When should I stop praying for healing? Good question. This is an inquiry asked of me a few days ago. It’s been a long ~ many years that I’ve been in the trenches of suffering, and here is my reply. IT DEPENDS. It depends on where your heart is with God. It depends on trust. That’s easy to say, but it took me years to gain insight and to accept the way things are… on God’s terms.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14
Do you know how many times I was anointed with oil and prayed for? There comes a point in time when your relationship with the Father becomes solely vertical – you no longer depend on the prayers of others and realize your affliction/suffering is the will of God. When God takes you to the end of yourself, it’s only you and Him, and you realize (I realized) there are so many treasures to find in the darkness. You absorb power that you could not have gained without your affliction. You also realize who you are and Who He is. You really “get” that your healing will only come through Him. He is your only hope, your only resource.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.”
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn your statutes.”
“I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
Psalm 119:67, 71, 75
“…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Again, you must listen to your heart and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you about your particular circumstances. There are many reasons for suffering, but I know my suffering has a purpose. Some of us have been entrusted with severe suffering. When we emerge from this suffering, God opens our eyes to others who are struggling with their own personal afflictions. God is all about proving His faithfulness and goodness to an unbelieving world, and He wants those who have gone through deep water and awful fires – people who have been refined through the crucible of suffering – to show His strength in weakness.
None of Us are Born Loving God’s Sovereignty