Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Walk by Faith


October 11, 2011

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” – Psalm 50:15

Right now my little girl, Sophia, has had a fever of 103+ since Friday. It’s Tuesday. We’ve done the routine treatments: Tylenol, Motrin, submerged in the bath, doctor’s visits – nothing is beating back what’s going on inside that little three year old. When I’ve prayed against sickness I always wrestle with the dichotomy between the facts that God is the great physician and that Jesus prayed, “Not my will but yours.”
How many times have you been asked to pray for someone who is sick or dying? I’ve had that request made hundreds of times. Within the last few years I have taken the opportunity to pray at the time the person asks for prayer as opposed to saying, “Sure. I’ll be happy to pray for you” and then going off to pray on my own for that person or not even praying at all. (Side note: there’s a huge benefit to praying immediately with someone who asks for prayer. I know that sometimes it does put people on the spot but in most cases I have found that they really appreciate the attention).
Unfortunately – lately – I have found that although I am willing to pray for someone’s sick relative, in the back of my mind I am wrestling with the question of is it God’s will to heal that person? For instance, my Dad, having been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, needs prayer. There’s not a doubt in my mind (1) that he needs prayer, (2) he has a hope that God will heal him, (3) and God is the great physician and can heal him. The question then becomes: is that God’s will? Is the real issue my Dad’s recovery/healing or is the issue where we put our faith? Regardless of what we see, will be still “walk by faith and not by sight?”
            This Saturday night I got to see Jeremy Camp in concert. His songs, “Walk by Faith” and “I Still Believe” have always humbled me because they speak to the depths of who I need to be as a follower of Christ. “I WILL walk by faith even when I cannot see.” “I still believe in your faithfulness. I still believe in your truth. I still believe in your Holy Word. Even when I cannot see, I still believe.” I know that God’s will – his plans and thoughts – are bigger and higher than anything that I can imagine. So besides praying for healing – in my Dad and others – I pray for the grace to live out his will. Having faith is always a test.

2 comments:

  1. Well said, friend.
    Praying for your dad, too.

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  2. Thanks for the prayers, Jen. Likewise, I continue to pray for the COL's health.

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