You’ll note from my earlier post that I have been struggling with Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a co-infection that also comes from an insect bite. The last year and a half have been a real challenge physically and a time of drawing closer to God that only severe suffering can produce.

I’m on the mend, praise God, and give Him all the glory for it. When one suffers from a debilitating illness, one gets a new perspective on everyday tasks that used to be taken for granted. Like washing dishes or just walking. In the depths of my illness, even these seemingly simple tasks were too monumental to accomplish.

Through it  all, God gave me a profound peace deep in my heart that He had healed me.  He also let me know that I had to walk through the healing process–no short cut.  Drats! I desperately wanted God to reach down and touch my pain ridden body and heal it.  He chose to let me walk through that pain.  I desperately wanted him to immediately restore my strength and endurance.  He chose to let me recover slowly.

Why did He not heal me immediately?  I simply don’t know. Two things I do know.  He was certainly capable of healing me instantly and He had a purpose for the way He healed me.  God doesn’t have to explain to us why He does or doesn’t do something.  This was one of those times where I had to TRUST Him and what He was doing in my life and that of my husband.

Yes, I wasn’t the only one walking through this process. My beloved husband was also in this.  When I hurt, he hurt more because he couldn’t fix it. He could only watch. When I was unable to prepare a meal, he had to prepare it.  When I started feeling better, he rejoiced with me.  When God taught me about His unfathomable love, God also was teaching my husband about unconditional love.

God never promised us that we would be free from suffering or persecution.  He did promise us that He would be with us through it. That He would carry us when we didn’t have the strength to carry the burden.  He also promised us that He would give us strength for each trial.

If you are suffering from an illness and it appears that God isn’t hearing your prayers, may I encourage you that God hears and answers all prayers. Sometimes His answer is YES, sometimes His answer is NO, and sometimes His answer is NOT NOW.

Instead of asking God why He doesn’t heal you the way you want, perhaps the question should be “What do You want me to learn from this?”

God’s grace is sufficient for ALL situations. The problem is never Him, the problem is usually us.  Ouch!!

Peace be with you and may God answer your prayers in the best way,

Dottie