Healing: A Question to Ponder

[blue_ladybug]

Question for the bad-back/sciatica pain expert: Can lying for three months in bed kill sciatica pain? (I keep hoping this much forced bed-rest takes away John's sciatica.)

Bad back expert, that's me..lol.. I was stuck in bed from November to March, nearly 24/7/365. I had 3 back injections during that time, the first one failed, the second and third worked wonderfully. I also had pain meds for when the pain was acute agony, and Thermacare heat wraps (thank you God) worked wonders for me. As to your question, laying in bed can help somewhat, but it won't make the sciatica go away. John will probably need steroid injections for that. In my case, laying down was my ONLY relief from the pain, because I wasn't putting any pressure on the nerve. BUT if he's laying on the nerve, then it's just going to herniate even more.. Get him into a doctor and have something done for it. I wouldn't wish sciatica pain on ANYONE. I can't even express how painful it is..

 

[tourist]

God is sovereign. He could have healed and rose from the dead many more Lazarus's if He wanted. He chose to raise ONE for His purpose not ours. Pray for healing, don't demand it.

We'll turn in our Green Stamps at the resurrection of our new bodies, thanks.

In my case it might take a couple of books of stamps.

 

[secondtimearound]

That sucks! So, I have faith and God tortures me by heaping my plate? Surely he knows I DON'T LIKE HEAPING PLATE! And why does he pick on hubby? He knows I can take it, but I hate it when hubby gets stuck with it.

No ma'am. You bear fruit and through pruning, you bear even more fruit! In eternity, He can bless you more as a result. Its for His glory, and yes, our benefit too. He is able to pursue both goals simultaneously with the greatest of ease.

But I would not mean to push aside the unpleasantness that this process can bring to us along the journey.

 

[crossnote]

God loves us dearly and He will use any means possible to effect our healing and soundness. He will use doctors, teaching us sound eating habits..etc. He will meet us wherever our faith is at. He wants us whole. He is not some sick "god" in the sky that wants to teach us something by putting sicknesses on us. That is the spirit of anti-Christ in the air that brings that teaching.

In my case it might take a couple of books of stamps.

Ugh, the guy has long hair for the 1950's...that must be a mid '60's shot

 

[Billyd]

​Not to sound blasphemous or anything, but medical means have healed me ALOT better than God ever has.. Pain meds work wonders..lol .. Fortunately I only take them when I'm in extreme, excruciating agony, cuz I really don't like taking narcotics and usually try getting by on Ibuprofen..

I love you, and share your problems with Epilepsy and other disabilities. I'd reword your comment to say "but God's medication plan has healed me more than most of the proposals here ever have".

An aside. My neurologist prescribed Vimpat for me a little over a year ago. Praise God I'm still seizure free at present. It is very expensive ($800+/month), but most healthcare plans cover it. So far I've had no side effects, and it has worked well with my other medications.

 

[blue_ladybug]

​But how does he know who's strong enough for these burdens, and who isn't? You gotta be mentally, emotionally and physically strong enough to take on the agony some of us have, and I know that I am not strong at all in any form..

 

[crossnote]

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
(Jas 1:2)


I'll throw sickness into that ...but I'll keep myself out

 

[tourist]

Hey blue_ladybug, if you re-read what I said I didn't imply that you don't believe God can heal. I actually said that you do believe He can. I was just making a distinction between hope, and faith. I can believe God can give me a chocolate bar, or I can be in faith that He will give me a chocolate bar. One is a hoping in His goodness and the other is an expectation of His goodness. I hope I am not offending you, its just an interesting distinction.

I watched my late wife suffer horribly for years due to debilitating arthritis and psoriasis and other conditions. She was a woman of great faith and hope, either in the world she was living or in the next. It was not because a lack of faith that God chose not to heal her. Because of her illness she was able to minister, despite her own pain and suffering, to many others that God sent her way. It must be God's will and desire to heal in this lifetime. Regardless of when, God will indeed heal at a time of his choosing.There were many that God healed who had no faith or knowledge of Him at all.

 

[BenFTW]

You twist scripture into making God's will your own will. You put God on a leash and make him subservient to you. You usurp God's sovereignty and replace it with man's. God is not obligated to do anything for any of us.

Uhm... God put Himself "on a leash" with His own words because He is not a liar. If God said He will do it, surely He will. He is not a liar, so any confines God finds Himself in are His own doing and in His sovereignty He has given promises to men and woman that He will be faithful to. You can take it up with God, I think its a praiseworthy attribute of God that He is faithful and not a liar. It isn't a matter of putting God on a leash but holding Him to His word, and you can bet He is faithful.

 

[Grace777x70]

That is a wonderful story of the grace and love of our Lord in the worse situation. Isn't it wonderful to think about all that she is doing with the Lord now...preparing for you to come and be with them? My mother is passed on and I often think about how her and the Lord are doing things together and that warms my heart. Thanks for sharing your story!

The Lord will always be caught in the act of being Himself in every situation!

I watched my late wife suffer horribly for years due to debilitating arthritis and psoriasis and other conditions. She was a woman of great faith and hope, either in the world she was living or in the next. It was not because a lack of faith that God chose not to heal her. Because of her illness she was able to minister, despite her own pain and suffering, to many others that God sent her way. It must be God's will and desire to heal in this lifetime. Regardless of when, God will indeed heal at a time of his choosing.There were many that God healed who had no faith or knowledge of Him at all.

 

[RickyZ]

I truly get what people are saying. I disagree. Lazarus had nothing. He was dead. So we're talking less than mustard seed faith at that moment. And yet, viola! Jesus brought him back to life -- minus any faith on Lazarus's part, minus his agreement, minus absolutely anything Lazarus needed to contribute to make it happen.

Honest. I truly understand what is being said. I simply don't agree.

Was Lazarus' miracle a healing? Or was that a sign/wonder? Did Lazarus' great faith prior to dying come into play? You pose an interesting supposition.

 

[secondtimearound]

Ugh, the guy has long hair for the 1950's...that must be a mid '60's shot

60s/70s would be my guess? About 3 years ago I went through some of my mom's old stuff and found about 35,000 S&H stamps worth. We use to collect and redeem back in the day.

Besides the man's hair style, that whole type of illustration style reminds me of the early 70s with the hippie influence. I got stuck with one of those (page boy?) haircuts in the early 70s.

I think the earlier versions of the booklet had no illustrations at all?

 

[BenFTW]

Yikes! Actualizing? That's TM, not Christianity.

As I said, not trying to put forth new age concepts but its like Christ died on the cross for your sins, right? In order for you to obtain (/actualize) that forgiveness it required faith. In the same way healing takes faith (depending upon circumstances).

 

[BenFTW]

Keep in mind, that not all healing is associated with the faith of the sick person. There are exceptions, such as a dead man rising (he had no faith, he's dead), a person praying for another person in faith (its the faith of the one praying, not the sick), and sometimes God in His mercy just steps in irregardless of faith but acts in His compassion.

 

[Grace777x70]

I think the part where God steps in as you mentioned below is where the manifestations of the Spirit ( 1 Cor 12 ) come in to play. The gifts of healings, the working of miracles, the gift of faith ( I would think all 3 of these would be needed in raising someone from the dead )

Keep in mind, that not all healing is associated with the faith of the sick person. There are exceptions, such as a dead man rising (he had no faith, he's dead), a person praying for another person in faith (its the faith of the one praying, not the sick), and sometimes God in His mercy just steps in irregardless of faith but acts in His compassion.

 

[blue_ladybug]

Some people here are of the belief that you have to have faith, or even just a certain amount, to be healed. I simply don't believe that. I think anyone, whether they have faith or not, can be healed if they just BELIEVE they can be. Some here have had the audacity to tell me that I'm not healed because of my level of faith. Some have even had the nerve to tell me that my epilepsy isn't real, but that I'm possessed by demons!! I mean, c'mon now, really? lol... I have a spirit but it ain't possessed by demons, and neither are my (or anyone else's) health problems. Having an epileptic fit, and throwing a demonic tantrum are two entirely different things..

 

[secondtimearound]

...any confines God finds Himself in are His own doing and in His sovereignty He has given promises to men and woman that He will be faithful to.

I agree with this much to be sure. I'll let you guys get back to figuring out exactly where those lines are.


[not meaning to derail anything as this is somewhat of a semi-private PM as I do not yet know how to make them]
@Forth... this is where I struggle with stuff like the Irresistible Grace. The balance of Free Will and God's Sovereignty. IG demands LA. And, no, I have not yet watched the DVD.

 

[BenFTW]

Some people here are of the belief that you have to have faith, or even just a certain amount, to be healed. I simply don't believe that. I think anyone, whether they have faith or not, can be healed if they just BELIEVE they can be. Some here have had the audacity to tell me that I'm not healed because of my level of faith. Some have even had the nerve to tell me that my epilepsy isn't real, but that I'm possessed by demons!! I mean, c'mon now, really? lol... I have a spirit but it ain't possessed by demons, and neither are my (or anyone else's) health problems. Having an epileptic fit, and throwing a demonic tantrum are two entirely different things..

This is what the OP questions though, in regards to believing one CAN be healed. I am sure many believe God can heal them, they read of all the miracles in the Bible. Yes, He can, but is He willing? Even more importantly, and getting to the heart of the matter, is He willing for you?

I can believe that the glass of water on the table in front of me can quench my thirst, but it won't if I don't step out and drink it (in faith). You see, acknowledging the capability of something is not the same as utilizing it. In the same way acknowledging God's ability to heal the sick is not the same as believing in faith to be healed.

One simply believes He can heal the sick, the other believes He will heal them. One is ripe with expectation, the other with a hope. One obtains it, the other dreams of it... and of course, there are those whose hope is fulfilled and God steps in, in His mercy and grace though they held no faith.

There is a distinction.

 

[blue_ladybug]

I agree with this much to be sure. I'll let you guys get back to figuring out exactly where those lines are.


[not meaning to derail anything as this is somewhat of a semi-private PM as I do not yet know how to make them]
@Forth... this is where I struggle with stuff like the Irresistible Grace. The balance of Free Will and God's Sovereignty. IG demands LA. And, no, I have not yet watched the DVD.

Click on the name of the person you wanna pm.. Click on "private message". Make pm and send it.. easy peasy..

 

[blue_ladybug]

This is what the OP questions though, in regards to believing one CAN be healed. I am sure many believe God can heal them, they read of all the miracles in the Bible. Yes, He can, but is He willing? Even more importantly, and getting to the heart of the matter, is He willing for you?

I can believe that the glass of water on the table in front of me can quench my thirst, but it won't if I don't step out and drink it (in faith). You see, acknowledging the capability of something is not the same as utilizing it. In the same way acknowledging God's ability to heal the sick is not the same as believing in faith to be healed.

One simply believes He can heal the sick, the other believes He will heal them. One is ripe with expectation, the other with a hope. One obtains it, the other dreams of it... and of course, there are those whose hope is fulfilled and God steps in, in His mercy and grace though they held no faith.

There is a distinction.

​I'm pretty sure God is willing to heal ANYONE. I don't think he picks and chooses, "okay you're healed, she's healed, but nope sorry he isn't healed". He would be selective in his healing if he did that, and God doesn't play favorites.