignty and trust Him with utter abandon.  And the good news is, even though we may lose a few battles, we will ultimately win the war!  Hallelujah!

Everything is Temporary

Another thing we must keep in mind is that everything is temporary.  Even healing is temporary!  Did you ever think of that?  Even though you may be healed of some debilitating disease, you will one day eventually die.  That’s just the way things are for now.

The good new is that sickness and death are also temporary.  A day is coming when both will be destroyed.

In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will spread a wonderful feast
    for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet
    with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
There he will remove the cloud of gloom,
    the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
He will swallow up death forever!
    The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery
    against his land and people.
    The Lord has spoken!

In that day the people will proclaim,
“This is our God!
    We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.

    Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”  Isaiah 25:6 – 9  NLT

With that in mind, we need to focus our attention on that which will last forever as Paul exhorts us to do in 2nd Corinthians 4:16 – 18.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.  NLT

We are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, and one that will never pass away!  We need to continually look forward to that day with great expectation.

Everyone Will be Healed!

I find it difficult when I hear people say that someone they knew experienced the ultimate healing of death.  I know what they mean.  The sick individual has now been released from their suffering through death and has passed into the Presence of the Lord.  And let’s face it, that is far better.  However, death in the Scriptures is looked upon as an enemy.  Paul tells us that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1st Corinthians 15:26).

Instead of simply looking forward to the day of our death, we are looking forward to the day of our transformation.

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.  Philippians 3:20 – 21  NLT

The apostle Paul provides vivid detail of what this will look like.

What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1st Corinthians 15:50 – 57  NLT

Hallelujah!  Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Anticipate the Joy

Beloved friend, I understand your disappointment at not being healed yourself, or watching someone you loved die after praying for their healing.  Believe me, I get it.  However, please don’t let the disappointment of not receiving a temporary answer rob you of anticipating the joy that awaits us all.  Set your hope fully on the salvation that is yet to be revealed and keep right on living in the Reign.

M