I hear so many people say, "I know that it will be taken care of or I will be healed, I have faith that it will happen." Then I see them later, saying things like, "I had faith, but then I didn't get healed when I asked so I don't know why God didn't answer my prayer." "Why didn't God do what He says He's gonna do, why didn't He take care of what I asked Him, I asked in faith."
Well, first thing, He always hears our prayers, He always answers them too. The thing is, God doesn't always answer our prayers, heals us, or takes care of our problems in our time, everything happens in His time. It is by our faith that we can come boldly to Him and ask for what we have to ask for, but it is by our Belief in God, and our Continued faith in Him that keeps us walking with Him, even when our prayers aren't answered right away. Sometimes His answer is "Yes, your healing is here." Sometimes our answer is, "My Grace is sufficient for thee, I am not ready to heal you yet, there is a reason for your suffering, but I will heal you when the time is ready, it is just not right now." Then again, other times, He can give either complete, perfect healing and take someone home with Him, for no further suffering on this earth, or He can choose to say, "No, I am not going to heal you, there is a reason, but it isn't for your to know or understand why, but your suffering is for a greater purpose."
It takes faith to be healed, but it takes even greater faith to say, "Lord, I love you, I will serve you, and NO MATTER WHAT, I will serve you always, no matter what the outcome is for me, whether I live in complete healing here on earth or have to wait until heaven, I will serve you." That is one of the hardest prayers to pray, you see, God just wants you to not only speak in faith, but to submit to whatever His will is for your life. Whether it is what you want in your life, or not.
We need to remember that the Lord asks us has His child, that sometimes we are asked to work for Him, as a minister, or servant of Christ, but also that sometimes we have to suffer for a greater outcome. In Romans 8:28, it says, "All things work together for good, to them who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."
Not that it is all things work together for our good, but for the GOOD of God's whole purpose and will, for all of us, for His Church, for the Body of Christ. The thing is, the apostles of Old, knew just that, that none of their work, trials, suffering, or even the glory was not for them at all, everything they did, they did COMPLETELY for the Glory of God and His purpose for the Church.
Paul wrote in Phil 4:10-13, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again' wherein ye ere also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am in, therewith be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
You see, Paul knew, it didn't matter who took care of him here on earth, if he had all his needs met here on earth, he was willing to abase, which is to be hungry, to suffer, hurt, be jailed, be ill, and more, but he had also learned to abound, which means to be full, to be healed, to have rest, happiness, joy, a place to sleep too.. But all of this would be through Christ who gave him strength to make it through whatever trial or glory he went through, it was all up to God... He was going to serve God NO MATTER WHAT. He had enough faith to know, God would answer his prayers, not only, when God chose to answer them, but also, how God chooses to answer them, according to God's will, NOT Paul's will.
Are you willing to let go and let God rule your life? Are you willing to have the greatest of faith as the apostles and say, "In whatever state I am in, I will be content." as Paul and other apostles said? Are you willing to set aside your personal anxiety and impatience for not hearing from God, and just serve Him according to His time and will?
As for me and my family, I know WE WILL. Our faith is strong enough to know, that God will bring everything we go through, every trial, every hungry night, every night of pain, suffering, and even the nights of utter happiness and sheer joy, that we have went through and will go through, we will continue to face our lives in Christ with all faith saying, "I will, WE WILL, serve God no matter what..."
Will you?
