Philippians 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

This verse is not underlined in my Bible, but it is striking under the current circumstances. I have heard preachers use passages like Mat-thew 8:16 and 12:15 and others like them that say Jesus “healed all” who came to Him to say that we should never need to go to the doc-tor. This verse shows that was certainly not the experience of even the 1st Century Church. It was no accident that Luke, a physician, was Paul’s traveling companion! It is true that Jesus heals, some-times spectacularly, but it is also true that He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Disease is part of the human condition until God makes all things new. (Revelation 21:5) We are to pray for healing in faith, as James exhorts us to do, (James 5:14-16) but we are not to accuse ourselves or each other of a lack of faith if we don’t see healing. Joni Tada had to deal with that for many years in relation to her paralysis from breaking her neck, and now she’s dealing with it in relation to cancer. However, she has certainly found that God’s grace is sufficient for her, though it has led her through some pretty difficult times.

This is of course front and center in Cathy’s and my experience, not only at the moment but over the years. I have been blessed with a remarkable degree of health, but Cathy has a “rap sheet” so long that she carries a printed copy of her medical history in case she encounters a new doctor. Right now, in the hospital recovering from back surgery, she is experiencing “resting pain” from her Parkinson’s Disease, to the distress of the nursing staff. Her primary doctor (surgeon) won’t be back from Canada until the 18th, so they are at a loss as to what to do. If they do come up with an answer to the “resting pain,” enabling her to get a good night’s sleep consistently, the back surgery will have been worth it! We are to be thankful for the good medical care she is getting, but at the same time keep our focus on our Lord, and trust Him to work all of this out for blessing.

Father, thank You for this Word. I do pray that You would keep Cathy from any unnecessary pain, and that she would have joy in the assurance that Your plans are good in every respect, whatever they feel like in the moment. Thank You. Praise God!