In His Time
"Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise." - Jer. 17:14
Situation Explained
Are you suffering right now, emotionally or physically? Do you know someone who is suffering? Feeling like God isn’t answering your prayers or that healing can’t seem to "come fast enough"?
Solution Offered
The news can really be depressing to watch. The "lead stories" each night often tell horrific tales of murder, sexual abuse, addiction, domestic violence and other crimes against humanity. It’s easy to get dragged down by the reality of the world around you.
Then what happens? The weatherperson comes on to give the forecast and tell you if it’s "sunny skies" or "gloomy days" coming your way! We go from horrible scenes of violence to cute little graphics of clouds and suns for rain and shine.
The transition between the dark reality of the present (news) and hope-filled horizons of tomorrow (weather forecast) creates a stark and unrealistic contrast, doesn’t it?
It can be jolting to any viewer. Life just doesn’t work like that, does it?
You don’t go from pain and suffering to joy in the blink of an eye, do you?
Even the Resurrection took three days.
What does the Bible tell us about the reality of suffering?
God never promises us that we won’t have hard times, in fact He promises us just the opposite (Jn 16:33). Likewise, God doesn’t promise that our tears will turn to joy "overnight", only that they will.your tears will turn to joy. The Scriptures are filled with stories in which God responds - He always responds - in time.
That’s really the lesson that we need to learn. Healing takes time.
It’s less about our human impatience and more about God’s timelessness and faithfulness.
God doesn’t work on "your clock", but He does work.
Wounds won’t heal on "your timetable", but they will heal.
They will heal as long as you remain faithful to the Healer.
Sometimes we try to rush healing and speed through the recovery process. As any doctor will tell you that approach will set you back much faster than it speeds up your recovery. Other times we don’t do any sort of spiritual "rehab" on our wounds, allowing them to persist far longer than they should. Again, any doctor will tell you that you must also spend time and energy on your own recovery.
Put simply, we need to pray not only for the suffering to "stop" when we are in it, but for the grace of God that it takes to fully recover, in time, and for the patience necessary to do it in a way that praises God.
If you’re in a painful situation in your life right now, if you’re suffering and need healing.stay committed to prayer. Don’t just ask God to be your healer, though, allow God to be your Savior. Pray this verse from Jeremiah over and over. Commit it to memory and pray it throughout the day.
Trust that the Lord will act in His time, and every time, until the end of time.
He will not forsake you; He loves you. And we at Life Teen love you, too. If you ever need a prayer - just stop by the Life Teen website, click the "Need a prayer" link on the top right and let us know.
Please remember, you are never alone.
Salvation Given
"Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise." - Jer. 17:14
Trust in God and you shall be healed.
by Mark Hart - the Bible Geek (lifeteen.com)
