I hear it said that “Time heals all wounds”. This saying refers to mental and emotional wounds, yet, time can be a factor when it comes to physical healing as well.
I bruise easily. I always have. I am constantly finding bruises on my body, not knowing where they come from. I don’t always remember the trauma that caused the bruise. A bruise is basically the result of trauma that has broken capillaries or blood vessels, causing blood to seep into the skin tissue leaving a discoloration. Sometimes they can have a degree of pain associated with them, sometimes, not. Very rarely (if ever) in my life, have I prayed for a miraculous healing from a bruise. Very rarely (if ever) in my life, have I sought after medical treatment for a bruise. However, every bruise I have ever had has healed.
Throughout this series, I have used 2 main scriptures:
“4Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.”
(Is. 53:4-5 NKJV).
“1Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;”
(Ps. 103:1-3 NASB).
According to these scriptures, the healing is being performed by God, in accordance with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Yet, we still look at a simple healing of a bruise over time and claim that it healed “on its own”. I believe that while we may not see the active hand of God moving in these healing-over-time scenarios, He is very much a part of it.
God created our bodies. As I stated last week, His design was such that we would be able to heal from diseases and wounds. This was His first step in the healing process. However, there are many things that we are just not going to be able to recover from on our own. That is where He will either perform a Miraculous Healing for us, or, allow other humans to participate in the healing process.
In this series, so far, I’ve addressed Miraculous Healing and Medical Intervention. I would like to talk about healing on our own, over time.
I just pointed out that bruises usually don’t get any medical treatment (depending on the severity of the bruise). The same can be said about a simple cut. I have cut my fingers and the only reason I put a bandage on them has been so I don’t bleed on anything. Once the bleeding stops, I remove the bandage, and let it heal on its own. Other cuts, I have had stitches for, so it just depends on how severe the cut.
There is no cure for the common cold. When you get sick, the medications you take often are there to help you feel better as you ride it out, but they are not making you get better. You are just waiting for the body to “heal itself”.
The Bible offers some examples of people getting sick and not being miraculously healed. We are not told that they are treated medically; we just know that they eventually recover.
“Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.” (2 Tim. 4:20 NASB).
2 Timothy was written after Paul’s release from his imprisonment in Rome. This was part of Paul’s final missionary journey. We are not given many details, just that Paul leaves Trophimus sick at Miletus. We do not know the circumstances of that sickness, just that he was left there because of it. Knowing the character of Paul, I have no doubt that he would have prayed for him, however, there was no supernatural recovery from this sickness. According to church history, Trophimus was martyred the same day as Paul, so we assume that he did recover, just not through the means of a miraculous healing.
“25But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.” (Phi. 2:25-30 NASB).
In the second example, Epaphroditus was sick to the point that he nearly died. Again, I have no doubt that Paul prayed for him. However, this scripture is not written in a way that sounds like something supernatural happened. It simply says that God had mercy on him. In other words, he didn’t die, and he recovered. That is much different than saying, “God touched him and his strength returned,” which you might expect if it was a miraculous healing. Actually, the phrase “God had mercy on him” supports my hypothesis that God has His hand in every kind of healing.
“you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a physical illness.” (Gal. 4:13 HCSB).
The first time that Paul had stopped in Galatia had been an unplanned stop due to a physical illness of some sort. Since Paul does not elaborate, all we can do is speculate. I have always said that speculation on the intention of the Bible is dangerous, and should not be done. Instead of playing guessing games, I will just rely on the facts:
- Paul had some kind of physical illness that caused him to stop his journey
- He did not receive a miraculous healing
- He took advantage of his period of recuperation to preach to the Galatians
- Paul did recover
Sometimes Christians have illnesses that last for various periods of time. When these things begin to stretch out, I have heard many different rationalizations:
- I must be doing something wrong
- God will heal me in His time
- God will heal me if it is in His will
Then, there is my favorite, the “blame it on God” reason:
- He gave me this disease for some reason
I have had MS for 16 years. God did not give it to me. I have not done anything wrong that has stopped healing from happening. God’s will is to heal, that is why Christ bore our sicknesses on the cross (see Isaiah 53:4 and Matthew 8:17). It is hard to discuss God’s timing when God is not bound by time!
I heard a great quote one time – “God is the divine economist – God never wastes an experience in your life.” This makes sense when I look back at how God has shaped my life with MS. He didn’t cause MS, but He certainly has used it to bring good things. Just like in the case of the Apostle Paul. God did not cause Paul to get sick, but because of the sickness, the Galatians received his ministry.
Paul even says it himself when writing to the Romans:
“And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 AMP).
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