In Our Own Strength

Those who follow this blog regularly know I teach an adult Sunday School class. I have received spiritual help through many of the lessons. A point that this week's lesson makes is that we often repent of our idolatry, then resort to pulling on our own bootstraps when God doesn't answer in our time frame. Some of the examples in the lesson really hit home! I deal with alot of health issues, and have tried many home remedies. I don't like to take pills, though I use three prescription drugs. (Mostly I don't like the side effects and expense). On numerous occasions my remedies have caused some trouble, but I'm not sure that they have caused more trouble than the ones prescribed by my doctor. The Lord often brings temporary healing in response to the prayers of my prayer partners, but has so far chosen not to heal completely. Many would say God always heals in response to the prayer of faith. This idea contradicts the testimony of all of Scripture regarding suffering, and places an unnecessary burden on people to work up the required amount of faith for healing. Trophimus and Timothy are two Biblical characters who were not healed miraculously. Jesus healed, but He was not mostly about healing. He was about forgiveness and restoring our relationship with God. We should be about that, too. Since Paul declined to heal Timothy, and told him to take wine (medicine) for his stomach, and frequent ailments, I think that people of faith can take medicine without sinning. The problem comes when we try to take matters into our own hands, or trust the remedy more than we trust God. This requires alot of discernment. And it is a lesson I should take to heart.