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King Nebuchadnezzar commanded Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego
to worship a statue of gold. He warns them he will throw them
into a fiery furnace if they do not. They refuse anyway and tell
King Nebuchadnezzar that their God will deliver them from his
fiery furnace. Then they tell him that even if God does not save
them, they will not worship his Babylonian god. What kind of faith
did they have? They believed God was powerful enough to deliver
them, but they did not know if it was God's will for them. 1 John
5:14 says that "if we ask anything according to His will, He hears
us." Faith that is consistent with the will of God is what God
responds to. How did God respond to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego?
He saved them from the hot furnace. They believed in God and His
power, but they recognized He might want them to become martyrs.
They also recognized God's sovereignty.
This is the same situation with Paul's desire for healing
(2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Paul had been praying and praying for
a "thorn in the flesh" to be removed, but God kept saying, "No!"
Did Paul lack faith? No, God indicated that is it was not His
will to remove this illness. God uses illness for a variety of
purposes. He does not always choose to heal.
Conclusion: When does God heal? When suffering has accomplished God's purpose.
For some Christians, they suffer because there are sinning. James
5:14-16 says the suffering will stop when we finally admit we
have sinned and confess our sin. For others, God has a reason
to continue to allow us to suffer: to bring us to Himself, to
grow us, and for His own glory. We can conclude that God uses
suffering in this life for good. We live in a sinful world. But
God has promised us that there will be no tears or illness some
day - when we are in heaven,
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He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall
no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning,
or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (NASB)
Revelation 21:4
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