Being Healed From A Desire To Be Healed

The Apostle Paul prayed for God to remove his thorn in the flesh. Commentators have debated what that thorn was. See this link for some ideas. I think it was Paul's eyes because he alludes to eye problems elsewhere and often does not write in his own hand. That would have to be quite frustrating for a teacher and a preacher to not be able to see well, and perhaps there was a physical pain associated with  the debility. The cadence of his words would seem to indicate physical distress.

Jesus acknowledges Paul's prayer and his pain but basically says "no." Only in the modern age to do we think a "no" is not answering prayer. Not answering would be no answer, like a phone ringing endlessly, with the receiver ignoring it. A "No" answer is picking up the phone  and saying "no" to whatever the caller wants. The best law ever? The "No Call" list! Thanks be to God that He permits us to call, even with our annoying and cloying petitions.

I can tell you from experience with a bad knee that chronic pain can drive one crazy. Chronicity, pain 24-7, certainly can create a degree of madness. In my life, prayer for the knee pain to end is number one in terms of time and effort. No healing from it but my acceptance of God's will to allow it to persist for His own reasons. God could but won't.  But, Lord, I wanted to be  an NBA star for you. Right. And Me.     

So, the question then becomes, "Why would God say "No" when He clearly could say and do "Yes?" That is a hard question to answer because no one knows the mind and will of the Almighty. I think Jesus's reply to Paul is instructive though. Jesus tells Paul "No healing" to his prayer, and then adds that His grace is sufficient and made perfect in Paul's weakness. There is a greater grace in not healing Paul because  he remains dependent on Christ for grace specifically because of his weakness. Paul accepts the answer, actually embraces the answer, and then moves on emotionally. Not holding onto what God has told him to let go.

Is it not true if God gave us everything we think we needed and wanted, it would often be the case that we would not seek Him? Strength can lead to pride and pride is what started the whole problem with pain to begin with in the Garden. God allows a wound to remain to keep us vulnerable. This a hard teaching  but one that we need to be mastered by. Otherwise, we are not accepting the healing that God is providing: His grace to handle the pain constructively by depending on Christ chronically. When we pass onto Glory, we will leave the pain behind. Until then, it remains and  we are to remain in Him.