The recent events that changed all that for me began with a cat bite. That was followed up by infection, a doctor’s visit, oral antibiotics, a visit to a different doctor, a new antibiotic, a surgery, yet another new doctor, a trip to the ER, another surgery, admission to the hospital, IV antibiotics, insertion of a PICC line for at-home IV antibiotics, and finished up with weeks of occupational therapy.
I had a great desire for people to be praying for my healing. Having health problems meant being out of control, and I really, really did not like it. My patient husband who was dragged through this along with me can tell you that I didn’t handle it well. I just wanted to be finished with it, to get back to my regularly scheduled life, but every few days I would get more bad news emphasizing my lack of control and increasing my frustration.
I had prayed, and wanted others to pray that the antibiotic would work quickly and that my finger would be back to normal quickly. But that didn’t happen, and as the days turned into weeks and then into months, my spiritual need was uncovered along with my physical need. I saw things about myself that I would not have recognized if I had gotten well in the first 10 days of antibiotics.
This should not have been a surprise to me because Scripture is full of the uses that God makes of suffering. It is right for us to pray for healing. God has revealed himself as the Healer, and healing is a way that he shows mercy to his saints, but I would like to encourage us all also to keep before us the good that he does when he doesn’t heal. What a benefit it would be to suffering people if we were to pray for that as well!
These are some of the things we can pray for those suffering:
- That God would show mercy to the sick and their loved ones by healing them (Philippians 2:27)
- That God would be glorified in the suffering (John 9:3)
- That they would rejoice in their suffering because of the good God is doing in it (Romans 5:3 and James 1:2)
- That God would use the suffering to produce endurance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3, 4)
- That suffering would produce steadfastness leading to the sufferer being perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:4)
- That the suffering would show the genuineness of their faith and may be found to result in praise and glory and honor for Christ (1 Peter 1:6, 7)
- That they would cast all their cares on God knowing that he cares for them (1 Peter 5:7)
- That they would know of the sufficiency of the Lord’s grace ( 2 Corinthians 12:9)
- That they would boast of their weakness because in it Christ’s power is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9)
- That they would be content in their weakness and know God’s power (2 Corinthians 12:10)
- That they would not be anxious but would present their requests to God with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6)
- That the peace of God would guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)
- That through Christ’s strength they would learn to be content in every situation (Philippians 4:11-13)
I did not like suffering, but it is good news to us who live in this world of groaning that suffering is not empty and meaningless even when it drags on. Romans 8:18 tells us "that the sufferings of this present time and not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us", and 2 Corinthians 4:17 gives the ultimate encouragement to all kinds of sufferers. "Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
That’s what I needed much more than quick healing, God’s working eternal good in me and for me. Let’s pray for that eternal good as we suffer together and expect God’s good answers.
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