Matthew 26:39: God's will, not ours
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Matthew 26:39 (also Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42, John 6:38)
God is sovereign, and Jesus taught us to pray that God's will be done in our lives (Matthew 6:10). I don't think there is anything contentious in either of those statements. However, when someone isn't healed and consequently concludes that sickness is actually God's desire for us, it is not uncommon for us to take Jesus words in Matthew 26:39 and make them our own prayer, saying, "Not my will, Lord, but yours be done." Because of my current understanding of healing, I feel that taking Jesus' words and applying them to our sickness is inappropriate, perhaps even shockingly so.
It is in his atoning work via the cross that Jesus rescues us. Suffering, sickness, and death are all consequences of sin, and Jesus dealt with sin at the cross. For us, persecution and suffering as a result of faith are promised, modeled, and even commended (John 15:20; Matthew 5:11-12; Hebrews 11:32-39; 2 Corinthians 11:23-30), so praying as Jesus did, "not as I will, but as you will," seems entirely appropriate in those circumstances. There, we are joining in the suffering of Christ (Acts 5:41; Colossians 1:24; 1 Peter 4:13). But if Jesus atoned for our sins at the cross, and took our sicknesses on himself, and bore our diseases (Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21), then surely taking his prayer and applying it in our own lives to justify sickness—taking words he spoke while suffering to deliver us from sickness and applying them to our suffering under sickness—becomes obscene.
Even in the Old Testament, were God frequently uses sickness and suffering to drive people back into his arms, the sickness and suffering are identified as being either his wrath or his tool to bring his people to repentance. The suffering itself, is never conceived of as some good thing God gives his people because of his love for them; it is only ever punishment or discipline, never a "gift". The one exception to this rule is Job, whose suffering was neither punishment nor discipline. His suffering was testing, but it is worth noting that Job's illness ends with healing. If sickness was God's will for Job, why make him well again. Surely continued suffering should bring about more holiness, godliness, and/or wisdom. Interestingly, there is no hint in the book of Job that the sickness was for Job's benefit. Indeed, the very fact that Job's final blessings were greater than his initial ones belies that very idea.
I have knee problems, seasonal allergies, and wear corrective contact lenses. Are these God's will for me? If there was no sin in me or the world, would God inflict these things on me? If not, then they are no more his will than it is his will for people to perish (2 Peter 3:9). The fact that a thing happens does not make it his will. Then why am I not healed when I pray? I don't know, but I can no longer sustain the idea that ill health is actually what God wants for us—that it is "his will."
Some will respond, surely the fact that all die demonstrates that continual good health is not God's will for us? We all die. That is certainly true. But that may fairly easily be conceived of as God's mercy. This world is fallen. It is full not only of suffering but also of sin, of hate and arrogance, of lust and selfishness. Heaven is not that way. In heaven he perfects us and all sorrow and crying is done away with. In life we only see him vaguely; in heaven we will be face to face. If our lives are spent in adoration of Christ, heaven brings us to the object of our adoration with no distractions: to live is Christ, to die is gain. But while that is true of death, it is not true of sickness. Sickness gets in the way of service, and though we may come to Christ in desperation because of it, it remains a distraction. While the resurrection is better than the here-and-now, sickness is not better than health.
So, I shall pray, "Teach me your ways, Whatever the things are that prevent healing from coming, please take them away. If something is required of me, please speak to me plainly so I may comply, Lord. Not my will, but yours be done. Your kingdom is not a matter of talk but of power: show your power. Enable your servant to speak your word with great boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. I don't understand why things are as they are, but I know you are good and you love us. Because you are with me, fill me with your Spirit and with power so that I can do good and heal all who are under the power of the devil. Lord, I want to walk in your steps, be covered in the dust from your sandals, and do the things you do."
Matthew 26:39 (also Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42, John 6:38)
God is sovereign, and Jesus taught us to pray that God's will be done in our lives (Matthew 6:10). I don't think there is anything contentious in either of those statements. However, when someone isn't healed and consequently concludes that sickness is actually God's desire for us, it is not uncommon for us to take Jesus words in Matthew 26:39 and make them our own prayer, saying, "Not my will, Lord, but yours be done." Because of my current understanding of healing, I feel that taking Jesus' words and applying them to our sickness is inappropriate, perhaps even shockingly so.
It is in his atoning work via the cross that Jesus rescues us. Suffering, sickness, and death are all consequences of sin, and Jesus dealt with sin at the cross. For us, persecution and suffering as a result of faith are promised, modeled, and even commended (John 15:20; Matthew 5:11-12; Hebrews 11:32-39; 2 Corinthians 11:23-30), so praying as Jesus did, "not as I will, but as you will," seems entirely appropriate in those circumstances. There, we are joining in the suffering of Christ (Acts 5:41; Colossians 1:24; 1 Peter 4:13). But if Jesus atoned for our sins at the cross, and took our sicknesses on himself, and bore our diseases (Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21), then surely taking his prayer and applying it in our own lives to justify sickness—taking words he spoke while suffering to deliver us from sickness and applying them to our suffering under sickness—becomes obscene.
Even in the Old Testament, were God frequently uses sickness and suffering to drive people back into his arms, the sickness and suffering are identified as being either his wrath or his tool to bring his people to repentance. The suffering itself, is never conceived of as some good thing God gives his people because of his love for them; it is only ever punishment or discipline, never a "gift". The one exception to this rule is Job, whose suffering was neither punishment nor discipline. His suffering was testing, but it is worth noting that Job's illness ends with healing. If sickness was God's will for Job, why make him well again. Surely continued suffering should bring about more holiness, godliness, and/or wisdom. Interestingly, there is no hint in the book of Job that the sickness was for Job's benefit. Indeed, the very fact that Job's final blessings were greater than his initial ones belies that very idea.
I have knee problems, seasonal allergies, and wear corrective contact lenses. Are these God's will for me? If there was no sin in me or the world, would God inflict these things on me? If not, then they are no more his will than it is his will for people to perish (2 Peter 3:9). The fact that a thing happens does not make it his will. Then why am I not healed when I pray? I don't know, but I can no longer sustain the idea that ill health is actually what God wants for us—that it is "his will."
Some will respond, surely the fact that all die demonstrates that continual good health is not God's will for us? We all die. That is certainly true. But that may fairly easily be conceived of as God's mercy. This world is fallen. It is full not only of suffering but also of sin, of hate and arrogance, of lust and selfishness. Heaven is not that way. In heaven he perfects us and all sorrow and crying is done away with. In life we only see him vaguely; in heaven we will be face to face. If our lives are spent in adoration of Christ, heaven brings us to the object of our adoration with no distractions: to live is Christ, to die is gain. But while that is true of death, it is not true of sickness. Sickness gets in the way of service, and though we may come to Christ in desperation because of it, it remains a distraction. While the resurrection is better than the here-and-now, sickness is not better than health.
So, I shall pray, "Teach me your ways, Whatever the things are that prevent healing from coming, please take them away. If something is required of me, please speak to me plainly so I may comply, Lord. Not my will, but yours be done. Your kingdom is not a matter of talk but of power: show your power. Enable your servant to speak your word with great boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. I don't understand why things are as they are, but I know you are good and you love us. Because you are with me, fill me with your Spirit and with power so that I can do good and heal all who are under the power of the devil. Lord, I want to walk in your steps, be covered in the dust from your sandals, and do the things you do."
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