Health and Healing

I read an article this week and I’d like to share an excerpt.  The article was in The Lookout from August 26, 2012.  Here is the portion I’d like to share from “When God Doesn’t Heal” by Tammy Darling.

“Sometimes, however, explanations are available as to why God doesn’t heal.  For example, I have suffered from migraine headaches for about 10 years.  I have prayed to be free from them and others have prayed faithfully as well.

“Some of my migraines are the result of unhealthy habits—lack of exercise and poor eating habits.  If God had healed me when I was oblivious to this fact, my bad habits would have continued.

“What loving father gives his children a stone when they’ve asked for bread, or a snake when they’ve asked for fish (see Matthew 7:9, 10)?  Without realizing it, we sometimes ask for a stone or serpent when we pray for instant healing.  God wants to provide solutions that will nourish and sustain, not harm us in the long run.

“Since I have begun to exercise regularly and started to eat healthful, natural foods, my migraines have greatly decreased in frequency and intensity.  Now I understand why I wasn’t healed sooner—God had something better in mind.

“Through this experience and the experiences of others, I have learned that when God doesn’t heal, it may be that he wants us to make some practical lifestyle changes.”

I can relate to Tammy’s story.  I have struggled with weight pretty much my whole life.  I remember sitting at my desk while still in chiropractic college and saying to God, “If you can just make me lose weight, I’ll maintain it from there.”  Such a silly prayer!  There is no way I would have been able to maintain a healthy weight if it was just handed to me on a silver platter!  I had not learned to make wise choices when it came to food or exercise.  And even if God had answered that prayer, I would not have received all the other wonderful benefits—like Tammy, my migraines have almost gone away entirely!  I have a sense of accomplishment and greater self-esteem from the entire process.  Because I had to work for it I can also understand where others are coming from and have more compassion while helping others to regain their health.

When you find yourself asking for something, don’t forget to look inside you and ask if you are making choices that compromise your physical, emotional and mental health.  Don’t forget to continue to ask God to help and heal you as well.  I will pull another quote from the same edition of The Lookout from David Faust’s article “Take your medicine.”  “The Great Physician is available when we reach out to him in faith.  Amazingly, he still makes house calls.”