Jesus healed those who came to Him during His ministry because He was fulfilling the prophecies and proving His divinity. While it was amazing that He healed, feed and rose some from death, He told us that was not the actual point. How many times did He have confrontations with the Pharisees, telling them that 'healing' was not the point, that repentance and forgiveness of sins was. He does not promise that life (our health, our wealth, our happiness, our families, our jobs) will be roses and sunshine. In fact He tells us that we will be persecuted, that life will be hard. Peter tells us that we will suffer for 'a little while'...that little while is our lifetime. Jesus promises us salvation, forgiveness, a new heart. He promises us perfection and alleviation of sorrow of any kind in the next life. No where does He say outright that our lives will be easy...but He does say this:
[The Rich Man and Lazarus]
[19] “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. [20] And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, [21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
(Luke 16:19-25 ESV)
Jesus tells us that if we walk past and scorn the poor and the sick, we will wish mightily that we hadn't. That pastor who left his wife to die of cancer alone, saying she was sinful and had no faith...he will one day be 'in anguish'. Jesus' words, not mine.
Ducky says that I have accused God of being unfaithful, of being a liar. I have not and do not. I call God faithful and true. I love Him and follow Him, trusting Him with all aspects of my life, knowing it could not be in better hands. I have faith in Him to perform miracles...remembering that the whole point of miracles is to bring glory to Him, not to myself. Any yet I remain unwell. Should I then bemoan my lack of faith, spend time worrying about how God's very will is apparently being suppressed by little ol' me? Or should I assume that God wants me to take what life has thrown into my path and turn that into a message of hope, for myself and for others? All things in this world should be for God's glory, and as God can and often does take bad things and turn them into good, showing His own love and goodness, why wouldn't I think that He is asking the same of me? If Jesus Himself submitted to the Father's will, wanting God's plan to come before His own self interest, how can I do any less?
Ducky, and those who believe as he does, can think I'm calling God a liar, they can do their very interesting acrobatics with scripture, but the simple fact is, people suffer. They get sick, they are poor, they are persecuted for their beliefs, they are fired unfairly, they are cheated and hurt, they die. All this happens to believers, as we are part of this fallen world until Jesus returns, it happens to those who love Jesus. It is sad, it is hard, but it does not make us less, it does not make us wrong and it certainly does not mean we think God is a liar.