If a man is born again and believes in his heart Jesus is Lord, why does God not provide healing whenever  that man is feeling horrible? If he is brought to tears and is begging God yet He doesn't stop the pain and misery. That  man even prayed that God would remove him from this earth.

I know God heals becuase I've had it happen to me and witnessed others testimony.

But what are your thoughts on my question above.

I am genuinely and sincerely seeking legitimate opinions.

Open your Bible and read the Book of Job.

That's what I came to post...

God's plan is bigger than we can understand.
Maybe by having your faith you give hope to others.

When you truly believe in God and proclaim it, you initiate a battle between good and evil,  God and Satan, so by no means is it going to be easy you can't forget that the Devils got his own agenda and this is his kingdom the the children of God are living in, why would the devil be messing with non believers who are of no threat to him and his kingdom, it's the man and woman of God that will take the beating on this earth, the afflictions are from the devil but like the other guy said it's the faith that keeps you going and will allow you enjoy the victorys of the ultimate battle that has already been won on the cross.

I was in a critical care doctors officer recently. I got there a bit early, just in time to hear a patient be incredibly rude about having to wait 30 mins to see this doctor. We live in a small town. He's a specialist and he carries a very full load.
The man was the patient and seemingly ungrateful given the fact that he had to wait for a doctor who more than likely saved his life. This MD is tough as nails when it comes to following what he tells you to do. He's one that evokes pure fear in me going in the door. No one likes to face the that kind of truth about themselves. The guy being rude served up a dish of harsh unleashing it on the nurses who run that tiny office.
My turn. I got called back for my appointment after the dust settled a bit. We went through the usual litany of where are we at with all the things he's asked me to do. I explained to him that I was in pain. I knew it would be short term but it was necessary for some testing I had to have done. His response to was interesting.
He asked me if I really understood what he does. I gave my  high level simplistic understanding. The majority of this doctors patients are in the ICU. He keeps people breathing for a living. He also is the Hospice doctor.
On the daily he pulls people back from death and also sees to their comfort as they progress though to death in this world. When you line all things up, against what this man does the pain I was in became insignificant.
Sometimes all the thanks he gets is people complaining that he was late for their appointment. Not taking into consideration that he had to read a CAT Scan, and an emergency to deal with keeping a critical patient alive, etc.
The next thing he asked is if I understood the different between pain and suffering. He said, "You know they aren't the same right?"  "Pain, he said, is a physical response.  While suffering is a perception of the pain one is in." He said, you are feeling pain but in reality you are suffering."  This is someone who sees BOTH daily. Then I got a glimpse of how he manages to deal with the stress of keeping people alive or the responsibility keeping someone comfortable as they are dying, when nothing else can be done, of every single day. He said consider the suffering Our Lord went through in the garden of Gethsemane and the pain Christ endured on the Cross."
I am not doing justice to the impact of his words nor the immensity of his faith in this moment.  The reality of what this doctor said placed my small amount of suffering into perspective.

Why does God not answer prayers for healing. God HEALS perfectly. All through the gospels, Our Lord not only healed people of their ills or wounds, He healed their entire life. He healed their sin, He restored them entirely in their communities. He turned water into wine. But not just wine, the BEST wine. God never does things part way. If we truly believe in God and heaven, the goal IS heaven! We sure don't like how we have to get there. Heaven  is perfect healing and the ultimate goal. Where is a better place than being in the presence of LOVE. I think our will, not God's, creates more suffering.
I think there are miracles unseen. And their are wounds that we don't understand. I don't believe healing always means the person we pray for is going to be spared pain or suffering or even death. God the Loving Father didn't spare HIS ONLY SON when Jesus begged Him. Father... if it be YOUR will, take this cup from me." 

If you think the prayer hasn't been answered, look harder. Sometimes the answer has to be no or wait, or He's really healing something else we can't see.  God is not going to do something that would inhibit salvation.


Job had been lying in unrelieved misery for months with open sores all over his body. During this time he bore the grief of seven dead sons and
three dead daughters. All of his wealth had vanished in one afternoon.
He had become repulsive to his wife, loathsome to his brothers, and even
little children despised him as he lay on the ash heap outside of town.
And he begins to question God.
God who LOVES Job answered this man. .................Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
            And caused the dawn to know its place?

That does it for me. There are questions that can't be answered because we just don't know the ways of God, nor can we counsel Him.

But without faith suffering has no meaning.


ETA: For the record, God hasn't cured me or my son nor did he keep my friend from loosing a child or another from having to watch her firefighter husband pass from dementia at the age of 45. But they are cured in heaven. And I hope someday I will make it myself.

Good question. One I have pondered quite a bit over the last 25 years with a chronic disease. An illness that is very painful, and has crippled me physically. Not limited to me only but also affects my wife and children deeply who endure my suffering and pain on a regular basis with me.

There is a story of the man who Jesus healed on the Sabbath who had been blind from birth. The Apostles asked him who's sin had brought this on him his or his parents (because it was thought then that their sin was what caused such things as well as things like infertility). Jesus answered neither but that this man was blind so that the work of God could be seen by man and God glorified. This man had suffered his entire life with this affliction before Christ healed him.

The Apostle Paul suffered a physical malady and he asked the Lord to take it from him on separate 3 occasions but he did not. He talks about why as well, so that he might not be exalted above measure.

I asked the Lord to heal me several times in my youth. He did not heal me in the way that I asked. I have spoken with the Lord about it at great lengths. Sometimes not very nicely. Now I think of my illness and suffering as an opportunity. To offer my pain and suffering in daily prayer to Christ to save souls or use however he may. I ask him to have mercy on me and hide me in his stripes because my suffering is nothing compared to what he suffered for me. It also is a constant reminder to me of his suffering and the suffering that others endure some so much much greater than mine. 

This is the prayer that I say each morning. I started saying this prayer and figured that I would give it a few days but I have been saying it ever since.

Dear Lord, 
Help me to remember in these troubled times
The cross you carried for my sake,
So that I may better carry mine
And to help others do the same,
As I offer up (whatever your concern or problem here) to you
For the conversion of sinners
For the forgiveness of sins
In reparation for sins
And for the salvation of souls. Amen

This prayer has helped me a great deal. I hope it does others as well.

Thank you for the replies.

Thank you for posting this.

This is THE truth from someone who knows what they are talking about

My wife (who has a catastrophic and terminal cancer) and I have come to exactly this conclusion ourselves.  Our healing is not physical.....it is spiritual.  Even those whom Jesus healed....died again.  Our suffering and pain bring Him glory....That's crazy talk to those who are not Believers---but it's true.

Pain can be a teaching tool. I've been going through some emotional turmoil, I've been able to use it to grow closer to God. Still have pangs of deep pain, I just figure He's letting me still feel it as a reminder until I'm far enough down the path that I don't need it anymore and move on to something else.

I am so sorry to hear of your wife.
I will include you all in my daily prayers. Never give up on God!!!
Bless you brother.
AF

Pray for peace.
Its amazing how quickly it will come.
It gives you time to work on bigger things.
But pray for peace...He will give it to you.

Nothing to add to the good replies tonight, but gives me pause for praise

Thank you.  It has been the most amazing time in our lives and although most would think it's a tragedy....we are blessed and a blessing to so many as a result. The Spiritual insights alone and the perspective we now have are worth the price of admission. We are not giving up on God.....cause HE is the one holding on to us.  Our times are in His hands.  

ETA: I don't read many Arfcom posts to my wife but we very much enjoyed hearing what you had to say about healing.  I suspect you've suffered enough to know some real important things and we thank you for sharing your life with us.