Dec 29, 2011
Promises for the Flu
Queasy stomach
Last night my stomach started to feel queasy. REALLY queasy.
My head started pounding. I felt sore all over.
I had the flu.
There’s a promise for every problem
My flu is hardly a blip on the suffering scale. But still — this is what I’ve got to deal with.
So I thought it might help me to ask — what does God promise when I have the flu?
God promises to strengthen me through Christ (Phil 4:13).
At this moment God is calling me to persevere through a queasy stomach and pounding head. And He promises to strengthen me in this through Christ.
But I I have not asked Him for this, nor have I intently set my heart on Him. So I’m going to do that right now.
Lord Jesus, here I am. Forgive me for not turning to you earlier. You are my life. Strengthen me now so I can fellowship with You in my sickness.
God promises that when I ask He will either heal me or do something even better (Matt 7:7-11).
If I ask my Father for bread, He won’t give me a stone. Which means He will never give anything worse than what I’m asking for — He will either give what I’m asking or something even better.
So right now I’m going to ask Him to heal me.
Father, I ask that right now You would supernaturally heal me of this flu. In Jesus’ name, take away the queasiness, the pounding head, the aching. Just say the word — and I will be healed.
No change yet. But I prayed — so I’m either going to be healed or receive something even better. That’s encouraging.
God promises to use this trial to bring me more joy in Jesus forever (2Cor 4:17-18).
This will happen as I lift my eyes from seen things (my blog, my church, my health) and focus on unseen things (the majesty of Jesus, the new heavens and earth, the glory of God).
Hmm. I haven’t done much of that. So right now I’m going to pray —
Father, help me see and feel the reality of Jesus’ majesty, the new heavens and new earth, your everlasting glory.
Help me see how fragile health is — so I trust all the more in You. Use this flu to increase my longing for the new heavens and new earth where there will be no more flu, no more queasiness, no more headaches.
God promises to take care of what’s not getting done (Psa 127:2).
I had plans to get lots done today. Not going to happen.
But in Psa 127 Solomon says God gives us sleep so we’ll understand that the work isn’t ultimately up to us — God will take care of what I’m not able to do.
Father, take care of what I can’t do today. Pour out Your Spirit upon Mercy Hill Church. Strengthen us in faith, fill us with Your love, strengthen our marriages and families, and advance the Gospel in our neighborhoods and workplaces.
That’s better.
Next steps
What promises have you found helpful when you are sick? Or do you have any comments or feedback? Leave a reply below — thanks.
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(Picture by Studio Cl Art at Photol.com.)
This is great, thank you. Thank you for modeling on your blog the way to respond to so many different circumstances. I look forward to more. It’s the reshaping of our thinking, reactions, and responses (through the Word) that makes life so much more joyful in Jesus. The world’s way is what makes us downcast.
You are so welcome, Katherine. And thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Much love to all of you!
Wow! Just found this on my iPad. Thank you so much for this blog, this has opened my eyes to see the glory of Christ!…x
Hello Anonymous —
It deeply encourages me to hear that this has opened your eyes to see the glory of Christ. HE is what the entire universe is all about! Thank you for letting me know —
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
If u ask for bread he won’t give you a stone.
I don’t remember anyone ever asking to be sick in the first place.
Sickness comes from God. Then million people pray and two get healed and we hear all about those two. But never about the other 999000 who died as a result from there sickness.
Flus kill as well.
When u wanna test someone’s loyalty to you or your country or team. Do u torture them and then ask if they still love you.
If they say yes. Then u accept them.
Hmmm.
I’m not an atheist. But seriously. There is no excuse for suffer ring and U.S. Looking for ways to justify our pain or justify why God hurts us.
We just don’t know.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Bill.
But I do believe that in his word God has explained much of the mystery of our pain and suffering.
Sickness and death are in the world because of our sin, as we read in Genesis 3.
But God explains that he is in sovereign control over sickness (Exodus 4:11).
He does not torture us and then ask if we still love him. But he does lovingly and wisely allow sickness to come into our lives, as a way of bringing us even deeper joy in him.
When we pray for healing, sometimes he will heal – as a way of giving us more joy in him by seeing this display of his glory (John 9:3).
But at other times he lovingly and wisely chooses not to heal – as a way of giving us more joy in him as the suffering helps us cling to him all the more closely (2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
I hope this helps explain what I believe the Bible is teaching.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
Dear Steve,
I do apologise but I must point out a few things, as you do seem to have quoted from the New Testament but have a very different view on what Jesus has said.
God sent His one and only son, Jesus, to die as a sacrifice so that we could be free from sin, sickness, depression, poverty, etc (all the things that come from the enemy). (Romans 4:25)
We know that the enemy is there to steal, kill and destroy and he is the one that causes illness and all the above. God, however wants us to live a joyful life in abundance! (John 10:10)
We know that Jesus rose again on the third day and went to share the Good News! We know that by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus then went on to explain that when we are born again and accept Jesus as our Lord and saviour, we have a brand new spirit inside of us, that holds the same power that rose Jesus from the dead (our Spirit-not body or soul- is then identical to Jesus) (Romans 8:11)
He explains that as He has won the battle already and has overcome the world, (John 16:33) And we ARE free from all of those nasty things, He gives us the authority to cast them out when the enemy tries to put them on us! (Which he will, because he’s out there to steal, kill and destroy, again)
So Jesus explains that we can lay hands on the sick and they will recover,(Mark 16:16-18) we can cast out demons, he even said that despite his great miracles, we will be the ones to perform even greater things (John 14:12) with the authority and strength and wisdom that HE provides us with, when we believe in Him (Luke 10:19)
In conclusion, I know that as I am born again, baptised in the Holy Spirit, I am completely free from sin and sickness and poverty. I have the same strength and peace and joy of Jesus living on the inside of me. All I have to do, is believe it, know who I am in Christ, and use it. It’s like a perfect present sitting in front of you. With all your needs inside, but instead of opening the box and declaring, “I am already free from sickness! I am healed by Jesus’ stripes! Enemy, I resist you!” (James 4:7) And then seeing your healing manifest in your body, you avoid the box and say, “Oh God! Please heal me, please take away this pain!” And wait for him to do something. He is only going to point back to His Word (which is truth) and explain that it is not by your works that you are saved or free from sickness! (Ephesians 2:8-9) It’s because Jesus has already set you free! He paid the price! He overcame.
This truth and studying God’s Word is what set me free from addiction, Self harm, bipolar, depression, OCD, a heart condition, asthma and as I operate in faith in Jesus, my life is being transformed.
God loves us so much and really is not a respecter of persons, He loves us all the same. (Acts 10:34) and He wants us ALL to live a life totally free from all those horrible things the devil wants for our lives. If you begin to declare God’s Word out loud, believing it and thanking God for what Jesus has already done, you will see AMAZING things in your life. He loves you and you are precious to Him. I hope you have a great day. I would recommend listening to Andrew Wommack as He has a great understanding of healing and sees millions free from sickness by faith in Jesus.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
And I do believe that God can and does supernaturally heal the sick.
But I do not believe it’s His will to heal everyone immediately. I base that on the story of Lazarus in John 11, the story of Job in Job 1 and 2, Exodus 4:11, and other Scriptures.
Sometimes, in great love and mercy, God purposefully allows us to be sick because through that sickness he is going to give us even more of His grace and nearness.
I hope that explains why I said what I did in the post.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller