Condition: Shortness

Bet you’re surprised to see this listed in the illness index!  Before you get offended at this heading, I am not talking about people who are just shorter than average.  (I am definitely in this category and I see no need for healing.  Besides, I fit better into coach airline seats and I can buy smaller, cheaper cars and still be comfortable, and I spend less on food than basketball players do.)  I cannot name a specific height above which you are just short and below which you are abnormally short and have a physical problem.  You will have to decide this for yourself if you’re short.

Some people are dwarfs because of a medical condition or illness, and we are redeemed from illnesses of all kinds.  In Leviticus 21:16-23, dwarfs were not permitted to approach God’s altar.  It wasn’t because they couldn’t reach up and handle the sacrifices; it was because God considered this an abnormal condition, which along with several other abnormal conditions, disqualified you from certain service in God’s temple under the Law of Moses.  He said that deformities in His priests would profane his sanctuary.  If you have a problem with this, you will have to take it up with God, because it’s his Law.  Of course, under the New Covenant, the blood of Jesus allows people of all heights and medical conditions to approach God equally.  Thank God for our better covenant!

It would be easier to rebuke a condition that is stopping the growth of a child than to suddenly expect a middle-aged “vertically challenged” man to grow miraculously in height.  However, nothing is too hard for God.  Many people have had certain parts of their bodies lengthened that were abnormally short (I’ve seen it happen in person), so it should not be too much of a stretch to assume that God could do this for you if you wanted Him to.  Even if it is a genetic problem, people have been healed of other genetic conditions such as mongolism (Down’s Syndrome), so why should you keep yours?  Just be aware that people who must overcome serious genetic problems sometimes must stand in faith and speak God’s Word over themselves (or their parents must speak God’s Word over them) for some time.  This requires extreme commitment and tenacity.  However, with God nothing shall be impossible, and nothing means nothing.  There are some good testimonies out there of children “who would never be able to function normally” living normal and better-than-normal lives today.