A devotional by Cyndi Staudt
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
–Matthew 4:23 (NIV)
Huddled over the tiny casket at the front of the room were the family members still in shock at the nightmare unfolding before them. How could their sweet toddler be gone?
We had cried out to God, fasted, and prayed around the clock, yet God had chosen not to heal their sweet child this side of Heaven. At a complete loss on what to say and how to support them through this journey of grief, I fought to find words to express to God how I was feeling. If I was honest, I was probably a little angry with God. At the very least, disappointed. This was a good family, faithful in their walk with Jesus, always serving and giving to others selflessly. They didn’t deserve this.
I didn’t feel like praying but knew I needed to. I wanted to turn away from God in a toddler-like tantrum, but I knew that wasn’t going to help. In a gentle whisper, the Holy Spirit encouraged me to come back to what I knew about God and sit there for a while. As I reflected on the character of God and was reminded of the immutable nature of God my breathing began to slow and my thoughts began to quiet. And in the stillness, He soothed my hurting heart and spoke sweet truths to my spirit until I could crawl to my knees and come to Him with all my raw emotions in prayer.
It can be hard to understand how and when God chooses to heal His children (or not), regardless of their age. I would be willing to bet most of us have prayed for someone’s healing at one time or another only to have it delayed or, perhaps, withheld completely. Maybe we have believed for a restored relationship that remained forever dismantled. Or watched a loved one’s mental capacity be stripped away until they were virtually unrecognizable. We know that God can heal, but it doesn’t always mean He does. And this can be a hard truth to wrestle with. We want to make sense of it all. Find a logical conclusion. Unfortunately, one is rarely available.
It can test our faith when we pray and believe God for healing and it doesn’t happen. But we must be careful not to let doubt creep into our minds and hearts. When healing is delayed or doesn’t come at all we must trust that God is still able, faithful, loving, and gracious. He promises perfect health to us. Sometimes that comes in this life while other times it comes in the next. We must believe that God is still on His throne, He is still sovereign, and He is still in the business of doing miracles whether we receive the answers, outcomes, and miracles we are seeking or not.
Friends, let’s not lose sight of the truths we know about God. When we are faced with what seems like insurmountable or unfair circumstances, we are called to continue to seek God and come before Him in prayer.
There are also practical things we can do while we are continuing to seek Him and cry out to Him. We can seek medical advice, counseling, or assistance as the situation calls for. We are to pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on us. That way no matter what the outcome, we know that we have done everything we can, then we leave the results up to God.
I didn’t feel like praying but knew I needed to. I wanted to turn away from God in a toddler-like tantrum, but I knew that wasn’t going to help. In a gentle whisper, the Holy Spirit encouraged me to come back to what I knew about God and sit there for a while. As I reflected on the character of God and was reminded of the immutable nature of God my breathing began to slow and my thoughts began to quiet. And in the stillness, He soothed my hurting heart and spoke sweet truths to my spirit until I could crawl to my knees and come to Him with all my raw emotions in prayer.
It can be hard to understand how and when God chooses to heal His children (or not), regardless of their age. I would be willing to bet most of us have prayed for someone’s healing at one time or another only to have it delayed or, perhaps, withheld completely. Maybe we have believed for a restored relationship that remained forever dismantled. Or watched a loved one’s mental capacity be stripped away until they were virtually unrecognizable. We know that God can heal, but it doesn’t always mean He does. And this can be a hard truth to wrestle with. We want to make sense of it all. Find a logical conclusion. Unfortunately, one is rarely available.
It can test our faith when we pray and believe God for healing and it doesn’t happen. But we must be careful not to let doubt creep into our minds and hearts. When healing is delayed or doesn’t come at all we must trust that God is still able, faithful, loving, and gracious. He promises perfect health to us. Sometimes that comes in this life while other times it comes in the next. We must believe that God is still on His throne, He is still sovereign, and He is still in the business of doing miracles whether we receive the answers, outcomes, and miracles we are seeking or not.
Friends, let’s not lose sight of the truths we know about God. When we are faced with what seems like insurmountable or unfair circumstances, we are called to continue to seek God and come before Him in prayer.
There are also practical things we can do while we are continuing to seek Him and cry out to Him. We can seek medical advice, counseling, or assistance as the situation calls for. We are to pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on us. That way no matter what the outcome, we know that we have done everything we can, then we leave the results up to God.
Whatever God decides to do, we need to trust Him and praise Him in the process, knowing one day we will all find ourselves forever healed in Jesus.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father,
We know that Your ways are not our ways and Your timing is not our timing. Help us to remember this when we are confused and wondering why our prayers are not being answered in the ways and timetable we had hoped or imagined. Let the Holy Spirit within us remind us of what we know to be true about You even when what we see and feel tries to tell us otherwise. Give us eyes to see You in the midst of our circumstances and ears to hear You through the noise of our lives so we never lose sight of Who you are. We thank You for all You do for us and for Your grace to see us through the highs and lows of life. In Jesus’ s Name we pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection: “Light of that City” by Allison Speer. Listen to it here.
~*~
Author Bio:
Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him.
With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.
Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.
~*~
Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father,
We know that Your ways are not our ways and Your timing is not our timing. Help us to remember this when we are confused and wondering why our prayers are not being answered in the ways and timetable we had hoped or imagined. Let the Holy Spirit within us remind us of what we know to be true about You even when what we see and feel tries to tell us otherwise. Give us eyes to see You in the midst of our circumstances and ears to hear You through the noise of our lives so we never lose sight of Who you are. We thank You for all You do for us and for Your grace to see us through the highs and lows of life. In Jesus’ s Name we pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection: “Light of that City” by Allison Speer. Listen to it here.
~*~
Author Bio:
Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him.
Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.
~*~
Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/
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