In my right ear, I am deaf. I’ve read that “with his wounds we are healed” in Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24. I’ve prayed and I firmly believe this. I’ve received prayers from others as well, but my right ear is still not working. Though it doesn’t seem to be showing up in my life, I believe that God’s word is true. Why? Give me a sensible response to this, please. I’m grateful.
My spouse and I believe that not living up to one other’s standards is one of the most difficult aspects of marriage. One of two things usually happens to me when my wife doesn’t do what I expected her to do: either I wonder, “What’s wrong with her?” or “What’s the matter with me?”
Relationship like a marriage
The Bible compares our connection to God—and especially to Jesus—like a marriage (see, for example, Hosea 1-3; Ephesians 5:22–33; Revelation 19:6–10). He is the husband, and we are the bride. Every woman has expectations from her spouse regarding his behavior and treatment of her, and similar to my own marriage, when God fails to live up to our expectations, we typically respond with one of two thoughts: “Is God not trustworthy? What’s wrong with Him?” or “Why don’t I have enough faith? What’s wrong with me?”
It’s so ingrained in our nature to believe that God is (or ought to be) our spouse that, in my experience, even atheists act in this manner! When things in life don’t turn out the way they’ve planned or desired, they will naturally wonder, “What’s wrong with the world?” or “What’s the matter with me?”
People can feel let down by God
In my experience serving in pastoral ministry, people can feel let down by God more often than not in the area of healing. It’s undoubtedly an area in which I’ve had difficulty. I used to have dental issues as a teenager. I was given the firm belief that God will heal me during a Christian vacation that I attended every summer. However, God has never solved that specific issue, even though many people have prayed and some have even professed to prophesy in the name of Jesus. I battled the idea that I was doing something wrong and that God had let me down for a very long time.
But as time has gone on, the Bible has assisted me in realizing that my expectations of God’s promises were unrealistic and premature.
Expectations too small
Because I only expected God to physically cure my teeth, I had low hopes for God’s promises, yet Isaiah 53:4-5 exhorts me to have much higher expectations. According to Isaiah, “with his wounds we are healed” and “the suffering servant has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” This holds true for all of my physical issues, including major ones like cancer or disabilities, minor ones like mouth ulcers or chapped lips, embarrassing ones like STDs or impotence, and even issues that are now viewed as “normal” aspects of aging like wrinkles, gray hair, and death. According to Genesis 2:16–17; 3:1–25; Romans 5:12, all of these are the outward manifestations of the fall and the introduction of sin into the world, which leads in death.
God’s promises are even bigger
But God’s promises are even bigger still! He promises to undo every consequence of the fall, not just physical ones. Being “healed” of our “infirmities” also refers to God healing our sick hearts, which are full of hatred and sin. In fact it is this aspect of healing that is more on Peter’s mind when he quotes Isaiah in 1 Peter 2:24. Peter explains this quote in the next verse: “FOR you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25). In other words, we are no longer lost sheep because we have been healed of our sinful rebellion. That’s why we can be submissive to authority, which is what 1 Peter 2:13-25 is all about.
My expectations were too low because God promises to heal so much more than that, which is why I became unhappy when He didn’t heal my teeth.
Fulfilled in the future
But my expectations of God’s promises were also too soon. If God’s promises are so huge that He promises I would experience no sickness at all, nor ever die, then obviously these promises can only be fully fulfilled in the future, in the New Creation, when Jesus returns to make the whole world new (Revelation 21:4). The New Testament leads me not to necessarily expect healing in this life, since my “outer nature is wasting away” (2 Corinthians 4:16). While there are descriptions of God doing extraordinary miracles, for example through Paul (Acts 19:11-12), the reason Luke describes them as extraordinary is precisely because he doesn’t expect them to happen ordinarily! Someone as godly as Timothy had to live with a stomach problem and “frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). And even though God did amazing things through Paul, when he prayed for healing he didn’t always receive it. He tells the Corinthians this was all part of God’s plan to keep him humble and weak so that God could use him mightily (2 Corinthians 12:1-10).
Having the right expectations
It’s wonderful to pray to God for healing, for example. However, God does say yes and no at different times. God frequently uses or prepares his servants to accomplish great things for his kingdom during times of suffering (just look at Jesus, for example).
When my spouse and I fall short of each other’s standards, it’s usually because we need to work on adjusting our expectations rather than a problem with either of us. We must undergo a transformation. In a similar vein, I don’t think it’s particularly beneficial when certain Christians set up unrealistic expectations for my union with God. It doesn’t always follow that there is a problem with Him or my faith when He doesn’t perform to my expectations, but is there something wrong with my expectations?
I now expect God to keep me weak so that He can make me strong because I have seen the Bible firsthand, and I have grown increasingly appreciative of Him for doing so. Thank God that he is a gracious God.
