I am more and more convinced that the healing I've seen regarding the dermatitis on my scalp was not because of God (directly) but because of the significant decrease in stress and depression over the last few years. In 2020 when I began to have a clearer understanding of faithfulness and began to truly walk by faith, it affected the way I perceived things and the way I approached life - significantly so, and I began to no longer be impacted by things that caused me distress in prior years.
It is amazingly interesting how some afflictions are taken away instantly, and others are allowed to be endured for years. I am so thankful for the beginning of understanding; it is always the beginning of understanding for me. And I am so grateful that I am able to walk in the counsel and the wisdom of Christ, and the angels, and everyone else who has walked with God for so very long.
The word of God to me is always, "YES", it is always, "YES!".
We have no control over God's decisions. Making requests (prayer), doing good, these things have no bearing on God's decisions. When we are healed, we are healed simply because God wants to heal us, and because doing so isn't destructive (in the long run). How can healing be destructive? Well, it would depend on the person being healed. For most, coming out of religious cultures, it would send so many wrong messages and God would encourage lies and awful behaviors: "I am healed [because I am good; because I help the poor; because I help the sick; because I am holy; because I follow the laws and commandments of my religion/God; because I descend from Abraham; because I am better than; because I destroy God's enemies; because I lead people to God; because I worship; because I understand the scriptures; etc.]" - and any other reason besides, "I am healed because God wanted to heal me."
When walking with God, there is NOTHING that God does for us that doesn't build us up. All things are for our up-building. God's deeds have instructed us in the way we should walk: heal and be mindful; heal even though people do nothing to deserve it; heal because it is who you are; do good in justice (healing and kindness should not prevent nor destroy what is good, nor should it encourage bad behaviors). Our afflictions, whether non-existent, temporary or persistent, are for our salvation. Afflictions are the fear and devastation of this people who are without God, because such things ultimately lead to the destruction of the mind and body, and then death; but for us, our struggles and our afflictions perfect the Garden of God, and they are the method by which we are being saved to life eternal and by which the world is being saved. Our afflictions instruct us to lean on God and walk by faith, so there is no fear or shame in them, and from them there is no burden that God will not remove. "YES!!!"
So my joy and celebration are in both my healings and my afflictions, because God is being glorified through them all; and when God is gloried, whole worlds are saved.
