Can Christians claim their healing?

I just came from the hospital, where Sebastian was admitted to the CTICU again on Friday. He is very sick from the pneumonia and had a setback on Friday afternoon. He struggled to breathe so eventually became tired and turned blue. After being stabilised, he was transferred to an isolated room in the CTICU and put on the big old oscillator again. He has slowly showed some improvement since Friday, so we trust that the pneumonia will continue to improve so that he can start breathing on his own again soon. I also bumped into a couple we met at the NNICU a few months ago. Their son is 8 months old now and has not been home yet. He is also in the CTICU at the moment and still not doing great. My heart really bleeds for them! Monika and I were saying that just when you think you have it bad, you meet people that seem to be suffering even more. You never have good reason to feel sorry for yourself!!! 

With all the suffering going on around us lately, the same question seems to keep popping up. Why is there so much suffering? Are Christians not supposed to be exempt from the sufferings of this world? Can a Christian not simply 'claim' their healing and live in victory? Is our faith a catalyst for getting our healing? Well, since it is Sunday today, I think a Bible study on this subject will be in order!

When we study the gospels, i.e. Jesus' ministry on earth, we can learn a lot on this subject. Did Jesus always heal people? Did Jesus only heal those that believed that He was God? Did Jesus require you to say a certain prayer in order to qualify for healing? Is there a working formula that we can apply in order to get what seems good and right and fair?

In John 5:1-8, Jesus practically stepped over all the lame, blind and paralised people who were gathered at the pool of Bethesda, in order to get to one man who was an invalid, and heal him. All the sick people gathered there because they believed that if the water stirs, the first person to get into the pool will be healed. This man has been an invalid for 38 years, but could never get into the pool in time. He probably didn't even know who Jesus was, so he asked Jesus to help him get into the pool. But God obviously wanted to heal this man, for whatever reason we don't know. And without even knowing or asking Jesus to heal him, Jesus healed him!

In Luke 17, Jesus came across 10 lepers. They saw Jesus and lifted their voices, saying 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us'. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests, which was a law from Liviticus in the old testament (remember this was before Jesus died, so this is no longer required today), something that had to be done after being healed from leprosy. As they did this, they were healed. We can argue and say that all 10 of them obviously had enough faith to be healed, which is why Jesus healed them. But when only one returned to praise God and thank Jesus, Jesus asked, 'Where are the other 9?'.  Interestingly, Jesus said to him 'Your faith has made you well'. So all 10 were made well yet only one had faith, according to Jesus? But how? When he came back, he praised God for really being God. So he became a believer, someone with faith in God, a saving faith. And because of this, his soul was made well, in addition to his body. 

And in John 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus was dead, so he couldn't believe, and neither did anybody else believe that he could be raised from the dead. They were already mourning and were mad because Jesus did not come earlier. 

We can analyse many more examples, but the fact is, sometimes Jesus healed a person because of someone else's faith, sometimes he healed people who were not believers, sometimes he healed some while not healing others, and sometimes he did miracles even when there was only disbelief. Less than a third of the recorded miracles occurred with the confession of people's faith. And nobody 'claimed' their healing, but rather knew that it was God's mercy they needed. If God depended on man for faith to perform healing, we all would be looking to ourselves for power instead of relying on God.

Throughout the Bible, God's people are not exempt from sickness and premature death. 

Elisha died from a sickness even though he had a double portion of God's Spirit. (2 Kings 13:14-20)

Paul had a 'thorn in the flesh', a messanger from Satan to buffet him. In 2 Corinthians 12 he asked the Lord 3 times to remove it, but God said NO, because this buffeting had a greater purpose. God knew Paul needed this in order to keep him humble, because God used him in great ways. God answered "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." So Paul accepted it as being God's will for him. In contrast to what many TV preachers might tell you, God didn't need Paul to be great and victorious in order to let His strength shine through. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. Paul goes on to say "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

David said in Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word.”

Hebrews 11 proves that those who God uses to change history are almost always killed or endure suffering at some time. Who wants to be history makers now?

We can clearly see that affliction is allowed in the lives of believers, out of God's love, to fulfill a purpose and it is always for our good and His glory. If every Christian were well and healthy, if perfect health was a guaranteed benefit that just needs to be 'claimed' by those with faith, millions of people would want to get saved straight away, no questions asked – but for the wrong reasons. We come to him because of who He is and how He showed his love for us by sending his Son to die. He is the giver of our lives and deserves our worship, simply for who He is, and not for what he can do for us. 

God usually allows suffering to form our characters. For unbelievers it is used to bring them to know Him. For believers it is for our growth and to bring us closer to Him. Yes, sometimes the devil has a hand in our suffering, but God still has it all under control. Satan cannot do more than what God allows. God is in control and all-knowing and sovereign and all-powerful and infinite in wisdom. The devil is a created being and what he intends for evil, God can turn around for good. 

Sometimes it is not the devil, but God who causes certain 'unwanted' things in our lives: 

Deut. 32:39 “Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.”

Exodus.4:11 “So the LORD said to him (Moses), “Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?"

When we believe the wrong things about God, e.g. when we form a whole belief system based on who we think God should be, or sometimes by taking a scripture out of context and building our theology on that, without considering the rest of Scripture, we blame Him and become bitter and we loose our faith because we can't make sense of it all. But it is so unnecessary. Lies will put is in bondage, but the truth shall set us free. We need to study our Bibles diligently, because through it God will reveal Himself truthfully to us. And although its difficult to comprehend the fullness of who He is with our little brains, it is important to know that He is far greater than what we can ever think and imagine Him to be. And His goodness and wisdom is so above us, that we should never blame Him or become bitter when things don't seem to make sense or when we can't see the bigger picture. True comfort is found not in knowing why we suffer, but in knowing the One who truly understands our pain (Jesus). We cannot know all the why’s right now, but one day, we will. God puts each one of us on a unique path, specially carved so that we can learn the things we need to learn. Being afflicted does not mean the Lord has ignored you, is punishing you or loves you any less. It can actually mean that he has turned his favor upon you, because he probably cares for your soul more than you do.

So when we are suffering, He promises to be there to help us through it: Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." He didn't promise healing, except healing for our souls through the wonderful work of Jesus: 1 Peter 2:24-25  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." From this scripture we can see that in context it obviously refers to the healing of our souls, not our bodies as many would believe. (The same principle applies to James 5:15, if you are interested you can read an in depth commentary on that verse here.)

It is obvious from scripture that God is far more concerned for our souls than what He is for our physical comfort. When he heals someone, it is always for the purpose of saving someone's soul, whether it be the healed person's or just a witness'. We can pursue health and happiness now, and sometimes we will have success. But in His presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16) And because we partake of his suffering we can participate in his glory later.  (1 Pet 4:13)

What about praying? By all means we should pray for the sick. But with a humble acceptance that God knows best. When we pray, we should pray as Jesus did when he was suffering: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The wages of sin is death. But the reward of having our souls healed (not by our works but by grace through Jesus) and thereby becoming the righteousness of God, is far better than anything we might hope for here on earth! May these truths comfort all who are going through difficult trials at the moment and may you find your peace and joy in the true Jesus alone. 

Amen.

A visit to the hospital

This was a normal day for me like most other days. But for Sebastian and his mother Monika it started off in anguish. On Monday, Tabitha's ex ICU neighbor, who is almost 4 months old now (gestational age, i.e. from when he should have been born) was diagnosed with bronchitis. And this morning he struggled to breathe and turned blue. His mother rushed him off to the hospital (both of them in distress!) and he was admitted with pneumonia on top of the bronchitis. I only heard the news this afternoon, so Wessel and I went to visit them in hospital tonight.

One would think that it would be hard for us to go back to the hospital where we went every day for 2 months, and finally said goodbye to our daughter, almost 4 months ago now. It seems like ages ago. But it wasn't really. It was only when I washed my hands in the pediatric ward, and that smell of that alcohol hand sanitiser hit me right in the nose, that an awkward feeling evoked. Suddenly I was reminded of how terrible it is to have a sick child in hospital, the uncertainty, the bad reports, the emotion, the frustration. Man, its tough. My heart goes out to every parent that has to endure it.

Sebastian's discomfort does not allow his mother to rest for one minute. She is staying over in the hospital with him. He might have to stay for a week, or longer. Apparently the first 72 hours of pneumonia is the most critical, so please pray that God protects him and gives them both strength to get through this. I think it is equally tough on both mother and baby. Monika said something that is very true. She says that you want them so badly to live, but the day to day is so tough. He has been home now for 2 months, and every day is a challenge. He is still being fed through the tube, and its still a matter of waiting to see how he makes progress in his development. All we can do is trust that God still knows best and pray that His will will be done in this situation. I believe that He must have a special plan with Sebastian's life. So I pray that Monika will just continue to draw her strength from Him. The hospital might seem very lonely when you feel so helpless and scared. But Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit, wherever we are. Not to make our problems disappear, but to carry us through them.

It was very good to hold Sebastian's hand, stroke him, give him his dummy and pray for him. He is my god-child after all! He's gotten big. Babies are so precious. I just realised again that I am already getting caught up in my own little life again. We can so easily loose perspective. When you see that little body, nothing else seems to matter anymore. Pursuing success and happiness can result in a very self-absorbed life. The definition of a bad day really needs some redefining for some of us. Maybe then our contentment levels will also automatically adjust.

Please pray with us for Sebastian, his mother Monika and the rest of the family. Pray for God's protection and healing and peace and comfort and strength. We put our faith in Him. Not in signs and wonders or in our efforts or in anything we don't do or say. But in HIM, because He knows best and our future rests assured in Him, and He loves us and wants the best for us. That is enough.

Huisgenoot/You article

Hi everyone. If you are overseas or have missed the 5 January edition of the Huisgenoot/You, you can download the pdfs of the 4 page article here. Click here for Huisgenoot. Click here for You. (Right click and then 'save link as' to download).

After the article appeared I was made aware again of how many people have gone through similar experiences. My heart goes out to everyone who have also lost a child. Some have even lost more than one. There is no description for such a loss. The pain is real and it is a lasting pain. There is no good advice that will help. 

The only thing we have is hope, hope in Jesus, and without hope we might just as well give up. Thank God the Bible is not just another book with good advice. It does not require us to try harder or to become better and stronger. It is Good News, allowing us to start over, to become new.

In this Hope we know this is not the end. In this Hope we can stay focused when things are tough, because we know we are just a tiny pixel on a big screen. There is a bigger picture, we just can't see it right now, but one day we will. In this Hope we have a future. A perfect future where there is no sense of loss, no pain and no not-knowing. I am so thankful for that.

Proud to be the parents of brave little Tabitha!

I say all these things and you may think it sounds wonderful. But its a hope in what is to come. 'Future' in the Bible does not usually refer to next year, or next decade. It refers to heaven, so don't get confused. Jesus didn't promise a quick fix to forgetting our pain. But He did promise peace in spite of our pain. (John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”)

Its in times like this when we can relate with our suffering brother Paul, who said the famous words, so popularly (mis)quoted: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13) No, he did not say this as he wrote down his new years' resolutions.  He wrote this while in prison in Rome, to the Philippian Church. He explained to them that he has learned to be content in every situation, whether he has had little or much. When he was weak (probably physically from not having food) he found his strength in Jesus to continue doing what he has been called to do. When we are weak in our suffering, we can also find our strength in Jesus. And like Paul, we can learn to suffer well. We can be available to let God use our situation for His Kingdom, so that our suffering is not wasted. And in realising how wonderful God can work in any bad situation, we are humbled and encouraged and made stronger in the process.

Being rich or being healthy is not our goal. Learning to be content is. In this life some will be rich, and some will be poor. Some will be healthy, and some will suffer from terminal illnesses, die of cancer or be killed in car crashes. Some will bury their children. But nothing can separate us from God's love and no one can take our inheritance in Jesus away from us. (Romans 8: 35, 37-39  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.")

Some people think that their fortunate circumstances is a result of being in the will of God. Yes, by all means, thank God for your blessings. But also learn to thank him should your blessings be taken away from you.  Don't pick a random verse out of context and expect God to fit in with your interpretation. He promised to supply our needs, not our wants. He promised us victory over sin in Jesus, not sidestepping unwanted circumstances. Yes, He can do miracles, but he never promised them. If our hope is in things, people, or in what we think we can manipulate Jesus to do, we'll soon be disappointed. But what a comforting thought to know that no matter what comes our way, we can walk through it with peace that surpasses all understanding and an unexplainable joy, only found in Jesus.

I'd like to share the story of a guy called Horatio Spafford, who's life was a great testimony of this peace and joy. He was a prominent lawyer in the 1800's in Chicago. A great fire destroyed almost everything he owned. Shortly after, his four daughters, aged between 2 and 11, died simultaneously in a ship tragedy. After the tragedy, him and his wife had three more children. The only boy died at age 4. While crossing the ocean to be with his surviving wife after the tragedy of loosing his four daughters, he wrote these words, that later became a well know hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

(more verses follow - you can read the whole story on wikipedia)

Life is not fair!

First of all I just want to say how overwhelmed I am with the response from the Huisgenoot/You article. I am thankful for everyone taking the time to go onto the blog and especially to those taking the time to comment. We are hearing so many similar stories - some even more heartbreaking and others with a more happy ending. Every one of these are helpful. It makes us realize that we are not the only ones experiencing pain in this world. It helps us to see beyond ourselves. It makes me realise that nothing in this life is certain and that there is no recipe for a happy ending. Life is most certainly not fair. I want to express our condolences to every single mother, father and grandparent that lost their babies. We do pray for your healing and restoration as well. Know that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and that he will never forsake you.

You know what really upsets me at the moment? People with healthy kids that neglect them and despise them, some in more obvious ways than others. Off course you get the child abusers, but I'm also referring to the parents who try and delegate their God given duties, who are lazy and self-centered by pursuing their own interests before they consider the needs of their children. Children are innocent and dependent. Their hearts and souls are being moulded by their parents' decisions and actions, or lack of it. I know that society today consider the Bible's teaching as very old fashioned, but I wish people would go back to the Bible to see how the Originator of the family unit designed things to work. Maybe then our family lives will fall into place and be functional in a way that is so rare today. Maybe that's the missing element that explains why our matrics get involved in all kinds of evil on their matric holidays. People like using God's ideas but adding their own twist to it. Then it doesn't work anymore. It just falls apart. Its like saying I want to drive a car but i only like 3 wheels on mine and i don't want to pay so much for petrol so I'll just put in coke. And safety belts are just so last season, we don't need them any more. As you can see this picture is heading for disaster.

Marriage between a man and a woman is God's idea. So is sex in marriage. And a father that takes the lead, loves his wife and children, cares and provides. And a mother that loves her husband and children, nurtures and trains them in the way they should go, which can only be achieved by spending enough time with them. This is not a fairytale, its the Biblical Christian family. Just a pity so many 'Christians' today don't value the Bible anymore. I know this is not possible with single parent households. But then God promises to be a father to the fatherless. He can fill the gap if we let Him.

On the 'life is not fair' topic. I explored it a bit in my mind this past week. Can you imagine a world where everything was fair? How predictable! If life was fair I guess all other religions would be true. If you do this, you get that. Guaranteed. Send a pie into the universe and the universe will send you a pie back. No charity, because if you get rewarded for charity its not charity anymore. No real kindness, because everything people do would be to score points to up their ratings on the fairness-ometer. Most people won't be able to get any children, because they're just too selfish. No one would say 'Well he got what he deserved'. Because everyone would get what they deserve. Hell, am I glad I'm not getting what I deserve! That's what differentiates Christianity from other religions. We get what we don't deserve – through Jesus! I'm getting God's mercy, what a relief!!!

We also hear so many stories of brain damaged kids. As much as some parents don't deserve their beautiful children, so much do these parents of special kids deserve a reward in heaven. On this note I want to tell you about a beautiful child like this in our family. Little Jené, our niece. She is Wessel's brother, Gerhard, and his beautiful wife, Janine's daughter. Due to a problem at birth she has quite severe Cerebral Palsy. She can't walk, talk, or eat by herself. She can't really communicate except for crying and smiling, although she can understand everything around her. She is 7 years old. Her parents are doing an amazing job. They take her with them everywhere they go, even though it can be quite a mission. They don't let it get to them when people stare. They love her with all their hearts. It really is beautiful to see. I hope that stories like ours, Jené's and the many others we heard (see all the new comments on the blog) will also open your eyes. It has changed my outlook. Its so easy to just think 'It's not my problem'. Nobody chooses to be in a situation like Jené and her parents. Its just how life happens. But its people like Jené that makes people stop and think about what is really important in life. They have a profound impact on everyone that gets to meet them. If it wasn't for tough trials in our lives, we would probably never really STOP and THINK about anything that really matters.

Beautiful Jené and I at the George market during the holidays