If a prayer for healing is not answered, why might this be?
What do you take Luke 11:10 to mean? Will we receive, find, and have opened the things we look for while we are on earth, or will we not know until after we have passed on? Is it wrong to ask again and again to get better from an illness? Is that greedy or selfish? Is it selfish to want to be happy on earth?
Luke 11:10
ESV - 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
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Asked November 27 2013
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Anonymous
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Colin Wong
Supporter
My daughter was born with a rare genetic defect and its been 10 years since we first prayed for her healing. We have not seen complete restoration yet but we abide by faith that no matter what happens, God has a great plan and wonderful purpose for my daughter (for more details.) God has a wonderful way of answering our prayers - but often not in the way we imagine. I believe its because he knows what we need, not what we want. Your question has a few parts. So let's address them individually. 1) Will we receive, find, and have opened the things we look for while we are on earth, or will we not know until after we have passed on? It could be either. Sometimes a prayer request is answered immediately. Sometimes God tells us His grace is sufficient and we should trust in Him and let it unfold. Sometimes we do not understand what we ask and He refuses to give a serpent when we thought it was a fish (Luke 11:11). No matter what, we have to trust that God knows what's best for us. 2) Is it wrong to ask again and again to get better from an illness? It is perfectly fine to continue asking. Perseverance is a good thing (Luke 18:1-7). No request is an inconvenience (Luke 11:5-9) to God. Ask and keep asking. 3) Is that greedy or selfish? Is it selfish to want to be happy on earth? There is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy in life. We were not made to be sorrowful, unfulfilled, joyless and living in misery. We were made to be in fellowship with God and our God is a God of love. We want happiness not just for ourselves but also our family, friends and for the whole world. Revelations 21 talks about a new heaven and new earth, where once again we will be in perfect communion with God. Revelations 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Recognize that while happiness is our ultimate goal in communion with God, between now and then, we do live in a fallen world. There will much suffering and trials in this world. Jesus never promised there would be no storm - he only promised to be our rock. Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Lincoln Chua
Supporter
As imperfect humans, we often make the mistake of taking the verse out of context, or more commonly reading it in the way we want to. Luke 11:10 ESV - 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. First we need to ask ourselves if we do truly trust in God, and if we are asking in accordance to His will. Most of us (me including) will often have a preconception of what we feel should be deemed as an answer to our prayers. We feel that we know better than God, and we feel our "idea" for an answer is the right one all the time. We all need to learn to trust God more and more, and believe in Him to make the best decision for us. Just to share, i made the same prayer many years ago, even before I came to know God as my saviour. My life was a hopeless struggle, and my beloved grandmother was diagnosed with liver cancer. I prayed for God to make it less painful, and for my grandmother to survive till my brother's wedding at the end of the year. In hindsight, God showed me He answered the prayer. My grandmother died 6 years later without any treatment, even though the doctor said she had only 6mths left. She was never believed God. But however me and my brother, through various incidents in our lives started our journey with God. As humans we can never begin to fathom what our Almighty God can do, the only thing we are asked to do is to believe in Him. I Pray that God our Lord will convict your heart to trust in Him, with increasing levels, till the day of our first death. Amen.
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