Then I Will Heal
God Will Save Even When We Feel Too Weak To Believe It
by Eric Elkin
“Strengthen the weak hands,
and support the unsteady knees.
Say to those who are panicking:
“Be strong! Don’t fear!
Here’s your God,
coming with vengeance;
with divine retribution
God will come to save you.”
Glancing through Sunday’s prayer requests, I found a rather unique plea. Written on a piece of paper were the words, “If Christians will humble themselves and pray...then I will heal their nation. God” The prayer was not a request to the Almighty, but someone hoping to communicate God’s desire for humanity.
Holding the prayer in my hand, I tried to wonder what motivated the writer. Were they concerned with the lack of faithfulness in the culture? Or, were they so frustrated with a fractured political climate? Perhaps, they were overwhelmed by our nation’s addiction crisis. Exactly what needs to be healed?
Please don’t misunderstand, it is not that I feel our nation is without need, I just don’t know what healing the person was looking to receive. Franklin Graham and I are both Christians. I feel we both humble ourselves in prayer, daily. Yet, I’m fairly certain my prayer for healing is different than his. Who is going to persuade God the most, me, or Franklin?
Most fascinating for me was the “If…then” construction of the request. I am sure the person writing this had the best of intentions. Yet, sometimes, we just don’t think through what we are saying. If prayer is necessary for God to heal, then our prayers become the source of power, not God. Prayer is an invitation to be transformed, not the cause of transformation.
Think about the agents of change who brought healing to the people in the Bible. Very few of them prayed for that role. Abram never prayed to become Abraham, the father of a great nation. Moses never prayed to be the person to set his people free from bondage. Saul never prayed for conversion when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Yet, God intervened in each case to save the people.
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
We live in the tension of a strange reality. In some ways, we view our nation as being too big to fail. Yet, we are perpetually afraid of its imminent collapse. It seems like we are always “going to hell in a handbasket.” Who has the power to save something so massive?
Then I started to wonder, maybe we project onto the nation our own personal fears. When the culture becomes consumed in chaos, where do we go to find peace and security? Where is our safe place?
Perhaps the person offering this prayer was worried about their own demise more than the nations’. It is safer to make public our fears for a large entity like the country. Exposing our own insecurity is more dangerous. We might appear weak. Worse yet, we might receive confirmation our lives mean nothing.
Isaiah has the perfect words to say to those who are panicking. “Be strong, do not fear…God will come and save you.” These words are more than a wish or a dream. Throughout history, they have helped the Jewish people rebuild after defeat. They have helped those battling addictions find life. God will save is our hope in the midst of hopelessness, even when we feel too weak to believe it possible.
Click to read: Isaiah 35
Reflection Questions:
How do you receive national news? How does it shape your soul?
Where do you see a need for healing?
When has the news caused you to feel hopeless?
How often do you receive the words, God will save?
What role do prayer, grace, mercy, and need play in healing?
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