In Mark 5:25–34, we read about a woman who’d been sick for 12 years. She’d spent all her money looking for a cure. One day, Jesus was walking through the crowds. Desperate for healing, she reached out and touched the hem of His robe. Immediately, she was healed.
Knowing that power had gone out from Him, Jesus turned around and asked, “Who touched My clothes?” The woman came forward trembling, and Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34 NIV).
I identify with that woman’s desperation for Jesus to heal her. For 14 years, I’ve suffered from a nasty disease with an ugly name: diverticulitis. It happens when little pockets in my colon get infected. It’s terribly painful.
Over the years, flare-ups from the disease became more frequent. Many times, I felt like my sick bed was my prison. I would lie there and watch the world go by and feel deeply saddened that I was stuck in bed. My doctor suggested I have the infected colon surgically removed.
I began praying in earnest. I did not want surgery. I wanted healing. At night, I would pray that Jesus would come into my room and His presence would instantly take the disease from me. I also went from doctor to doctor, trying to find a cure. I spent hundreds of dollars, but it only got worse.
Finally, I sat in my surgeon’s office in July of 2017. He said, “Myra, just have the surgery.” The way the sun was shining in the office, I felt God’s presence and heard a gentle whisper saying, “It’s time.”
The night before the surgery, I lay in bed, struck with fear, and asking God if this was necessary. My mind turned to Psalm 139:13, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (NIV).
A great peace came over me. I felt God saying, “I know your innermost parts, Myra. I knit you together. I will take care of this.” And I immediately felt confident in my decision.
The next morning at the hospital, the anesthesiologist came in and asked me if I needed something to take the edge off before surgery. I said no. I didn’t need anything—I had the peace that surpasses understanding, peace only God can give. The surgery went great. The doctor explained my colon had attached itself to the abdominal wall and was infected, even though it had been treated with rounds of antibiotics. This confirmed that I had made the right decision.
I experienced God’s undeniable presence and power in that hospital. I witnessed Him at work all around me, through doctors, nurses, patients, and their visitors. He was, as Psalm 41:3 says, sustaining people on their sickbeds in ways I had never witnessed.
As I took it all in, I became grateful for my journey of healing. Had I been instantaneously healed, I would have missed experiencing God’s presence and power in these new, amazing ways.
I would have also missed the opportunity to become more Christlike. My journey to healing taught me to be more aware of people who suffer and to be compassionate to those who are sick. Jesus consistently showed great compassion for people who were sick and suffering.
I would have also missed the truth that Jesus heals in many ways. Sometimes it is instantaneous. Sometimes it is through the hands of doctors. And sometimes, healing is experienced in heaven, where God’s beloved children are freed from pain forever.
I don’t know why God chooses different methods for different people. I can’t explain why some people are healed of diseases while others die. I don’t know why some people are instantly healed while others must undergo surgery. But I’ve learned that even when I don’t have the answers, I can trust God’s love for me. He knows the journey I’m on. After all, He knit me together and knows my innermost parts.
I believe God is saying this to you today. Whatever healing you need, God says, “I know your innermost parts. I knit you together. I will take care of this.” Whatever this is, God is able and willing to help you overcome.
He may choose to bring instant healing, or He may take you on a journey. Either way, God will sustain you. He knows what you need. Trust Him.
Written by Myra Monroe Carr
