Objection: Sometimes God Puts Mature Believers Through the Fire of Unanswered Prayer to Help Them Mature Even More
There are so many things wrong with this statement that it’s hard to know where to begin. The author is still “waiting for his healing,” which shows right away that he doesn’t understand how healing works. NO ONE ever has to wait for healing because it’s already been provided. You don’t ask God for it; you receive it from Him because He already offers it. God does NOT make a decision whether or not to grant healing in your particular case!
This flunks The SAME Test. Name one case in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John where someone came to Jesus to be healed and He said, “No, you’re a mature person, so I’m not going to let you receive healing from Me – this will make you even more mature.” You won’t find such a case.
Actually, if you’re thinking that God is making an individual decision about your healing, you are not much of a mature believer in the first place. A mature believer knows better.
Romans 8:32:
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
A God who freely gives you all things is NOT a God who withholds things to help you grow.
Healing has already been provided. By Jesus’ stripes you WERE healed (1 Peter 2:24). God cannot withhold something that He has already granted to teach you something. God is not “granting” healing today. So He cannot “grant” healing to Ulysses but fail to “grant” healing to Amy when healing belongs to both of them because of what Jesus did.
This silly thinking can easily lead to pride. “YOU get your prayers answered because you’re still an immature believer, but I’VE advanced to a mature stage now where God withholds prayer answers to refine me in the fire.” It is ridiculous to think that becoming more mature will make it harder to get your prayers answered.
This can even degenerate to the point where you hope that God doesn’t answer your prayers right away because it proves your maturity and it lets you look forward to being refined in the fire! Then you can sing one of the most illogical lines in an old hymnbook: “Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.” (If your prayer is for God to not answer your prayers and He answers that prayer, He’s already failed to answer your prayer to not have your prayers answered because He answered your prayer by not answering other prayers. If He were to not answer your prayer for Him to not answer your prayers, He would keep answering your prayers, which would mean that He did NOT answer your prayer for Him to not answer your prayers.)
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