Read: Psalm 103:1-3; John 11:17-27
We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:7)
We are invited to praise the Lord “who heals all your diseases” (Ps. 103:3). That’s easy when we pray and the tests come back negative, and the scans show our bodies are clear. But what about when they don’t? Have you prayed long and hard for a loved one to be healed, only to watch them waste away and die? Perhaps you’ve felt what Martha said to Jesus after the death of Lazarus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). When prayers seem to go unanswered, or when unspeakable tragedy strikes, our lives are shattered and our faith is shaken. We wonder where God was; we may even wonder if God is. And the promises of Jesus (“Your brother will rise again,” v. 23) can sound like pious cliches.
But then somehow by God’s grace, assurance can slowly seep back in. We can believe again that the promises of God are true—stepping stones to escape despair, like John Bunyan’s Christian. Christ is the solid rock on which we’ve built our lives, and the storms don’t destroy us. We can trust that the Lord does answer our prayers, that he will heal our diseases, all of them—though maybe not until heaven. Meanwhile, when sorrows like sea billows roll, we still can say, “It is well with my soul.”
Because we walk by faith, not by sight.
As you pray, ask God for faith to follow him, even through tragedy and loss.
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including God of My Days,Why Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
