I want to know why God won’t answer me. For over a month I’ve been suffering from stomach pain and gastrointestinal distress. I was so miserable that I called the pastor to pray for me. That same day I decided to give my heart to God. I thought that everything would get better. I did get some relief… but I am still not completely well. Sometimes I tell God to either heal me or go ahead and kill me…. What can I do so that God will hear me and heal me?
Dear Friend,
We are very sorry to hear about your illness. It sounds like you are going through a very difficult time. Prolonged pain tends to occupy the brain, leaving the sufferer with less ability to manage day-to-day functioning. This may lead to hopelessness and even depression. It may be why you have told God that He might as well kill you.
We congratulate you for your decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Now you have the assurance of eternal life when you die. However, in addition to eternal life, you expected to receive healing from your current suffering. Because that hasn’t happened, you are now asking us how you can get God to hear you and heal you.
You have already done the one thing that is necessary for God to hear you. The Scriptures tell us that “the Lord’s ears are attentive” to the cry of the righteous.(1) When you accepted Christ and had your sins forgiven, you became righteous, as if you had never sinned. So we know that God hears you.
As for your question about how to get God to heal you, that is not a matter of a few easy steps. History and experience have taught us that God certainly has the desire and power to heal, but His plan does not always include healing. Many righteous people of every time period have suffered and died without ever being healed.
Some people say that they cannot serve a God who allows so much suffering and pain. They want a god who heals every sickness, rights every wrong, and calms every storm. Their god would mend every broken heart and cure every evil. There would be no germs or disease or thieves or people with bad motives. Everyone would get along and there would be no war, nor poverty, nor famine. There would be no need for doctors, police, or a justice system. No one could make a bad decision or choose to do something that would hurt others. It would be a perfect world, but a world without free choice.
God loved us so much that he gave us the ability to choose. We can choose to build or destroy. And we can choose to help others or harm them. But our decisions have consequences that bring about war, poverty, and disease. These conditions pervade our world and cause it to be increasingly less perfect. When things aren’t perfect, only those who truly trust God can understand that the answer to their prayers can sometimes be “no” or “wait.” So ask God to help you to trust Him.
We wish you the best,
Linda
____________________
1 Ps 34:15