I am bothered
Someone gave me a copy of this article "39 Theses for Healing" http://www.ministryconferenceonline.org/theses39.htm. The implication was that if I followed the "insights" in this article I would receive miraculous healing and be restored to health. I received the impression that if I am not restored to health, it reflects on my faith.
Now I have been told this by many people in the past and have always accepted their prayers, but dismissed their implications about my faith. However yesterday, as I read this article I just started to get angry. And I find today that I can't get past this article. I am still angry and upset about this.
posted by UP at 12:45 PM
7 Comments:
I could rip them apart for you - I would be happy to in fact.
Actually, people who think that way or the implication that they might...my immediate response after spending some time of my own wondering why God lets things happen to us and coming through my own stuff...is we grow and surprisingly others grow too...
But that sounds trite and pat ...
We don't know - God does - if anyone is ever so bold as to actually say what is implied...tell them that Paul had a thorn in the flesh that God would not remove...it seems after all God did for Paul if healing was what God thought best it would have been done...I am sure it has nothing to do with you - or it would be done...
It is the whole shoving God in a box thing...they want Him in a healing box because why would He allow bad things to happen to good people - they don't want to admit that they can't understand it and aren't meant to understand it so they stick Him in the box of "If we have enough faith, He will heal us."
I agree with you. I send this to U. C. and he replied:
"Yeah, I am too. I think you've already identified the core problem with this perspective, which is, "what if I'm not healed?" To take this to an extreme, to my knowledge, everyone who's had a healing still dies, so what does that say about healing? My friend L. calls this perspective the theology of glory versus the theology of the cross. I get concerned because the implication is if you don't get healed you don't have enough faith. We know from our own mother this isn't true. Another problem with this theology is it's about the individual and not about God. For a more balanced perspective, check out some of John Piper's material http://www.desiringgod.org/ Mary and I struggled with this issue after our first service trip to Honduras. Our friend and former pastor also struggled with the same problem. The conclusion is that we need to focus more on God's faithfulness and glory and not our personal suffering. Individualistic North Americans have a difficult time with this concept."
I also send this to a pastor friend of mine and am waiting for his insights.
I'm interested to know what your pastor had to say about this. Other than that, C and M summed up my thoughts quite well. Everybody wants God in a box....
well UP we are waiting... ;)
I haven't heard back from my friend. I know he is extremely busy. However, my brother C. said that one of his pastor friends said in response, "What about having to wear glasses". Also a member of our Bible Study, who had experience with a similar Church about "God wants you to be rich", said "That type of thinking can lead you into extemely dangerous theology".
"I know that some of you are praying for a complete healing, and I will not attempt to limit your prayers or the power of God. But, if God so chooses to work within the normal limits of his creation, a complete healing will not happen. What can happen is a big "window" meaning that I will....have many, many months or even years before recurrence. That is what I would be very grateful for.
Do I pray for that? No, not really. I feel that God has given me so much in allowing me to live until my children were grown and in granting me an extraordinary husband. To ask him for more than that seems greedy. So I ask him for grace to take what comes with a cheerful heart.
Exerpts from "In His Feathers-the letters and journals of Sharon Bomgaars" - edited by James Schaap
I have always agreed with you Delthblue. I don't understand why receiving that article upset me so much. After all I've been disabled since I was 12.
I think the time has come to put this thread to bed and get on with my life.
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