“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”
Jeremiah 17:14

In the midst of sickness, pain, or infertility, a major question we need to ask ourselves and wrestle with is this: If God doesn't heal me, will I still praise Him? If God doesn't give me a child, is He still good? Do I still have reason to praise God even if my prayers are not answered? Within scripture there are multiple stories of healing: healing of blindness, disease, infertility and even raising people from the dead, but there are also stories where people were not healed. Paul was not healed of the thorn in his flesh despite asking God, Stephen was stoned to death and was not healed of his wounds or brought back to life. In fact, every disciple except John died a horrible and painful death.

There is one thing each of these people, and every martyr had in common; they praised God no matter if healing, help, or deliverance came or not. They saw the physical world through the lens of the spiritual, so no matter what happened to them, they knew that ultimately, if they died, they were going to be in the presence of Jesus. Sometimes, people were delivered from death in a miraculous way, and sometimes they were not. It is not up to us to judge God or determine why He did what He did in each circumstance. What we are called to do is to be filled with faith, but praise God no matter what, because, despite the outcome, He is always good and worthy of praise.

Take some time this week to watch or listen to the message below, Whatever Has Your Heart, by Ps Joe Riddle.