Monday 6 May 2013

God's will be done


God will be done

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9,10

I was at a church the other day. The pastor was preaching that God wanted us all to be healthy. I believe God does.
Still I think that pastor missed something. The definition of healthy.
One of the definitions the Oxford dictionary gives for healthy is, “having or promoting good health.” the other definition it gives is, “normal, sensible, or desirable.”
He explained that he was healed from stage four colon cancer. And there is no doubt about it he was. The doctors admitted they couldn’t cure it and gave him a couple of years at best. He is now years past that mark. In my estimation a miracle.
He believed that God kept him alive because God had more for him to do.
I admire this pastor because he is to me a great man of faith and never doubted that God would heal him. And if he didn’t he was certain of where he was going.
Still I think he missed something. His definition of “healthy” was skewed. He equated healthy with being “normal”.
In other words someone who can walk, talk, see, has all his or her mental faculties. Simply put like ninety percent of the people you’d meet most days.
He gives me the idea that he feels people who aren’t “normal” aren’t healthy.
On the wall by my desk I have a painting called living water, it’s a rather detailed picture of a small meandering stream leading to a small waterfall. It was painted by mouth my Joni Eareckson Tada.
Joni is a quadriplegic who became paralysed in a diving accident. Joni is healthy and while being a quadriplegic may not be the best thing in the world, Joni has adjusted.
In fact Joni has an excellent ministry on radio and reaches out to the disabled through her Joni and Friends ministry.
I also had the privilege to listen to a young man by the name of Nick Vujicic. He was born with no arms or legs. The doctors don’t know why. Nick is healthy and has an international ministry.
On the banner of his website Life without limbs, it says, “From no limbs to no Limits”
As for myself I live with Bi-polar Affective disorder. A mental illness that at times causes my moods to swing daily between high, highs and low, lows.
I have learned to live with my illness and do various speaking engagements around the area where I live.
I consider myself to be healthy. I just live with a different normal to what this pastor would consider healthy.
I have friends that are in wheel chairs and live in nursing homes or assisted living. All are technically healthy.
Someone once asked me why does God allow such things, especially to people with great faith.
I believe God has a purpose for everyone. My friends that live in assisted living are witnesses where they live.
As I look at it both Joni and Nick may not have the ministry they have reaching millions if they were not as they are.
Likewise my Bi-polar illness made me think. It makes me rely on God every day of my life and to reach out to people not only around were I live but around the world through the various Blog’s I write.
You see I think we must look at scripture especially the verses I quoted above.
“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9,10.
Jesus did. Knowing the horror that he was about to go through, Matthew quotes  Him in the garden of Gethsemane as saying, “He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 
                                                       Matthew 26:42 
No matter where we are in life or what life throws at us. We must embrace it and ask God what is your will for me and your will above all things be done.
Think about it.

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