He Will Heal When….
By MBPSTB
Sabbath, 12thD, 8thM
Saturday, 29 October, 2016
While the following account is my personal experience, I hope that all who are suffering will be able to gain a new perspective on their suffering. It isn’t easy to do this as all of us who are afflicted in some way know all too well. We get insight along the way, inspiration from the words of others, but they fade in time and the infirmity we are burdened with, rears its ugly head, pushing our Saviour off His throne in our heart and consumes us. We are, after all, so human, being caught up in the flesh and it pushes out everything else. Can I get a witness?
I have a condition or syndrome that was brought on by an experimental vaccine. The day that changed my life to one of constant affliction was 5 August, 1990. It was not until November of 2013, that all the fragments and separate pieces of information came together, connecting the dots giving me the answer to the madness. While this offered me some relief, knowing I was not making something out of nothing, it also angered me and it has taken a long time to process all of this.
With every new thing that assaulted my body, I would be seen by doctors and they would find nothing wrong. Each time, feeling so defeated and still in pain, I would leave and seek out information on my own. Over the years a few things have worked but only for a short time. It’s as if whatever was in my body would wise up after a time and could mutate and overcome and then continue on wreaking havoc inside me. Imagine if you will, being stung by one hornet after another, each one causing something new which hurts in some way, restricting daily activity or wellbeing. When you heal from one sting, there is another hornet waiting to assault you and it is relentless. This is my life.
Over the years I have changed my diet, modified exercise programs, drank only water and taken supplements in an effort to just keep my head above water with my health. But…the hits just keep on coming and the latest diagnosis of Osteoporosis seems to be the one that has dealt such a blow that I find myself just not wanting to live anymore. As has been the case for over 26 years now, taking one step forward yields three steps back. My days are consumed with exercising, juicing and whatever other routine is needed to just keep me afloat. It has taken a toll on my house, and my family and I am wracked with guilt.
The only thing outside of the prayers of my family, is my faith. Because of my condition, I was forced to quit my military career, forgoing retirement benefits and my civilian career. I see the hand of YHWH in this as it has afforded me time to study Scripture and become the spiritual leader of my family. We have seen miracles and we have seen the enemy at work, but with each subsequent event, we have grown in our walk. Yet for all of this, it seems prayers for a complete healing have appeared to fall on deaf ears. In recent weeks, it has become more difficult to keep the faith and my prayers have been directed at this.
Last night, being Sabbath, we watch certain shows on cable TV. Without mentioning names so no one can judge, a certain pastor was teaching about the Tabernacle and the deeper Hebrew meanings of each item. The altar had to be cleaned of its ashes daily so that new fire from God could burn. We have to clean out our ashes daily too and ask God to send His new fire to us and kindle it in us and we need to do this daily. The Menorah also needed new oil and the wicks needed trimming so they would not turn their light into blackness. The oil itself came from olives heavily pressed. Each olive had to be pressed over and over to yield the oil for the light of the lamps. The olive tree is symbolic of Israel as it cannot die and new shoots are always springing up. So, if we being Israel are the light of the world, we must shine ever so bright, which means we olives must be pressed so heavily.
Then, this morning reading in 1 Chronicles, chapter 28, verse 20, in the Stone’s Tanach. The verse reads somewhat differently than the other English translations:
1Ch 28:20 David then said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous – and act. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for HASHEM, God, my God, is with you; He will not release you nor will He forsake you, until the completion of all the labor of the work of the Temple of HASHEM.
The word that caught my attention was “release”. It brought to mind being loosed from something so I looked up the Hebrew definition. As has been the case in many deeper studies, the most true meaning is found stuffed away, either further down in the description, or in a word that is referred to later as is such the case here. In the KJV, the word “release” has been replaced with “fail” and just by virtue of the word itself, we would easily miss the meaning. So, let’s take a look:
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
1Ch 28:20 And DavidH1732 saidH559 to SolomonH8010 his son,H1121 Be strongH2388 and of good courage,H553 and doH6213 it: fearH3372 not,H408 norH408 be dismayed:H2865 forH3588 the LORDH3068 God,H430 even my God,H430 will be withH5973 thee; he will notH3808 failH7503 thee, norH3808 forsakeH5800 thee, untilH5704 thou hast finishedH3615 allH3605 the workH4399 for the serviceH5656 of the houseH1004 of the LORD.H3068
H7503
רפה
râphâh
raw-faw'
A primitive root; to slacken (in many applications, literally or figuratively): - abate, cease, consume, draw [toward evening], fail, (be) faint, be (wax) feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone (go, down), (be) slack, stay, be still, be slothful, (be) weak (-en). See H7495.
H7495
רפה רפא
râphâ' râphâh
raw-faw', raw-faw'
A primitive root; properly to mend (by stitching), that is, (figuratively) to cure: - cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, X thoroughly, make whole. See H7503.
When I read this, the message hit home. The full and complete healing will not come until the work has been completed. In our affliction we remain humbled. In our affliction we are trained up.
For those of us who are suffering and prayers have gone unanswered, here is your promise and your commission. The work has not been completed. Each of us are to contribute to the building of the Tabernacle (as Israel did in the wilderness) and the Temple where His Name is (each of us is a temple of the Living God). HE cannot reside in us until the work is complete. HE cannot abide in an unholy place (unclean body). If HE cannot abide in us, His power to heal can be hampered.
Also, the striving of each of us to get clean, even if we get as clean (spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically) as possible, the work of others need our help whether through prayer, or ministering or missionary work, whatever it might be. We ask YHWH to guide us in this effort so we know what we are supposed to do.
Yes, we are each a temple which houses the spirit of God in us, but we as a people are also this Temple and the work is ongoing. If we are stuck and not healing, it is because others have not finished their work in this effort. The job is not finished and until it is, we must remain in our affliction. The day, the very day we know we are healed is the day this is finished and THAT will most likely be a DAY to remember. Might it be that the Day of the LORD will approach after this?
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