“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
What is God doing? I am still not sure. I am a healthy person, but in the last three months, I have found myself with doctors multiple times. If you are a regular reader, then you know about the fall in May that broke both my wrists and led to surgery on the right wrist. A miraculous, immediate healing would have been nice, but I knew it would take time to recover. My orthopedist says we are almost “out of the weeds”. Praise God! Recovery has taken more effort and patience than I imagined, but it wasn’t unexpected.
Most recently I ended up in the doctor’s office for something that seems small and unnecessary. If you know me as well as my husband does, you know that even deciding to see the doctor is a big deal. My practice with most anything is to try to figure it out myself first or wait to see if it resolves. I don’t ask for help until I am absolutely certain that I need it. That has not served me well when it comes to medical issues. I confess I sometimes wait too long before heading to the doctor’s office or emergency room.
I was experiencing ear pain and then couldn’t hear out of my left ear. After a few days of trying to resolve the issue, I determined the problem was earwax that wasn’t responding to home treatment. Earwax! Come on! Do I really need a doctor for that? I called and was surprised to get an appointment the same day. I thought I would go in, get it taken care of, and go home healed. Not so!
My diagnosis was correct, but my expectation was not. The PA could not flush out the wax with the normal tools. It was too hard! She told me to continue drops at home to soften it and come back in a few days so they could flush it out.
Tom told me the doctor I was to see on my return visit “doesn’t mess around.” I didn’t look forward to the process but was confident I would go home hearing. But no! After some uncomfortable efforts he told me what he had already done would normally have removed it. The largest clump was still too hard. He sent me home to continue drops for another five days and then come back… again! The next day my ear began to open, and I could hear...most of the time. Finally, I went back to the doctor and left with success. But still questions.
Why does God sometimes require us to participate in the healing process rather than give us a quick resolution? I’ve got a few thoughts about that. I hope they encourage you.
Patience requires trust. If you and I are honest, we want a quick healing so we can just go on with life as it was. I have found it takes more faith to keep trusting God when things are not what I hope for. I must practice trust when resolution takes longer than desired. I need patience to let God do it His way. At the heart of that kind of trust is a belief that God is good, and loves me regardless of my circumstances. So, I am pressing in and choosing to go with it. Acceptance gives me more peace to walk through it. What about you?
Participation is partnering with God! We want God to resolve our problems quickly, but we miss something beautiful and meaningful in a quick resolution. We miss the opportunity to partner with God in the healing process. What a privilege we are willing to forego!
When God chooses to heal us through a process rather than an instant miracle, we have to stay closer to Him, listening for His voice, asking Him how He wants to bring about healing, and what He wants us to do, if anything. The process is one way He draws us close enough to listen to Him. I don’t want to miss that! Do you? I didn’t think so!
Perseverance expands my understanding of what I am capable of with God’s help. My necessary participation in my healing process, including this earwax thing, has required more effort and taken longer than I expected. At times I have had to push through unexpected pain. I have found myself praying, “God, I can’t do this without You!” because I knew I wasn’t strong enough or patient enough to do what was needed to experience healing. I wanted God to do it quickly, even miraculously. But as I have persevered, I have found His grace sufficient, and His power perfected in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). I got to the healing, but only with His help.
Dear Friend, it is natural to feel disappointed if God has not brought a quick resolution to your needed healing, be it physical, emotional, relational, or financial. It is natural to feel disappointed when what you want or expect doesn’t happen. I know I did when I left the doctor’s office with instructions to come back in a few days…twice! It isn’t a lack of faith to feel disappointed. It’s human.
Faith trusts that God is at work even through that disappointment and chooses to participate in the healing the way He asks. He isn’t letting you down, He is inviting you to learn more about Him as you practice patience and perseverance while you participate in the process.
Don’t give up, Dear Friend. What you and I are learning as we lean into Him is worth it.
Key Question: Why is my healing taking longer than I want?
A Scripture to Consider: “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
A YES Challenge: How do you respond when you don’t receive a quick resolution? Take some time to sit with that in God’s presence. Then ask Him how He wants you to participate in the process. It may simply be to wait and trust Him.
Prayer: Dear Father, You know all I am facing right now. You know how dearly I long for a quick healing. Help me to trust You in the process. Show me how You want me to participate in the healing. Help me to trust that You are at work in me and in the situation, even when it seems like nothing is happening. I choose to believe that You are good, You love me, and You will bring the best resolution at the right time. Amen.