We pray for healing.
We pray for a miracle.
We pray for something big.
We pray for a few more days.
Please, God. Please.
We pray to the God who heals all our diseases, the One who promises to work things together for our good.
I'm beginning to think differently about this. There's a paradigm shift happening in my mind.
He can say yes. He can heal. But any healing we find here is really only temporary anyway. We're all going to die. Nobody gets out of here alive.
Sorry. That was morbid. But it's true.
God didn't say yes to me. He heard the screams from my bedroom, but he didn't answer as I begged him to.
He didn't say yes to my dear friends who said goodbye to their little girl last night. We learned last fall that Lily was on the way, and Robb was one of the most delighted in our circle of joy. But Lily was born with a broken brain, and she only visited us for 54 days. A little messenger, she was. In heaven now, with Jesus, with Robb, full and whole. Every ounce of her.
God didn't say yes the way we asked him to. He is showing up differently.
He promises new life; we think it will happen here.
He promises healing; we think it will happen here.
He promises everything will work together for our good; we think it will happen here.
Maybe it will. Sometimes it does.
Sometimes it doesn't.
Robb has new life, he is delivered from every illness (and insecurity and wish), and all things have indeed worked together for his good.
We ask God to do something big. But the truth is, he already has.
And is there greater glory in our pain free life, or in his people knowing and trusting him in the shadowed valley?
We pray for healing, but I wonder if we really know what we're asking for.
Perhaps we should pray for the courage and strength of those of us who remain,
yet unhealed.
16 comments:
Amen.
It's hard for me to reconcile how perfect heaven will be with how horrible life is now. Hard for me not to pursue the logic in killing myself. There must be some answer to this. (Good post.)
Good post.
Excellent, excellent post! Thanks so much for sharing!
you. are. quite simply. a wonderful writer. and so very wise.
SO well said.
Awesome. Brought tears to my eyes (again.) I love the way you look at life. Just how did you get to be so darn wise?
When my uncle, that I loved as a father, was terminally ill and fell into a coma, my cousin (his daughter) and I prayed for a complete healing for him. We talked about how that healing may not take place here and asked God for the strength to let Harry go if He decided to take him Home. We had no doubts of Harry's salvation, so that fear was never an issue~ thank God. We did lose Harry here, but are so thankful that he received his well deserved healing! God does hear and He answers~ just not always the way we want Him to. Beautiful post, Tricia. Like always.
Wisdom abounds from you. Thank you consistently for your words.
i love your insight. i love that you are willing to share your life, the painful part of it, not just the happy part. when you publish your novel i will definitely purchase a copy. :)
Beautiful...perfectly described! my thinking, too, has changed following my dad's death, and the long arduous illness that preceded it. It actually helps me to realize that this is not our home, and that every thing broken, unhealed, imperfect and ugly in this life is a subtle reminder that we were made for so much more!! Yet, at the same time, God reveals Himself through miracles, signs and wonders...Definite paradigm. Beautifully written : )
Tricia,
May I re-post this onto my blog? It is so good.
Love this post, Tricia. Very well said.
One of my favorite posts, Tricia. When I think about how much it speaks to me (and temporarily causes me to second-guess and doubt: "Why should this woman's words resonate so deeply in my soul?" it reminds me of another post where you said something to the effect of: the words are not yours, but His...I wish I could remember exactly. The point is, I truly believe that God is using you--His truth illuminated in your thoughts and observations. His life being lived out in you. I'm so grateful to know you. At his feet, the pieces of your broken heart have formed an arrow that points straight to God. When I read your words, I want to know him better, cling to him harder, trust him more. I think that is amazing. So many say you are amazing. I think it is so amazing how you, as much as any sermon, song or Bible passage--Jesus in YOU, draws my heart to God. Then it is not so much "this woman", as much as *His* woman. One of the king's daughter's, my sister in the Lord, a fellow traveler on this journey marked with suffering. Then I don't have to worry that I put you on some kind of pedestal. I can just lay my own broken pieces next to you and look in the direction your life so beautifully points.
Amen, Tricia. Thanks for giving me a little perspective here...
This post reminds me of the song by Laura Story "Blessings". I'm praying for you.
Post a Comment