About two weeks ago our team spent a week fasting and praying. I was really focusing on the location that I would be going on outreach next semester, and the students that I would be leading. I saw the Lord answer prayers in awesome ways and really give many of the students’ glimpses of hope. Towards the end of the week one of the students felt she needed to pray for healing over another students. In her obedience and excitement she immediately went and prayed over this other student. The following day the girl who was prayed over felt the Lord telling her that she was healed. Praise and glory was immediately given to the Lord, this was unbelievable. The smiles were unstoppable! As the day went on the same student who received the healing started to feel the symptoms again, signaling that she was not actually healed. I watched as this whole chain of events went on, and doubts in the Lord arose. I realized that this was still an awesome opportunity to praise the Lord. It reminds me of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel.
“13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
These three men said that even if God did not save them from the firery furnace they were still not going to bow down to other gods. I could see this in the story of these students. That even though the Lord did not heal her at the moment, she would still not bow down. Our God is good even when he doesn’t heal us. And I know that our God is a God of healing, and one day she will be completely healed! Let’s praise him until that day, and all the days after.
