Faith Not to Be Healed?
Do you have true faith--meaning you are okay if you or your loved ones aren't healed? If not, listen as I share a personal story of how I worked toward that ideal.
Episode Discussion Points
The question of “Do I have the faith not to be healed?”
A story in my life where I realized that I didn’t have that kind of faith yet when Nathan was diagnosed with autism.
How I realized I needed to change and have more true faith in God.
The “But if Not” clause & story
My very trial led me to my knees over and over again because I didn’t have the ability to get through such a heavy trial on my own. I needed God.
How to Develop Faith “Not to Be Healed”
Recognize you need better, truer faith
Work to gain that kind of faith
By talking to the Lord openly and honestly in prayer (that you aren’t there yet)
Following the example of the Savior to submit your will to His
Ask God to teach you what this process of gaining true faith looks like for you
Listen
Keep going one day at a time
Fortify yourself by reading God’s word—especially the life of Jesus Christ.
Remember to keep hope in the ultimate goal of eternal life with God with perfect, whole and resurrected bodies for us and our loved ones.
Bible Verse Shared
Matthew 26: 39 “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #faith #healing #JesusChrist #miracle #prayer
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
Tamara Anderson 0:03
I have a question for you today. And it is this: Do you have the faith not to be healed? I heard that question recently and it has really made my mind think and ponder and wonder about that. So today I'm going to draw from some stories in my own life, and share with you what it means to have faith not to be held. Stay tuned.
Tamara Anderson 0:35
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
Tamara Anderson 1:01
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Tamara's takeaways on the Stories of Hope in Hard Times podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson, and today we are covering a really big question, do you have the faith not to be healed? And if you're not dealing with sickness or illness in your life, or someone you care about that's a really probably easier question to answer. But if you are dealing with something that is life changing, that could end in death, like cancer, or some other illness. Maybe you have a child who's suicidal, or some other, either physical or mental ailment. That is a really, really hard question.
Tamara Anderson 1:53
I want to take you back to a point in my life where I had to stare at this question very long and very hard. And where I had a very stark realization, in 2004, after Nathan was diagnosed with his diagnosis of autism, I remember believing that if I was just faithful enough, and did enough good things, that that was sure, that was proof of my faith, and that I could somehow earn a miracle for him. I knew I'd seen enough miracles in my own life to know that, if you believe hard enough, and if you pray enough, some things do happen. So I knew that concept to be true.
Tamara Anderson 2:46
But what I didn't understand was the concept of God's will towards it. And what that meant, as far as my faith. Yes, you can have enough faith for to move mountains to to have an illness like autism completely removed and revoked. We see the stories in the Bible of people being raised from the dead. So we know that nothing is impossible to God. And so knowing that, and having faith in that, and trusting that is awesome when it's what we want.
Tamara Anderson 3:23
But someday, sooner or later, you and I are going to face a situation where what we want, and what God's will is, are two different things. And that's where true faith gets tested.
Tamara Anderson 3:43
And so at this point in my life, I had to learn what true faith really meant. And I'm going to do something different. Today, I'm going to read you a little bit from my book Normal for Me, which is my story from grief to peace after my two sons, Nathan and Jacob were diagnosed with autism. And in this in this book, I have a chapter that is called "True faith when the miracle you pray for doesn't happen." And in this in this section, I talk about the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And I remember hearing this story at this critical point in my life where I was just praying and praying, and then I started wondering, maybe I just don't have enough faith.
Tamara Anderson 4:30
And then I heard the story of Shadrach Meshach. and Abednego told, when they King Nebuchadnezzar said that if you don't bow down to these idols that I have made, that I'm going to throw you in the fiery furnace, and I love their answer to the king and this is what kind of opened my eyes to what true faith meant. They told him, "If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of my hand Oh King."
Tamara Anderson 5:00
So that's that with God, nothing is impossible, He will deliver us. And then here's the clincher. "But if not, be it known unto Thee, Oh King, that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." That "but if not" Clause was something I did not understand. At that point in my life, I didn't understand that true faith meant being able to say, I know you can heal Nathan, and make him 100% whole. But if not, if You choose not to, if that is not according to Your will, then I will still keep going. And I will still believe.
Tamara Anderson 5:48
And I remember that kind of slapped me upside the head. And I was just like, wait, what? You mean, that's what true faith means? Believing that whatever God has in store is the right thing, even when it's something I want. And it's a good thing, right? It's a good thing. And I wrote in the book, I said, "I had never understood the but if not clause, if he didn't kill them, would I still believe? Would I still trust? Or would I give up on him. And then I continue the end of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ends happily, God did indeed save them from the fiery furnace. In fact, when they were thrown into the furnace, the guard soft four men loose walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt. And the fourth is like the Son of God. So amidst their trial of faith, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came to know God, literally."
Tamara Anderson 6:48
This is an awesome story, right? But my challenge was, I wasn't to that point in my faith. Yet, I couldn't say, God, I know you can heal my boys. But if not, I will be okay. Because at that point in my life, I wasn't okay with that idea that my life was going to look totally different than what I had expected at what that I was going to raise two sons who were going to have autism their entire lives.
Tamara Anderson 7:18
And I learned that day that story was told what I was missing. I was missing greater and truer faith. I was missing the faith not to be healed. And that is a hard thing to swallow. Would it have been easier for God to just heal them? Would have been easier for me as a mother, to not have those sleepless nights to not have to clean up poop that had been mashed into the carpet almost on a daily basis? Would it have been easier if I didn't have to chase my child who was insistent on running towards danger, every opportunity he got? Yes.
Tamara Anderson 7:58
But do you know what? Those things tried me to an extreme measure at to the point that I had to lean on God. I could not do it on my own. And so those very things that I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to take away were the very things that led me to have a more close and intimate relationship with Him. They led me to my knees again, and again. And again. Because I needed help in the details of the details of my life. Because there was no instruction manual that could help me on how to help my child with the specific challenge that I was facing.
Tamara Anderson 8:41
And so I can now look back on those things, and say, I developed the faith, not to have them be healed. But I didn't initially have it. I didn't initially trust that that was the right decision for me and my family. It was hard. And I wept and I cried bitter tears. I talked to God very frankly. And he listened kindly. Because He knew that the ultimate goal is salvation for me, and salvation for my children. And I will tell you that them not being healed has brought us closer to that. I didn't see it originally. But looking back, hindsight is always 20/20 I can get a glimmer of what God sees.
Tamara Anderson 9:40
So I'm sure your next question is Tamara, how do you get there? How do you get to the place where you have the faith not to be held?
Tamara Anderson 9:50
I think the first step is honestly realizing that you need to have that kind of faith. You need to have I kind of wake up and come to Jesus moment like I did, where you realize, ah, that is the piece I am missing in my life. That is the piece that I'm missing, but I don't want. We want what we want, right? So the first step really is to recognize, I need better, truer faith.
Tamara Anderson 10:29
And once you recognize it, the next step is to start working to gain that kind of faith. And what does that look like? It looks like that part of my story where I prayed, and I wept. And I begged and I had very, very open conversations with God, saying, This is not what I want. But following Savior's example in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, in Matthew 26:39, he prayed "And He went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed, saying, Well, my Father, if it'd be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
Tamara Anderson 11:16
And that is what true faith looks like. It looks like saying that prayer, Father, let this cup of autism pass for me and my family, my sons, let it pass from me. Let this diagnosis of cancer passed from me, let this diagnosis of depression or bipolar disorder or whatever it is pass from me are those I love. But not as I will. But as thou wilt. And that is a hard prayer to utter. It's a very hard prayer. And then be open and honest with him. I am not here yet. Help me to get to the point where I'm okay with your will. Teach me what that looks like for me. And pause. And listen.
Tamara Anderson 12:23
I had that conversation with God in prayer. Where I told Him, please let this pass, please! I begged and begged I promised all sorts of things. But ultimately, it boils down to what is His will? And help me to be okay with that.
Tamara Anderson 12:49
And I know the steps and things are so hard that I'm teaching you about. There's part of me that wishes I could just scoop you up and give you a big hug and say it's all going to be okay. And it will be eventually. But I know that in that moment, when you're grieving. And you're praying for that miracle, you know God can have happen, but it's not His will. That breaks your heart.
Tamara Anderson 13:24
But the good news is God knows what to do with broken hearts. He knows how to fix them. He knows how to mend them. He knows how to help you and heal you inside from the inside out. And so He's not going to ask you to do anything that you can't do with his help.
Tamara Anderson 13:47
And so I invite you to follow those steps. To recognize if this is what you need. You need better truer faith. And then go to Him and pray. Talk to Him about where you are. Ask him what your next steps are. Keep that communication line open and going. Keep diving into His word. Read stories of faith. Some people get miracles. And some people don't. If you're not sure where to start, you can read the Savior's story in the New Testament. He was always saying that he was doing things his Father told him to do and He submitted perfectly.
Tamara Anderson 14:34
So my friends, if you're at that point where you're wondering, do I have the faith not to be healed? Know, you're not the only one who has ever felt that way? Know, you're not the only one who has ever prayed prayers, of complete desperation and agony. There is a lot of us out there who have prayed that exact same prayer.
Tamara Anderson 14:57
And the good news is I'm at a better place now. The autism was never removed. But I was given the strength to bear it little by little, in incremental amounts. Just like the Savior was given the strength to pass through the Garden of Gethsemane. His cross ultimately led to Golgotha and to the tomb. But because of Jesus Christ, all mortal frailties and weaknesses and illness, and sorrow and sadness will be healed. And done away ultimately.
Tamara Anderson 15:43
Because we will all be resurrected, and have perfect and beautiful, strong, amazing bodies. Because of Him. Because of Gethsemane and Golgotha each of us can have pure and perfect hope that someday in the eternal worlds, we will live forever, with perfect bodies, healed completely from every ailment. Where there will be no more sorrow or tears we're told in the Bible. I cannot wait for that day.
Tamara Anderson 16:23
And it is that hope that keeps me going. On the days when it's hard to communicate with Nathan, and he's throwing a fit about I don't know what. Because I know that someday, I'll be able to communicate with him perfectly in that eternal world. And so that is my hope, my hope is in Jesus Christ. My hope is that, although I have to have faith, that healing won't come in this life, that in the next there will be perfect healing. And that is where we will live forever. And so really, that's what matters the most in the end.
Tamara Anderson 17:12
So my friends, follow the example of Jesus Christ. And say your prayer and beg for help and beg for the strength to submit. And for the strength not to be healed, if that is His will. Sometimes, the healing will come immediately in this life, in miracles that you can shout praises to and tell everyone about. And other times, the healing will be in the strength for you to bear the burden that is placed on your shoulders, like the Savior. And although you beg and plead that this cup will pass from you. It will not.
Tamara Anderson 18:00
But that is a temporary thing. Because in the eternal worlds. You will be perfect and whole and so are your loved ones. And I share that with you today. Hope on!
Tamara Anderson 18:14
How many of you out there feel like your life is chaotic, crazy, and completely awful compared to the norm. What if I were to tell you you are normal for you. I am so excited to tell you about my book normal for me, learning to love and accept life's detours with God's help. This book took me 10 years to write. And I shared 20 years worth of lessons learned in my life detours, including being in a car accident and having two of my children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. In this book, I share the secrets of how I made it from despair to peace with God's help. I talked about being a zombie mom, living in survival mode, learning true faith, and how I debunked the myth that God doesn't give you more than you can handle. normal for me also includes a bonus diagnosis survival guide at the very end of the book in which I shared 12 tips to survive and thrive in tough times. So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Normal for Me today on Amazon, or on my website TamaraKanderson.com.
Tamara Anderson 19:33
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you like what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website stories of hope podcast post.com There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote, or a scripture verse that they really, really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you're struggling with hope to carry on and have the strength to keep going. When things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, remember, God loves you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai