Holding to the God of Hope and Healing

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Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. – Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)

I’m in the middle of a healing journey that is taking much longer than anticipated and desired. This time I’ve battled with it before but this time it’s lasted three-fourths of a year, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Every day I pray for healing, and every day I wait in a battle of building faith and belief.

God says over and over in His Word that He belongs to heal us and that He brings wholeness and restoration. But what happens when we continue to wait for healing? Are we praying wrong? Is healing coming in a different way other than what we are hoping for? Will we even get healing on this side of heaven?

Many of these are unknowns and we do not like to sit in ambiguity. So what can we do in the meantime, while we wake to another day of unanswered prayer diminishing hope and a desire for God’s presence that we haven’t felt in a long time?

We look at where God has been faithful in our lives before.

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. (Psalm 77:11)

God‘s character is one of faithfulness. He has been with us before in many seasons of despair and uncertainty. He will be with us again. We can hold to the truth of His faithful love and steadfastness, and we can take that remembrance of what He has done before with us into our present discomfort.

We can remember God’s goodness.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

While it may not feel good at this moment and we question whether or not we will ever feel joy or lightness in us again or within our circumstances, we can look at the unchanging goodness of God. He is greater than what we know or can understand and everything He does comes from a heart that is good. We are His children, His dearly loved children, and He works all things out for good according to His purposes. This is not something to be taken lightly, because sometimes it hurts so much, we do wonder how God can be good to us in the suffering.

But we can hold to the hope of the God who heals, confident that He will do what He says. And we open our hands to receive healing in the ways He will work it out.

God is deepening our faith as we wait on Him, as we decide each day to believe He is at work, especially when we cannot see. The Healer is with us, and we will never be forsaken. Let’s hold to the hope we confess, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Questions for Reflection:

1. In what ways are you needing God’s healing in your life?

2. Look back on how God has been faithful to you before and thank Him for continuing to be good to you now.