God's Word is full of promises — and one of them is that He heals. But it is also full of men and women who suffered, who prayed, who believed, and who were not delivered in the way they hoped. Think of Joni Eareckson Tada. Think of the Apostle Paul. Their stories don't end in miraculous physical restoration — and yet they overflow with the power and presence of God.
This is a message for anyone living in that space between the promise and the answer. Between the prayer and the healing. Between the storm and the shore.
"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." — 2 Corinthians 1:4
Rule Over Your Sickness
The first thing God wants you to understand is this: your disability is not in your body — it is in your head.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." — Philippians 4:13
That verse is not just a slogan. It is the truth that breaks the power sickness tries to hold over your identity. Your body may be limited, but your spirit — connected to an unlimited God — is not. Here are the principles that make this real in daily life:
Keys to Living Above Your Circumstances
- God can heal — but first, make sure your infirmity is not self-inflicted through unaddressed sin
- Get rid of bitterness — toward God and toward others
- Put the Lord first in everything
- Put others before yourself — doing for others takes your mind off your own pain
- When we crucify the flesh, God can use us
- A weakened body can result in a stronger spirit
- God has a purpose for you in your infirmity — not in spite of it
You need to rule over your sickness — not let your sickness rule over you. And here is the great mystery: when you help someone else, it begins to heal you.
"The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity." — Proverbs 18:14
The Waves That Polish Us
Suffering is one of the most difficult realities of the Christian life — and one of the most misunderstood. The following insights come from Warren W. Wiersbe's Bible Exposition Commentary, and they shed powerful light on what God is doing when He permits us to walk through pain.
— From The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren W. Wiersbe, Vol. 1, pp. 674–676
"When you walk along the shore of the ocean, you notice that the rocks are sharp in the quiet coves, but polished in those places where the waves beat against them. God can use the 'waves and billows' of life to polish us, if we will let Him."
When God permits suffering to come to our lives, there are several ways we can deal with it. We can become bitter and blame God for robbing us of freedom and pleasure. We can give up and fail to get any blessing out of the experience. We can grit our teeth and put on a brave front — but that kind of strength eventually collapses.
There are those who want us to believe that an afflicted Christian is a disgrace to God. But God never promised us freedom from sickness or suffering. If Paul had access to "instant healing," why didn't he use it for himself and for others?
Transformation, Not Substitution
This is perhaps the most important distinction in this entire message. When Paul prayed three times for the removal of his thorn in the flesh, he was asking God for a substitution — give me health instead of sickness, deliverance instead of pain. Sometimes God does meet the need by substitution. But more often, He meets it by transformation.
He does not remove the affliction. He gives us His grace so that the affliction works for us and not against us. As Paul prayed, God gave him a deeper insight into what He was doing — and Paul learned that his thorn in the flesh was a gift from God.
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." — 2 Corinthians 12:9
God did not give Paul any explanations. He gave him a promise. We do not live on explanations — we live on promises. Paul claimed that promise and drew on the grace offered to him, and this turned seeming tragedy into triumph.
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." — Matthew 10:39
God did not change Paul's situation by removing the affliction. He changed it by adding a new ingredient: grace. No matter what your situation looks like, God is adequate for every need you have.
Paul's suffering was not a tyrant that controlled him — it was a servant that worked for him. He won the victory not by substitution, but by transformation.
Practical Lessons from Paul's Experience
Six Things We Can Learn
- The spiritual is far more important to the dedicated believer than the physical.
- God knows how to balance burdens and blessings, suffering and glory. Life is something like a prescription: the individual ingredients might hurt us, but when properly blended, they help us.
- Not all sickness is caused by sin.
- There is something worse than sickness, and that is sin — and the worst sin of all is pride.
- Physical affliction need not be a barrier to effective Christian service.
- We can always rest in God's Word.
God's grace should enable us not just to endure our sufferings, but to rise above them — to allow our afflictions to work for us in accomplishing positive good. God wants to build our character so that we become more like our Saviour.
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." — Philippians 3:20
Are you living in the storm? You don't have to be beaten down by it. Accept God's grace. Let Him transform — not just substitute. Stop doing life in your own limited strength, and let the One who made the waves use them to polish you.
You Don't Have to Walk This Alone
If this message touched you and you'd like to talk through what you're walking through, Bob is available for a free life coaching conversation — offered in love, at no cost.
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