I was taken aback when I first read this letter… posted by Pastor John Piper. Then I realized he was sharing from his heart on the eve of his own surgery to remove prostate cancer. Here’s the intro…
I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God’s power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God’s plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain.
Insert whatever suffering you are facing… and the 10 points in this letter will challenge and comfort your soul. For me… right now… it is unemployment. God has ordained this for my life. And while I will do everything within my power to get back on my feet and provide for my family… I don’t want to waste my unemployment.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Clay Burkle, Suffering
Clay,
Thanks for posting this one. I may follow up on this one.
stef
Hey -
Thanks .. not sure I’m into that “but healing is not God’s plan for everyone” quote .. maybe/hopefully Piper is referring to “here on this earth”, although I never once found a place where Christ wasn’t willing to heal … seems to me that part of His sacrifice on the cross was for our sins and diseases. Granted, for whatever reason we can’t understand, that healing doesn’t always manifest itself in our natural bodies here on earth .. I can’t explain that .. of course, this is debated as much as anything else .. not wishing for debate .. but enjoining my faith that God’s plan for Steph is life, abundant life, vitality, and renewed strength and vigor .. that he would be in “good health” and “prosper in ALL things, even as his soul prospers”.
Fred,
I think you answered your own question. The fact that strong Christian men and women die at all… should not lead us to questions God’s sovereignty or their faith… but to accept that “healing is not God’s plan for everyone”. We can’t put God into a box that he hasn’t put himself in.
Yet… one day our healing with be complete (shalom) and death will die.
Hey cburkle -
yeah .. but I suppose if we take that stance, the fact that EVERYONE dies would mean that “healing is not God’s plan for ANYONE”, which of course, neither of us would suggest. I’m not speaking of immortality … rather, I’m speaking of what I feel would ultimately be God’s plan .. that we live a healthy live and die in peace, at our appointed time, free of the very sicknesses and diseases that Christ came to redeem us from.
Granted … we don’t see a lot of that .. most death comes as a result of sickness/disease (old age, the body just wearing out, the heart just stopping not included – that’s not a disease) … so, I understand what life teaches us. I just struggle to find where God’s Word teaches it. Don’t worry – I’m not really a freak (grin) … I just know that when sickness and disease come, the only way I know to pray is for complete healing .. and if that doesn’t manifest physically here on earth … I praise Jesus all the same and will understand it all one day … we often say “I’ll ask those questions when I get to heaven”, yet … I think once we get to heaven and behold His beauty … we won’t care!
For the Kingdom,
Fred
Good response Fred…
I think your closing comment sums it up for me “for the kingdom.” When the kingdom comes in its fullness… the shalom of God that was broken in the Garden will be restored. And Jesus came to announce and even inaugurate this kingdom… and with it he brought some good news and some healing… “the kingdom of heaven is near.”
So some will experience a foretaste of the kingdom and will experience healing. But like Daniel and his friends experienced in the fiery furnace… God chooses upon whom he will have mercy…
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
The kingdom is already… but not yet. And so God can heal but does not promise it. Hallelu Yah!