Q:
My doctor has told me I have a crippling kind of arthritis, and it's just going to get worse and worse. He says there isn't much he can do, except give me some painkillers. I've always been strong and able to do just about anything I wanted to, and this is a real blow. Can God help me? Should I pray for a miracle?
A:
It’s not wrong to ask God to intervene when we face an illness or other difficulty. He loves us, and nothing is beyond His ability to change. As the Bible says, “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). The Bible also tells us to “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
But God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we wish He would. This is a mystery we’ll never fully understand this side of heaven, and when it happens we may be tempted to wonder if He has abandoned us. But this isn’t true. His love for us never changes – and sometimes we discover the depths of His love most fully in the midst of life’s hard times.
What am I saying? Simply this. Naturally you want God to change your circumstances by taking away this disease. But what if He doesn’t? Then your prayer should be that He will change you – that He will give you the patience and peace you’ll need to adjust to your disability, and even endure it with joy.
Is this possible? Yes – with God’s help. Take the first step by asking Jesus Christ to come into your life. Then ask Him to begin changing you from within by His Spirit. Life isn’t always the way we wish it were, but when we know Christ we know He is with us – and ahead of us is the joy of heaven.