By: Cameron Fry
Not long ago, my eight-month-old daughter, Jubilee, received her tracheostomy - an answer to months of prayer, waiting, and wondering. At last, the Master Physician was advancing her recovery to the next level. Yet God’s answer wasn’t just in the healing; He had been actively answering and connecting with us throughout the journey of waiting as well.
The Messianic prophecy in Matthew 8:16-17 (ESV) reminds me that healing, in its rightful place, is a means to relationship with God. “That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’”
Christ Understands Our Suffering
I am struck by Isaiah's verb choices. He doesn't say that Jesus would cure our infirmities and heal our diseases. Rather, that He would take them up and carry them - a metaphoric preview of the cross. Although this can feel discouraging when we are hoping for immediate healing, we can know that God will meet with us in the waiting. Hebrews 4:15 emphasizes that Christ identified with us in our sufferings so He could restore our brokenness, transform our perspective, and fix our eyes to His presence.
God is With You in Your Pain
Jesus, even in His final moments, cared about both our physical restoration and our spiritual freedom. Furthermore, He chose to endure our physical limitations so we could better connect with Him when we are facing physical limitations and experiencing pain. Waiting for healing is a holy prompt to discover God as He connects to our circumstances. While miracles are often perceived as the mic drops of God's power, waiting for them also brings incredible opportunities to know His love, nearness, and faithful sovereignty in a new way, knowing that He never stops pursuing us in the midst of chaos and crisis. The next time you are stuck in the waiting, know that God is there in the pain with you, offering His presence and love in a way that only He can. Selah.
Cameron is a minister called to the marketplace, equipping young people and vocational leaders to know God, live as Christ, and engage with Biblical truth in a transformative way.
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