I was in my small group tonight, discussing the book of Matthew, where Jesus is led into the desert to be tested and tempted by the devil. Our discussion moved towards the discussion of testing God, and identifying the difference between a test and trust. It made me think of my patients, and the need to be led into trusting God.
Trusting God when it comes to your health looks kind of like this… “I know that I have been designed with a healing power in me, I know that there are laws that God has put into place that govern that healing on this earth, and with that I know that as I pursue health by following these laws, that I will become healthier, and I will heal according to His will.”
Testing is a bit more like this… “God, you have created me to heal, I haven’t trusted you confidently to build my body, instead I have chosen a path of illness and disease mongering. I want to turn away from that life, so that I might have faith in you; therefore I am going to stop taking all of my medications now, and give my life to you to be healed by your hand”
Does the second paragraph sound wrong? Not really. It is easy to look at that and think that the person is making a wise decision, and perhaps they are, but perhaps they are not. See, the latter individual is ignoring that there might be laws set in place that govern the rate of healing, and the level of healing that can be attained. This becomes more of a test… even though they didn’t say it, it surely looks a bit like “I am counting on you to heal me, so I am going to move now, so you need to move now too or I might die”. Not too much unlike, “I’m gonna jump, so I expect you to catch me”.
So our discussion then took us into an area where God says, “Test Me”. Odd when all other scripture would seem to suggest that testing God is inappropriate.
Malachi 3:10 – 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
The context is that the nation of Israel is withholding tithes from God, and He is a bit angry at them. So He throws down this challenge of sorts, and what He is saying is, “Give to me what I have told you to give, and see what I can do in return”. I don’t know about you, but when I consider blessing from God, I have to admit that I would believe the least of what He can give, is money. Even though the context of the material might suggest money is the blessing. The reason I would be quick to argue that money is a small blessing in His hands, is that it is the easiest thing to dismiss in times of need.
In other words, if your life is suddenly at risk, and money will protect it; you will give your money freely for your life. No matter what the case. Health however. Health is the hardest thing to get back, once you have lost it. I would bet that God’s willingness to provide health to a giving heart, is extreme. You might have already seen the interesting intersection between this idea, and the laws of this world, but I will complete the circle for you just in case.
When you give freely and willingly (supporting a charity, a mission, a church, impoverished individuals, etc) you have an incredible sense of peace. There is immediate HEALTH benefit in the moment of giving, and that holds true for every person on the planet. We feel good when we give, just like we feel good every time we give a gift to a friend, we feel even better when it is a more noble gift to someone who really needs it. You decrease your blood pressure, and your focus and peacefulness increases while your anxiety and stress decreases. Immune system function increases, and viola, life unfolds for you at a higher level. The good news is that your wealth likely increases too!
Be well, be blessed, Trust God and Give! – Dr. E