God’s Power and Purpose Before we get into more of the nitty gritty of this journey, the Lord impressed it upon my heart to share with you three concepts He taught me through that time. He still has to gently remind me of these truths and this week was actually one of those weeks. You see, I’ve been fighting a migraine for well over a week. I’ve cried out to the Lord to heal it, I’ve taken many different medicines and tried all the natural remedies. With no relief, my soul began to feel hidden from the Lord as I wondered why He allowed such debilitating pain to grip me. The Lord is so incredibly gracious, however, to continue teaching His children. He never seems to grow weary of our humanity as He patiently corrects us and reveals Himself to us over and over and over. Throughout this week, I was tenderly reminded of the following truths. I only pray that you are able to internalize these truths a lot faster than I have. First, I have learned that God still does miracles. I write this with tears in my eyes – partly tears of gratitude for the miracles I’ve experienced, and partly tears of sadness because my heart truly breaks for the brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t believe that our God is still a healing God. Now this topic could (and probably should) be a much more in depth conversation, but that is not the purpose of this post. My friend, even though Jesus is not walking this earth in flesh anymore, His supernatural power is still very much alive. I have experienced it personally in my own body. I have witnessed it in friends and family members. Babies that should not be here according to the doctors and laws of nature. Chronic illnesses that disappear “unexplainably.” Wounds that should lead to scars and disabilities yet heal with no trace of it ever occurring.You see, this is important because our faith is a key component that the Lord desires. Matthew 13 tells of Jesus going back to His hometown. He preached and the people were amazed, but “he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (verse 58). Read that last part again. “Because of their lack of faith.” Do we have control over when God performs miracles? No. Will we receive simply because of the faith? Also, no. The Lord is sovereign and He can’t be figured out or controlled. Is God confined to the laws of nature? Again, no, He’s not. Surely “nothing is impossible for God.” He can intervene and override the natural when it is His Will to do so. It is our role to have the faith that He is capable of healing your body, touching your heart, restoring your marriage, and changing your life. Secondly, God is more concerned with the spiritual than with the physical. Does His heart delight in His children going through pain and suffering? Absolutely not. I plead with you to not believe the lie that He is taking pleasure in your pain. Now… would God much rather His children endure temporary suffering so that we may be sanctified and made to be more like Him? Absolutely. “…because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:3-5) Even worldly parents know that it is best to allow their children to endure struggles so they may grow, become stronger, and build character. How much more would a Holy Father who desires His children to be Holy?In John 15, Jesus tells the parable of the vine and branches. He explains that He is the vine and the Father is the gardener. Read what this Holy, loving, Father does: “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (verse 2). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines pruning as “to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth.”[1] I must say… “Cutting off” sounds absolutely painful for one being pruned. I don’t want anything “cut off.” I would much rather it be gently removed. Yet the pain is not without purpose. God is growing you into something better and more fruitful. It may take some pain, but again – we are planted with a purpose, and He will help us accomplish that purpose. Lastly, God wants you to partner with Him. It is evident throughout scripture that God is a relational God. He calls us sons and daughters. We are His heirs. He is our Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. He desires an intimate relationship with each and every one of us. Ann Voskamp writes, “He loves you to death and back to the most abundant kind of life for a relationship of intimate communion with Himself.”[2] Yes, God can perform the miracle. Yes, He is sovereign and may allow the suffering for our pruning. At the same time – He does not want us to sit back and say “well, if God wants this to change, He’ll just do it” while we don’t pray and we don’t do what we can. Matthew 7 instructs us to ask, seek and knock. “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (verse 8). Ask God for what you want. Seek Him out above all else. Then go, knock on some doors and see if the Lord wants to work through someone or something. Yes, He performs instantaneous miracles. He also uses doctors, knowledge, therapists, and other people to bring about change. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (verse 11). Let’s go back to this migraine… While I have prayed for the Lord to relieve the pain, I have also asked Him to reveal to cause and knocked on various doors to see what might work. Although the pain has not subsided for 8 days, He has shown me actions I can take to combat the cause and shifted my focus to the eternal. All while I continue believing He can (and asking Him to) completely remove this pain – because He is able. Whatever your story…Let us come to Him for miracles.Let us have faith that He is truly sovereign over the laws of this world.Let us walk with an eternal perspective and see that our sufferings have spiritual purpose.And let us live relationally with or Father Who desires to give us good gifts. Written by:Candace James [1] “Definition of PRUNING,” Merriam-Webster.com, last modified March 31, 2025, accessed April 4, 2025, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pruning. [2] Ann Voskamp, Loved to Life (Tyndale Momentum, 2025). Faith
Beautiful, friend! Continuing to pray for healing- but also love reading how HE is faithful to teach and love you through the waiting Reply
Thank you, Emily! He is so so faithful. Even when I think I finally learn something, He reminds me I haven’t gotten it down as well as I think and I get to learn it all over again haha 🙈 Reply