I have been suffering these migraines for over six months now. It’s rough to say the least. There are days when I can barely get out of bed. I know my children are feeling the strain. They are worried about their mom.
Over the last six months I have gotten a ton of advice. From getting an ear piercing to a hysterectomy, from which vitamins will help the most to which prescription drugs are the best, I am pretty sure I have heard it all (but don’t feel like you need to test that theory). The latest advice was more of a command though. I was told that I needed to go to a healing ministry for a miracle.
Life is hard, but I don't need a miracle, I just need Jesus… Click To TweetNow, don’t get me wrong, I believe in miracles. I believe that my God can do anything. He is God.
And a miracle would be nice. I would love for my migraines to just disappear, and I know that God could do that. In fact, more than one person has laid hands on my head and prayed for my healing, believing in faith that I would be healed. But that hasn’t been God’s will. I don’t believe going to a healing ministry will change that.
The fact of the matter is, while there are numerous people in the Bible who were miraculously healed, not everyone was or is.
When Push Comes To Shove, I Don’t Need A Miracle, I Just Need Jesus
I have been thinking about Paul a lot lately, with his thorn in the flesh. He prayed three times for it to be taken away, yet it remained. “A messenger of Satan to harass him” (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Paul didn’t throw in the towel and give up because he wasn’t healed. He didn’t go camp out by a healing pool. God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (vs 9) And Paul took Him at His Word. He ran with that and kept going.
Another Bible passage that I fall back on a lot is the one about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). When they went into the fiery furnace they told King Nebuchadnezzar that their God was able to rescue them, but even if He didn’t they would still serve Him, and Him alone. That’s where I am.
I know God could heal me, but even if He doesn’t, He is still the king of my heart and I will keep my eyes fixed on Him.
The Miracle That Never Came
…& Those That Did
This isn’t something new to me, by the way. I was born with cancer and lost my right eye when I was just a year old. I have essentially lived my entire life with a prosthetic.
Growing up I used to beg God to restore my eye and make me normal. I would cry out to Him from the depths of my soul knowing He could do it and go to bed full of faith that I would wake up miraculously healed. Only to wake up just the same as I went to bed. It would break my little girl heart. But not my faith.
You see, if I needed specific miracles to believe in Jesus, I would have lost faith in Him a long time ago.
I have seen miracles in my lifetime though; experienced them. I know they are real. But I also know God isn’t a genie in a bottle who heals at our beck and call.
Just as Paul, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all said, even though God is powerful enough to perform miracles, our faith isn’t dependent on them. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
One thing I was thinking about this morning was Moses. When God spoke to him out of the burning bush, one of Moses’ complaints was that he was slow of speech and tongue (Exodus 4:10). God didn’t immediately jump in and heal him. Granted, Moses didn’t ask for healing (or at least it wasn’t recorded that he did). God uses imperfect people. Whether we are imperfect because of the sins of our pasts (because we all have something), or because of something we are currently going through (because there is always something), God never promised us a perfect life.
In John 16:33 Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Our God is powerful enough to perform miracles, but our faith shouldn't be dependent on them… Click To TweetLife is Hard, but God is Good
Sometimes God gives us miracles, sometimes He doesn’t. That’s just the way that it is. And I’m okay with that.
What about you?
Has God ever worked a miracle in your life? Or have you ever had to surrender your faith to Him with no healing strings attached? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Oh, and by the way…
God may not have healed me, but He has still blessed me beyond measure. Over the past six months I have experienced God’s love in a whole new way and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Sometimes, God uses painful experiences to bless us. In fact, Sherry is going to share her own story about that on Monday so make sure you stop back in. (Click here to read her story and how it relates to God’s grace.)
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Oh, Heather! I wish more people would speak out in praise and love and faith when God doesn’t answer prayers the way they hoped! It is so refreshing! Thank you for sharing this inspiring testimony. I pray Jesus you open His arms wide to comfort you in your pain and distress! Blessings to you!
Thanks, Liz. Life is so hard, being a Christian doesn’t change that, but we can definitely make it harder if we expect God to do things He never promised to do. One thing He did promise was to never leave us. So I know that no matter what I walk through, I don’t have to face it alone.
Wow, this was really great. I don’t know why everyone who asks for healing doesn’t receive it and I don’t know why it seems that God heals some and not others. Sometimes I have struggled with that.
I too have migraines, not as severe as yours, but where I feel nauseous, they’re awful. I’ve personally experienced God’s healing in my life, one was instant and the other was over a period of hours where I wouldn’t stop praying until it was totally healed.
I love how even through the hard you still see Jesus’ blessings in your life!
I have had God heal me in other areas at other times, but not in this. But He has given me a peace about it. Yes, it’s painful, in fact, today is a bad day. I have taken some pain medicine and am getting ready to go back to bed, but we have a God that is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. How bad my head hurts doesn’t effect His goodness. Thanks for stopping in, Heather.
This is beautiful! I love how your faith remains steadfast despite the fact that this world tells us we should get what we want when we want it. Thanks for these encouraging words!
The world and Jesus rarely do agree, do they, Emily?
The most precious thing is the presence of God Himself. We often seek the gift (what we want) rather than the Giver. This spoke to my heart because there is something that I want so badly that is a godly desire, but I must put it on the altar until God desires to fulfill it.
So glad God was able to speak to you through my writing, Susan!
Heather, what a powerful testimony. Thank you so much for blessing us with this ultra-raw, ultra-real window into your soul during such a difficult time. Still praying for healing, but even more for Jesus to continue to be the source of joy even in the midst of the pain. Love and prayers going out to you today!
Thank you so much for your prayers, Jaime!
This is such a beautiful reminder that we don’t need the miracles when we have Jesus. He has the ultimate plan and for reasons we may not understand, our pain is apart of it. Thank you for these reminders today!
We don’t always understand what God is doing, but we can trust that He is always good. Thanks for stopping in, Melissa.
I think this is so important to remember, Heather! God gives us the strength and the ability to deal with any hard circumstances if we ask Him. We can be sure that He is using this time with the migraines to teach you something!
He is definitely growing me during this time, and using it to bless me beyond measure. That sounds so weird to say, but it’s so true. I am in more pain than I have ever experienced, but I have also been more blessed than I could have ever imagined. God works in ways we never would orchestrate on our own, that’s for sure.
I once prayed for a man and God healed him of his mograines. In fact, he came back with his mri and God removed all the scar tissue in his brain that caused the migraines. Interestingly, it did not increase his faith or lead him to repentance. Miracles don’t accomplish transformation always. I would rather be you than him.
Wow. That’s such a good point. I would rather have faith and be in pain than be pain free and miss out on a life with Christ.
We lost our son in 2013. Car wreck.
I read many posts saying, “OMG! I should’ve died! But God was with me! Totaled my car but didn’t get a scratch! Miracles happen!”
God was with my son every moment. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
I would love to have a miracle story. But looking back on all God had done in me through grief…I’m not sure I’d be willing to give that up.
He works miracles daily; He is transforming us into the image of His Son.
Miracles do happen, but not always. I don’t know how God chooses who to grant miracles to or why, but I know His ways are better than our ways. And your right, He does work miracles daily and He is constantly working to transform us into the image of His Son. That alone is a miracle. Thanks for sharing your story.
Your testimony is precious, Heather. Grace to you with those migraines, friend. I also love that prayer of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego and try to use it as a model for my own whenever I pray for God’s divine intervention! We trust and praise Him no matter what.
Amen. Thanks for your encouragement, Betsy!