Some believe God has made healing available to every person. They would say a sick person simply needs enough faith to be healed.
Yet the Biblical story is a different one.
God heals some and many more he allows to endure sickness.
For those who believe God has made healing available to all people and someone who is sick simply needs enough faith to be healed, consider this:
In Mark 2, Jesus tells the story of a paralytic.
His friends bring him to Jesus knowing Jesus can heal him.
The room in which Jesus is preaching is too crowded so the men cannot enter.
Needing to get their friend in the presence of Jesus, the men get creative. They go up to the roof, cut a hole in the roof, and lower their friend to Jesus.
Jesus heals the man, but notice what the text says, “when Jesus saw their faith…”
It wasn’t the faith of the man which led to his healing, it was the faith of his friends which Jesus credits.
If you are ever tempted to judge someone because of their sickness, if you ever think they need more faith, if you ever believe you are better than them, remember, it was the friends faith which Jesus credits in Mark 2.
So, if anyone ever tries to guilt you for being sick, if anyone ever belittles your faith, if anyone ever tells you to believe more, do more, or give more to be healed, tell them the story of Mark 2 and ask them:
- Why don’t you have enough faith for me to be healed?
- Or, do I need new friends?
Then explain to them the Biblical story of faith and healing.
Our faith doesn’t heal us.
God sometimes does.
He often doesn’t.
Either way, we trust him.
