SHOULD WE EXPECT PERFECT HEALTH IN THIS LIFE?

Albert Einstein once said, “There are two ways to live your life. One as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” My recent studies about current Pentecostals tell me that they would fall into the latter category of believers.  It seems that many Pentecostals have come to “expect a miracle” in their daily lives. One of those miraculous expectations is that God will physically heal His children.

As one example of this miraculous expectation, notice the tragic case of Wesley Parker. He was an eleven year old boy who was supposedly cured of his diabetic condition by a Pentecostal “faith healer.” His parents, wanting to show their faith in God, threw away his insulin. Even though the boy soon went into a coma, they refused to use the insulin, resulting in the boy’s death three days later. They even refused to have him buried, believing that the Lord would resurrect him on the fourth day like He did Lazarus! They finally permitted him to be buried later that day. They were eventually charged, tried and convicted of child abuse and involuntary manslaughter all because they believed that God wants His children to be in perfect health in this life.

But, does the Scripture teach that perfect health will be provided for God’s people in this life? The Bible makes it clear that the answer is no. First of all, consider Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. His “thorn” seems to have been a physical ailment that he prayed to “depart from me.” But, the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Notice that God didn’t say, “Your good health is what you really need.” God gave Paul a physical handicap to help him remember his limitations. Secondly, consider Trophimus’ sickness in 2 Timothy 4:20. Paul says “but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.” Paul had the gift of healing, like the other apostles had. Why then didn’t Paul heal Trophimus? Thirdly, consider Paul’s constant sidekick, Timothy, and his “frequent ailments.” (1 Timothy 5:23) Paul advised Timothy to use a different remedy than the gift of healing to fix his physical problems!

The truth is that tribulations and suffering are what we can expect in this life. (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 8:18-23) Perfection awaits us in the next. (Philippians 3:21)

          Ronaldo Ricardo Guzmán