When my MS symptoms began (and several times since) I sought a priesthood blessing. Why haven’t I been healed? Obviously the priesthood is powerful enough. Perhaps my faith was lacking.
In truth, I did wrestle with the concept of faith in this context. Was the feeling that I didn’t necessarily “deserve” to be healed undermining my faith? “Deserve” isn’t the right word; its just that all my life I have been overwhelmingly blessed. The bright sunlight of family, friends, health, love, 
education, testimony, professional and service opportunities shone on me brightly and constantly. The day when one dark cloud crept over the horizon, it seemed unfair to ask, much less expect, that it immediately vanquished. Even given the current health challenge, my blessings-to-trials ratio is still obscenely high.
Can He heal me? Without a doubt. But I am already SO indebted to Him; He owes me nothing and never will. Will He heal me anyway? Maybe. I believe His compassion is infinite but I also am convinced that His ways are not our ways, and most of the time we only see the smallest sliver of the canvas. Besides, if the priesthood healed all illness of the faithful, we’d probably have a 200 year old prophet and faith would be a thing of the
past (and the lines at the Chuck-A-Rama buffet would be terrible!)
So you have submission to God’s will on one hand and deep faith that you’ll receive the blessing on the other. How can these two seemingly good and important things be reconciled? I think that this is a flawed argument. We’re not counseled to have faith in a specific outcome. Would it not be better to have faith that the blessing giver is sensitive to the Spirit and faith that whatever blessing he pronounces will come to pass? Faith isn’t just a vain hope on a self-prescribed wish list.
I’m not saying that we should be defeatists and just give up. When Elder Neal A. Maxwell learned of his leukemia, his decades of teaching submission to the Lord’s will started to undermine his natural instinct to fight the disease and to aggressively seek a cure. His wife Colleen pointed out to him that Jesus’ first plea on that great and terrible night was “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me” before saying “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Said Sister Maxwell, “It must be permissible to plead.”
It is an excellent point, applicable even to those who aren’t faced with a terminal illness. Submission to the will of God and faith in the power of the priesthood are not mutually exclusive.
6 comments:
Amen.
I've struggled with this question for several years. When our son was diagnosed at 5 months old with Cystic Fibrosis, my wife and I immediately thought of giving him a blessing. I have an immense faith in the power of healing through priesthood blessings and I knew that our son could be healed if it were the Lord's will.
However, I also know that sometimes the Lords' will is sometimes performed by the struggles we go through - not only for ourselves but for others.
When I gave my son a blessing and was not inspired to heal him, we were very disappointed. But through the past 7 years our family has grown as we have learned to deal with his illness. We have also been able to teach those around us who are having similar struggles.
As you pointed out, Jesus also asked that the cup be taken from him if it was his Father's will but that he would do whatever was required of him. If his first request would have been granted, we would not have the Atonement.
And while this is probably little consolation, if you would have been healed immediately, not only would you not be learning the things you're learning now but you wouldn't be able to share those things with those around you - like me and my family.
Terminal or lifelong illnesses are never especially easy to deal with but, at least for me, the thought of learning and then hopefully teaching makes it at least a little easier.
Double Amen! Can you do that?
Dan - you have some insights that I don't have AND you write well. Have you thought about starting a blog? (If you need convincing, talk to Rachel.)
Actually, I've written several blogs. ;-)
I started BrightSideoftheSun.com, a Phoenix Suns based blog that I had to give up when I started working for the Suns nearly a year ago.
I currently write for the Phoenix Suns official blog at http://suns.marqui.com/blog/Dan_Hilton_.aspx
And because of Rachel's suggestion to my wife, I've started blogging about our experiences with my illness - but I'm not yet ready to share it with the world...I set it up so I can blog about it personally and have allowed my wife so she can read and comment. Eventually, I'll probably make it public but I'm not yet comfortable with everything to do that...
Plus, I always think, who really wants to read my stuff anyway? ;-)
Quiet faith is miraculous
- thank you Dave.
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