Choosing What God Chooses: Rejoicing in Infirmities
Photo by the absolutely incredible Lithuanian photographer Žygimantas Dukauskas, courtesy of Unsplash. Check out more of his amazing work at https://unsplash.com/@zhygan and instagram.com/dukauskiuks
Carl Beech has it right. Perhaps God doesn’t want to heal me.
There are those Christians who believe that it is always God’s will that we be healed, because that seems to make sense to us. God is good; God doesn’t want us to suffer, right?
Maybe not.
When I watched this video this morning, I was struck by several things. Carl has early-onset Parkinsons, but he’s found a peace in it that is truly remarkable because it is truly like Jesus. Actually, it’s a lot like Paul:
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
That word there translated as infirmities. It’s ἀσθένεια (astheneia), and it’s got some pretty deep roots. It’s often translated as infirmities or weakness, but there’s a lot more to it. There’s an implication there of wanting something; a lack of something, a yearning for something. Here’s what Thayer’s Greek Lexicon has to say:
ἀσθένεια, -ας, ἡ, (ἀσθενής), [from Herodotus down], want of strength, weakness, infirmity;
a. of Body;
α. its native weakness and frailty: 1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4.
β. feebleness of health; sickness: John 5:5; John 11:4; Luke 13:11, 12; Galatians 4:13 (ἀσθένεια τῆς σαρκός); Hebrews 11:34; in plural: Matthew 8:17; Luke 5:15; Luke 8:2; Acts 28:9; 1 Timothy 5:23.
b. of Soul; want of the strength and capacity requisite
α. to understand a thing: Romans 6:19 (where ἀσθ. σαρκός denotes the weakness of human nature).
β. to do things great and glorious, as want of human wisdom, of skill in speaking, in the management of men: 1 Corinthians 2:3.
God, I relate so much to all of that. I feel weak, and I want strength. I feel feeble, and I want health. I feel inadequate; I desire adequacy. I lack understanding; I want to understand. I want to do things great and glorious in Jesus’ name; I feel like I lack wisdom. I lack skill in speaking. I lack skill in managing people. I want. I desire. I need. I lack.
I am weak.
He is strong.
I think perhaps that I get what Carl is saying, and I think he just might be right. Not for everybody. It’s an intensely personal thing. God desires us to be well, but our healing may come at the end of a life that chooses to praise God in the storm if He chooses not to calm it. Perhaps He chooses to bring me peace in spite of suffering. Perhaps He chooses to bring me pleasure in my infirmities. Perhaps He even chooses to lead me to boast in them.
It all comes down to Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemene: “Not my will, but Your will be done.” Whatever God chooses to do in me, I will choose to rejoice that He is with me. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
I really want to hear from you. Do you have a chronic illness? How has God revealed Himself in the midst of your suffering?
Video courtesy of the utterly amazing streams.studio. Check out more of their work at streams-studio.com!
