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I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. These words reflect not only David’s journey, but also the journey of others who have struggled with their own infirmities, whether emotionally, morally, relationally, or even physically, and have found a healing within the presence and grace of God. I coupled David’s words with the account of the paralyzed man in the New Testament who had lived for thirty-eight years within the restraints of his illness and found freedom within his interaction with Jesus at a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. God does not choose to heal all physical ailments, although He is certainly capable of so doing. Sometimes His purposes are best accomplished without that healing, and even some of the other limitations that life or our own choices leave us with, become a journey, not of complete healing, but of growing and nurturing our faith and our dependence on God within that special place that He has allowed. I say that to avoid the frustration that some have when "healing" is talked about and yet it doesn’t seem to include them. The principles I see both with David and with the paralyzed man accomplish more than "healing" – they bring about the purposes of God.
The lame man was asked a question, "Do you want to be healed?" It seems to be a rhetorical question with an obvious answer until you look more closely at your own struggles or the struggles of others. Some are quite satisfied with life as it is, drawing on the attention of others, content to be victimized, rather than putting forth the effort change would require, afraid of the unknown that a "healing" would bring, or they are well adept at complaining and griping. An obvious principle that can be overlooked with both David and the crippled man is that they were in the presence of God. So often our infirmities wrap themselves snugly around us, and we close ourselves off to God’s presence. We struggle against the restraining wrappings and forget that God is with us, even in our struggle. Interwoven with our need to recognize His presence is the need to recognize our own inadequacies to create change. When the sick man answered Jesus’ question, he said, "I can’t!" While Jesus knows and understands the "I can’t," we too must understand that we are not capable in our own resolve to accomplish His purposes. Life changed as David was lifted from his despair and as the lame man walked with newly given limbs. Because Christ was more concerned about accomplishing His purposes, he told the man who was healed to stay away from sin. David walked with a new song, and both evoked the amazement of those around them.
Precious believer friend, God’s purpose for you may include a seemingly full healing before you reach the eternal place of His glory and yours, but it may not. The principles apply for every believer though who longs to live, not simply in the pain or struggle, but within the purposes of God.
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