Part 4 - The Search for God's Method of Healing
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” – Jeremiah 33:3
The answer from God to my desperate call was, “I will heal your son, but not yet.” This promise lifted my spirits and filled me with hope. However, the natural question that would follow was, “What do I do meanwhile? How will you provide healing?” Over the next few months, I spent much time claiming the second part of Jeremiah 33:3, that God will “show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
God had answered me, but now I was seeking for God to teach me things I did not know or understand. I needed God to show me His will in the treatment of Lucas while we waited for His healing power. God was Lucas’ Creator; only He knew exactly what my son needed. So, I bowed down daily before the Maker and Great Physician, seeking His wisdom.
I began studying my Bible and searching for answers in inspired literature with the purpose of finding where God was leading me in the healing of my son. I was completely willing to let God be my teacher and take me through this long course. It was not easy—answers did not come immediately, but I did not give up, it only made me search deeper. In the span of 2 months, God began to reveal His will to me through several Bible scriptures and godly writings.
I was so focused on claiming the promise in Jeremiah 33:3 that I did not read on until a pastor pointed out to me Jeremiah 33:6: “Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.” God would bring healing to my son, but He would also reveal abundance of peace and truth. I did not know if Lucas would be healed miraculously one day or if God would show me His health plan for Lucas. I simply kept on praying for peace and truth to be revealed to me. As I was more and more willing to surrender and see His truth, the Holy Spirit led me to see examples of His will all over the Bible.
What the Bible Says About Healing
In Exodus 23:25, God says, “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.” God blesses our food, our water, and our efforts to bring about healing. While certain foods and remedies are known to have medicinal powers, ultimately, it is God who multiplies the healing effect through His blessing. We live in a sinful world where our food, water, and environment are often contaminated and toxic. However, this is no limitation for God to provide healing through His creation.
There are many examples in the Bible where God requires that men collaborate with Him. God certainly has the power to give us all we desire in an instant, and sometimes He does work astonishing miracles. However, in His infinite wisdom, He seeks to give us much more than that. He seeks to give us a godly character, to teach us His truth, and to learn to walk by faith. Therefore, sometimes, God requires us to work alongside with Him and follow His instructions. We see this in the story of Exodus 15:22-27 when Israel is walking through the desert and they come to a fountain of water they desperately needed, only to find out that it tasted bitter. The people complained to Moses, “so he cried out to the Lord” (v. 25). God could have simply made the waters sweet or worked some majestic miracle showing His power. However, the Bible tells us that “the Lord showed him a tree [and] when he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.” Here we have a perfect example of men collaborating with God. Certainly, God performed a miracle, or He as the creator knew just what tree to use, but men had work to do as well. They had to believe that by obeying God’s command, the waters would be made well. God had a lesson to teach them and us:
“There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:25-26
The promise of healing was conditional that the people would do God’s will and “diligently heed the voice of the Lord”. The Holy Spirit helped me understand that the promise God had given me to heal my son was on the condition that I strictly obey Him. We know from the story of Israel that they did not “do what is right in His sight” and lost many blessings because of this. I was determined to obey God at all cost.
This is only one example of many stories in the Bible that illustrate the concept of God requiring strict obedience from His people and their collaboration with Him. Elisha, who was full of the Spirit, once purified water with salt (2 Kings 2:19-22). He also sent Naaman to be healed from Leprosy by dipping seven times in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:1-27). Jesus once healed a blind man by making clay with His spit, putting it on the man’s eyes and asking him to go wash off at a particular place (John 9:1-12). It was not until the man washed off his eyes in the place where Jesus had ordered him to go that his sight was restored. What do you think would have happened if the man decided to go somewhere else to wash his eyes? The man did not begin arguing with Jesus about His methods of healing, he knew he simply had to obey the voice of God in faith.
I do not know why God sometimes heals instantly miraculously and other times He requires some effort from us, or tests our faith. I do know that His ways are perfect, and He will give us much more than what we request of Him if we simply trust and obey.
How God Would Heal My Son
I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to understand that my son would only be healed if I obeyed God’s method of healing and that I would have to learn to discern His voice to follow His instructions. Ellen White, a Christian author, says, “There are many ways of practicing the healing art; but there is only one way that Heaven approves.” (CD 301.2) I saw that this thought was consistent with what the Holy Spirit had revealed to me in the Bible. I didn’t want healing for my son unless it came from ways God approves. He had promised complete healing as long as I obeyed. I would now search for His way.
It was clear that conventional medicine did not offer Lucas healing. All the drugs and treatments were only a way to patch the symptoms and receive temporal relief, and that seemed to become less effective with each use. I began to question if I should be pursuing medicine that did not align with what God had promised: complete healing. But what was I to do to help my son’s eczema, diarrhea, and vomiting for him to finally start gaining weight?
What medicine did God approve of for my son?
As I continued to study the subject in prayer, I came across two concepts that would change the way I viewed medicine forever.
(1) “Natural means, used in accordance with God’s will, bring about supernatural results. We ask for a miracle, and the Lord directs the mind to some simple remedy.” (2SM 346.4) Consistent with what I had read in the Bible, God will not always work in miraculous ways but will sometimes put in our minds what we have available in nature and, with His blessing, we will see “supernatural results.”
(2)” We cannot disregard the laws of nature without disregarding the laws of God. We cannot expect the Lord to work a miracle for us while we neglect the simple remedies He has provided for our use, which, aptly and opportunely applied, will bring about a miraculous result.Therefore, pray, believe, and work.” (2SM 346)
God’s law is written all over nature. However, because of our sinful nature and that of the world, we no longer see it clearly. The good news is that God has promised to show us “great and mighty things” beyond our understanding if we are willing to receive His truth, even if it goes against everything you have been taught. He is willing to teach us simple remedies in His creation to use “aptly and opportunely,” and then He will do what we cannot.
For weeks and months, I debated with God about what these revelations meant regarding healing for Lucas. I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to believe that God would heal my son only through natural means. This was such a radical thought for me, but I continuously gave my will up to God and let Him teach me. The more time I spent in prayer and studying, the more my faith began to grow. God began to open my mind to an understanding that can only be “spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
I had no idea how far God would test my faith, but I was certain I had received strict instructions of how He would bring healing to Lucas. My only job now was to pray, believe, and work.
5 replies on “Part 4 – The Search for God’s Method of Healing”
Wow, what Faith!
Que hermoso testimonio. Fortalece nuestra confianza en que Dios está siempre ahí., somos nosotros los que nos alejamos de él, para hacer las cosas a nuestro entero gusto.
Dios les siga bendiciendo en todo y mi gratitud es para El que utiliza diferentes formas para guiarnos a cumplir su voluntad
Un abrazo a Lucas un tesoro de Dios
Amen! Gracias <3
I’ve been distracted from reading this blog for a few days now. It’s amazing that my first bible verse I memorized as a non Adventist child is followed by a health promise. From the beginning He knew what I needed to have in my heart.
Praise God! He always provides ahead of time.