Doesn't God heal?

[Galilean]

This is something I've been thinking about alot lately.
I've read my share of scripture. There are definatly some who've read more then me. But I've read the gospels, romans, hebrews, corinthians, genesis, ecclesiastes, job and exodous, to my memory.
And of course a key theme in christianity is suffereing. In the gospels Jesus heals many people and saves them from their suffering. When Jesus is crucified he suffered as much as someone can in their physical body. And we also know he suffered inwardly.
When we suffer this is meant to be because of sin. Original sin has alot to do with it. And God is meant to help us through hard times. If we live Godly lives we are meant to be happy.
But even in the bible there is an example of someone who leads a Godly life but suffers a great deal. Job is made to suffer in the worst ways imaginable for a very long time. But this is not because of sin. He is a very Godly man.
So even if we live Godly lives, we can expect to suffer and not receive God's help. We may in the end, but then again, there is no promising that God will help us. We may just live a horrendous life and then die without God ever having helped us. And this is even if we are righteous, Godly people.
Iin the new testament, we are told that we cannot be a freind of the world and be a freind of God. Because God is not of this world. If we follow him we will be at odds with the world. People will not like us. They will hate us. They will persecute us. Will be unpopular and miserable. We cannot serve two masters, if we serve God we will be poor. And if we are poor and we follow God then supposedly it is God's will and there is nothing we can do about it. So we can be poor, unpopular people who everyone hates and persecutes, if we follow God. In fact we are even told that we will be physically attacked. People may persecute us by torturing and killing us. Jesus predicts these things. So if people start to persecute us mercilessly and physically harm us for being Christian, then Jesus won't do anything when we pray to him about it. And when we follow God to the last T but our lives are horrendous, then we are not meant to be suprised if God doesn't come to our help.
I hear all these stories about people who have prayed for 30 years before they get deliverance or healing. 30 years of incessant suffereing before we are healed? Whats wrong with being healed sooner?
So it seems that if I have depression now, then even if I live an upright life pleasing to God I can still expect to suffer. If I do it's just what God wants. If he so pleases, he will never help or heal me and I will die in agony. Or, I may pray persistantly for help, and 30 years later I will receive healing. 30 years of life gone to misery and suffering, or insanity.
We are meant to be have peace and a good life in christ. But that obviously doesn't mean what we think it does. Because God also says that we will be killed and tortured and hated by everyone, and he won't do anything about it.
I beleive in God because I don't have a choice.
And I beleive that he is righteous. I can accept that if this is what God wants, then that is what right. But that doesn't I won't be unhappy with God's plan for me. We can be tortured and persecuted for being a christian, obviously that won't be pleasant for us, but we can still accept that its Right for that to happen.
So if I spend my entire life in a Godly way but everyone hates and persecutes me, I am poor and miserable, I will obviously be unhappy but I can still accept that as the right thing. It just doesn't mean that I'm OK.

 

[Sojourner<><]

Hey there Galilean. I'm going through the exact same thing right now so at least you know you aren't alone.

I don't want to pretend to really know any thing, but I just had a thought that might help us both out (God forgive me if I'm not correct since I don't want to end up like Job's friends).

I think this runs much deeper than outward sin. What if this is really about submission? 24 hours ago I would have thrown in the towel at the thought of the word because I felt that my life was cursed so much already how could the Lord possibly expect me to give up what I had left. But that's exactly what I think it is as hard as that may sound... he wants us to give up. That doesn't mean give up living, it means to give up whatever you're holding onto in your heart. What is it that you want so bad thats making you so miserable because you don't have it? I think that God has to compete with those things in our hearts, which is something He can't allow. It's almost as if he's weeding out the gardens of our hearts. The moment that you don't want that thing any more then God is free to move in to his rightful place.

Later though when we receive blessing from him It's really important to receive it out of thanks. We need to see the good things in our lives as expressions of his care for us so that our relationships with him will be strengthened.

 

[NJA]

Galilean, Job only suffered until he learned not to be motivated by fear. He had to learn that we should believe in God's love for us, and rely on that not our own works of righteousness.

The key theme of Christianity is Christ's victory over sin, sickness and satan. We get that victory when we live the New Life. But first you need to receive it !

Have you received this:-
"they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2v4, 33, 39...)

That gives you God's nature within and tongues allows Gon to minister his love to your soul and basically tunes you into Him:-
Jude:1:20: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21: Keep yourselves in the love of God

 

[Galilean]

I prayed and I asked for salvation. I'm guessing I received it. But I don't know when I received it because I asked for salvation with full knowledge of what I'm doing twice, but the first time I was sidetracked from christianty. The second time was recently. But I don't know what you mean by receiving the holy ghost and speaking in tongues. I don't know how to speak in tongues or receive the holy ghost to do that.
Sojourner, I can understand what your saying. But what if what we want that is in our hearts is just some basic happiness or security or stability, do we have to let go of wanting that? To even have something which most people would not consider happiness?

 

[Sojourner<><]

I'm not sure Galilean. I do think that God wants us to trust him. And I know that you're having problems right now isn't because you aren't saved. In fact I think it might be because you are saved.

Here's one other possibility (I'm learning alot through my own experience right now). God answered my prayer the other day and He showed me that he had to expose a bitter root in my heart. It was a deep one. It went back all the way to my childhood. He had to show me things that I had long ago buried and forgotten about. While he was doing this I became angry, spiteful, and full of all kinds of horrible stuff. But it was necessary so that now I can start taking steps to seek reconciliation for the things that created this deep tear in my heart. If this is happening to you just remember he has you in his hand and nobody can remove you. Oh and in your anger do not sin.