Why Doesn’t God Heal My Chronic Illness?

If you’ve seen the show The Chosen, you may know the fictional backstory given to one of the disciples, James the son of Alphaeus (fondly called “Little James” in the show). Little James has a physical condition that limits his movements and affects his appearance. Throughout the episodes we see Little James tired, sore, self-conscious, and frustrated because of this condition (which is based on and includes the actor’s cerebral palsy).

In season three, episode two, Jesus prepares to send out His disciples on a special mission of preaching the gospel and confirming God’s message with miracles–miracles such as healing diseases and casting out demons. (See Luke 9.)

After this conversation, Little James comes to Jesus with understandable confusion, hurt, and frustration, asking why Jesus would send him to heal others when he himself hasn’t been healed. 

Though written by the scriptwriters, Jesus’ response pulls from several biblical truths that answer the question we’ve all asked along with Little James:

“Why doesn’t God heal my chronic illness?” 

Little James: “Why haven’t you [healed me]?”
Jesus: “Because I trust you.”
Little James: “What?”
Jesus: “Little James, precious little James, I need you to listen to me very carefully, because what I’m going to say defines your whole life to this point, and will define the rest of your life. You understand? In the Father’s will I could heal you right now, and you’d have a good story to tell, yes?” 
Little James: “Yes, that you do miracles.”
Jesus: “That’s a good story. But there are already dozens who can tell that story. And there will be hundreds more, even thousands. But think of the story that you have, especially in this journey to come, if I don’t heal you. To know how to proclaim that you still praise God in spite of this, to know how to focus on all that matters so much more than the body, to show people that you can be patient with your suffering here on earth because you know you’ll spend eternity with no suffering–not everyone can understand that. How many people do you think the Father and I trust this with? Not many.”

1. Why God doesn’t heal our chronic Illness: to show who He is

If we only praised God for His blessings and only worshiped Him in the easy times, what does that say about the kind of God He is? That He’s only worthy of praise when things are easy? That He’s good only when our lives are good? That He’s in control of the mountaintops but not the valleys? 

When we praise God in the pain, we exercise an act of faith that doesn’t point to us and who we are but rather points to God and who He is. This choice of joy says God is good–always. He’s in control–of everything. He’s working for good–through all things. He loves me–no matter what. He’s worthy–forever.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

2. Why God doesn’t heal our chronic illness: to develop our perspective

Tim Keller writes in his book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering,

In the secular view, this material world is all there is. And so the meaning of life is to have the freedom to choose the life that makes you most happy. However, in that view of things, suffering can have no meaningful part. It is a complete interruption of your life story—it cannot be a meaningful part of the story.

Yet we know that this world is NOT all there is. Far from it–this world is just the prologue to eternity to come. As a result, we can not just accept but also embrace suffering because, in the biblical view, it IS a meaningful part of God’s story in the world and in our lives.

(In the 1990s, Dr. Paul W. Brand and Philip Yancey co-wrote a book titled The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It. In this book, the authors use Dr. Brand’s experience with leprosy to illustrate how Western society, in its pursuit of a culture and life without pain, has actually severely weakened people’s capacity to endure hardship.)

C. S. Lewis provides additional insight on this idea in his acclaimed classic The Screwtape Letters:

The characteristic of Pains and Pleasures is that they are unmistakably real, and therefore, as far as they go, give the man who feels them a touchstone of reality.

p. 64, emphasis added

Remember that Screwtape is a high-ranking demon writing to his nephew, a novice demon named Wormwood. In these letters, Screwtape encourages Wormwood to lead his “patient” (a man) as far away from “the Enemy” (God) as possible.

Consider too what undesirable deaths occur in wartime. Men are killed in places where they knew they might be killed and to which they go, if they are at all of the Enemy’s party, prepared. . . .
I know that Scabtree and others have seen in wars a great opportunity for attacks on faith, but I think that view was exaggerated. The Enemy’s human partisans have all been plainly told by Him that suffering is an essential part of what He calls Redemption; so that a faith which is destroyed by a war or a pestilence cannot really have been worth the trouble destroying.

p. 24

Lewis’s creative writing reinforces the idea that pain, hardships like war, and suffering in general is indeed good because it

1. puts us in touch with reality,
2. prepares us for eternity, and
3. portrays God’s plan of beauty.

(See Lessons From Job: The Faith Perspective and Joy in Suffering: The Gift of Perspective.)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

3. Why God doesn’t heal our chronic illness: to develop our patience

Jesus: “When you pass from this earth and you meet your Father in Heaven, where Isaiah promises you will leap like a deer, your reward will be great. So hold on a little longer. And when you discover yourself finding true strength because of your weakness, and when you do great things in my name in spite of this, the impact will last for generations. Do you understand?”
Little James: “Thank you, master.”
Jesus: “A man like you, healing others. Oh what a sight. And James, remember–you will be healed. It’s only a matter of time.”

I didn’t say “to teach us patience” or “to help us learn patience” in this title because “teach” and “learn” suggest completed acts, finish lines that we never have to cross again. The Christian life, however, is an ongoing marathon–a series of milestones that we pass, not a finish line that we cross.

A long-term race like a marathon requires patience, the ability to continue carrying a burden and not give up. Scripture promises that, like Little James, someday we WILL be healed (Rev. 21:1-5, 2 Cor. 5:1-5). It’s only a matter of time.

We just have to hang in there–to bear under this burden not with resentment and despair but with joy. Joy because God is with us, helping us bear this burden. Joy because God is using this burden to reveal His power. Joy because God is doing more with our illness than He could with our healing.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

James 1:2-3

4. Why God doesn’t heal our chronic illness: to fulfill His plan

Jesus: “So many people need healing in order to believe in me, or they need healing because their hearts are so sick. That doesn’t apply to you. And many are healed or not healed because the Father in heaven has a plan for them which may be a mystery.”

God has a purpose for our pain. I can’t tell you what this purpose might be for you, but Scripture promises that God uses all things in a believer’s life–including pain–for good, giving us countless real-life examples of how He redeems suffering for a beautiful purpose.

In his sermon on the life of Joseph, Pastor Israel pointed out that God wants to use your suffering to grow you individually (in the process called sanctification), to edify other believers in your local church, and to bless other believers in His Kingdom at large.

Whatever these purposes may look like in your life, I can assure you that God is using and will use your pain to lead you to people, take you to places, and bring you to lessons you would never meet, see, or learn apart from your valley experience. 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

BONUS

While Little James’s discussion with Jesus reveals four reasons for unresolved suffering, here are two more reasons from another scene from The Chosen, in the last episode of season three.

Jesus: “Why do you think I allow trials?”
Peter: “I don’t know!”
Jesus: “Because they prove the genuineness of your faith. They strengthen you! This is strengthening you, and Eden! . . .
“I have much planned for you, Simon, including hard things. Just keep your eyes on me.”

5. Why God doesn’t heal our chronic illness: to prove our faith

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6-7

In his book Spiritual Depression, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dedicates an entire chapter to unpacking these trials and how God uses them to prove (demonstrate) our faith. He writes,

Christians that fall away are no recommendation; those who start well but do not continue disgrace the faith. The thing that shows the difference between the spurious and the real is the capacity to stand the test.

p 229

6. Why God doesn’t heal our chronic illness: to prepare us for future hardship

If you read the book of Acts, you’ll understand that Peter had a long road ahead of him. God was calling Peter to big things in the early church, but He was also calling him to big hardships: imprisonment, torture, trial, and ultimately death for His name. 

Whether or not Peter and his wife really lost a child in pregnancy, the principle of Jesus’ response stands true: God uses suffering in the present to prepare us for hardship in the future. (See Spiritual Depression: God’s Chastening.)

“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

What do you believe about your chronic illness and why God hasn’t healed you? Are you showing your faith in Jesus? How is God using your suffering for good?