I’d like to share a story with you. There was a man struggling to survive a terrible flood. He crawled up on his roof and pleaded with God to save him. Soon, a rescue team in a boat came by and offered to let him climb aboard to flee the rising waters. He said, “No, I believe in God and he will answer my prayers and rescue me.” So, the rescuers in the boat reluctantly paddled away. Then, some firemen that had climbed up on a near-by roof top tried to toss him a rope to pull him to safety. Again, he shouted back to them, “Thanks anyway, but I have prayed to God and believe he will rescue me!” So, the fireman could not convince him to grab the rope to be saved so they went on to the next house to rescue another family in need. Then, a helicopter came by and offered to lift him away to safety. He said “No, I believe in God and He is going to rescue me!” And they flew away to rescue other families from the rising waters. The flood waters continued to engulf the house as the man continued to plead out to God for rescue. Sadly, the man was swept away in the raging current. When he reached the pearly gates to enter heaven, he stopped and asked Saint Peter why God hadn’t answered his prayers and rescued him. Peter replied, “What are you talking about- he sent a boat, a rescue team and a helicopter!!”
While this story is on the humorous side- there is a lot of truth in it as well! When we cry out to God in prayer – many times we already have it in our minds how we want or expect him to answer. But God tells us in His word “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) HIS ways are not always our ways. God knows best…. We have to trust Him in that. Sometimes God sends an answer to our prayer, but it is not the way we wanted or even expected Him to answer so we don’t even see it or we totally ignore it. And, even though God is all powerful and in control of everything in the universe and He can step in and perform miracles, sometimes he asks us to take part and be active in the rescue!
Not too long ago, a lady came forward in our church and was crying and asking for prayers for physical problems she was dealing with. I prayed about it and felt God leading me to meet with her and share the message of health and awesome healing available through proper diet and lifestyle. She agreed to meet with me and I shared God’s directives for our health as outlined to us in His word with her and she seemed very interested and receptive. She told me she had prayed and asked God why this was happening to her and asked for healing. But, in the end, she decided not to follow through and instead looked to man’s ways instead of God’s, and to my knowledge, her physical problems have only increased and continued to worsen.
I find that most people pray to God and ask for healing, expecting him to swoop down, dink them on the head with His magic wand and instantly heal their afflictions. Many of the testimonies of seemingly ‘miraculous’ healing I see and read, tell of people sharing how their prayers regarding their health were answered by someone sharing the message of health and healing through proper diet and lifestyle and how thankful they are. Some tell of God leading them by an inexplicable urge to go into a book store for no apparent reason, only to find a book that lead them learn more about healing through God’s directives as found in the Bible. Or maybe they ran into a stranger at the grocery store that shared with them of their own healing by diet and lifestyle changes according to what is found in God’s word. Or maybe after praying, someone on social media shared their testimony of healing and a video to watch on YouTube sharing how God gave our wonderful bodies the power to be healthy and to heal themselves if we follow the diet he created us to thrive on.
God wants us to be healthy! (“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.“ 3 John 1:2) Have you or a loved one been praying for healing? Do you have preconceived notions of how you want or expect Him to answer? Or are you asking Him to show you how to be healed and looking and watching for all ways He is answering your prayers? Make sure you don’t miss the life-line God may be throwing your way, only to be swept away because it is not the way you wanted your prayers answered or because it wasn’t the answer you were looking for! You have to grab that life-line God is throwing out to you and use it- it won’t work unless you do!!
Come join us on our journey as we learn to live life to the fullest as God intended through a healthy diet and lifestyle!
