Monday, June 25, 2007

Who Knows Whether...

I was reminded of the Lord's healing available for every child of God last week. That statement is somewhat controversial on its own, I know. But without going into the theological debate of the cause / effect of a healing process, whether we should always expect God to heal when we ask, or how much does faith plays a role in the process - in principle, God's healing is available to every believer if we ask.

The reason why I am reminded of the whole area of healing is because I had a tough sprain in my back during my recent trip to Zurich. And so, during the Sunday service past, as the pastor uttered a prayer for healing for people who needed it, I stood there wondering whether I really wanted it enough to step out to receive. It was a general prayer so I did not need to step out. However, I asked myself: If God really spoke through a prayer in a word of knowledge to ask for a person with a back problem to step out to be healed, would I? Because in every call, there needs to be a response; and in every response, there is a cost to pay:

We must abandon our pride, forgo the fear of what others think and allow others in. That's a cost.

We must put away the posture of the child-ish and adopt the child-like. For some of us, that's a cost.

It disrupts the cocoon of complacency that we are familiar with, into the unknown. That's a cost.

It may mean we have to face things we do not want to face. Facing our fears represents a huge cost for most of us.

Healing. I have seen people refuse help when they need it; push others away when what they need is to receive from them; remain passive when they should step up. This is in every one of us, some aspects more than others of course. Whether we like to think of ourselves this way, we lick our festering sores. We jealously guard the injuries that should be cleaned and bandaged. We learn to passively accept our wounds as 'the way things are'. Sound familiar?

In this instance, I have a physical injury. But many of us carry emotional baggage that we are not willing to give to the Lord to deal with; childhood wounds inflicted on us through our family upbringing, tragedies, sickness and death. It's too easy to stay 'safe' because there is no effort to remain that way. It's all too convenient to stay comfortable in the notion that life has dealt us a bad blow, so we have ready excuses towards being 'this way'.

In the final analysis, liberty isn't gained by being silent, passive or safe - it is bestowed when we actively embrace who God says we are. But that means stepping out into the light where God can work in us to clear the dross and move us forward. I don't have the formula of how it works. Nobody has, except God. But this I know: Our faith in the power and character of God, mixed with a single-minded determination to set a compass toward wholeness, freedom and growth - nothing will be impossible. Perfect love does cast out all fear.

I am reminded of the question Esther asked herself and the others around her: "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Dare we ask the 'who knows whether' questions? Dare we not remain completely silent? Dare we stand and fight? Dare we continue the climb?

For me, in the face of opposition and weariness, akin to the injury I am carrying in my back at present, I have been reminded that I need to answer these questions more decisively in His power. To respond when God calls me to respond. To stand my ground and not run. To infuse faith in the face of fear. Confront giants through the Spirit of the Almighty. To allow others to come scale seemingly impossible heights together. To conquer and subdue mountains that set itself up against the knowledge of God.

From our vantage point, it always seems like our mountains are so high and there is so much more of the mountain to climb. Yet, I am also reminded that I have a God whose ways are higher still. And so we need to ask those God-centered possibility questions:

Who knows whether if I take God at His word, what healing I'll find? Who knows whether if I step out how high I will scale? Who knows whether if I let godly people into my life what blessings I'll find? Who knows whether God has put me here for such a time as this?

Who knows? The Father does. His Word says that perfect love drives out fear. That I know.

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# posted by Sal : 9:24 p.m. | Be notified of new blogs |   Forward to a friend
Comments:
Thank you！I read Esther a few times recently but couldn't figure out what God wants to convey in this book. You have seen deeper.

# posted by Blogger Rachel : July 13, 2007 12:33 a.m.
 

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