time

Ecclesiastes 3:¹ For everything there is a season, 

      a time for every activity under heaven. 
 ² A time to be born and a time to die. 
      A time to plant and a time to harvest. 
 ³ A time to kill and a time to heal. 
      A time to tear down and a time to build up.

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of praying for a dear friend who was about to have cancer surgery.  Before praying, I scouted out a number of scriptures on "healing" to be refreshed on God's power to heal and to claim the promise of healing for my friend.  I really expected, with hope, that God would miraculously touch him and that the surgeons would be amazed to find no cancer when they operated.  After praying, my friend shared that he was fully confident that God could heal him but his greater concern was with having tubes stuck down his throat and feeling like he couldn't control basic functions like breathing.  So we also prayed for peace to carry him through the ordeal.  Well, my friend had surgery on January 16 and he is still in Intensive Care a month later.  He is on the mend and showing signs of coming back and recovering.  He did have cancer.  It was removed and he has battled pneumonia, infection and the challenge of being on a ventilator and having dialysis and coming on and off all kinds of drugs.  He has been in and out of a controlled state of low consciousness to allow his body to rest from the procedure. 

 

I wondered why God hadn't healed him and spared him this ordeal and I don't know...but as I considered this I realized that God is answering our prayers for healing...He's just doing it over a different time frame than the one I wanted.  And then I remembered that the world, itself, has been sick for some time with a sin infection.  God could have "healed" creation of this disease with one word but He has chosen a process that unfolded over generations, culminating in Jesus' death and resurrection, and is being received for generations more...and there will be an ultimate restoration to all of Creation.  But God has had purpose in working the ultimate healing over time and so I need to be patient with His work.  The process of healing can bring greater healing than the immediate problem suggests.  

He is sovereign over time as well as life.