What if faith isn't enough?

Today I read a story in the news about a couple who lost a child at the tender age of 4 months old due to breathing problems.  Here is a short recap of the story I read…..

“David Hickman weighed just four pounds when he arrived in 2009. Born two months premature, his lungs had not fully developed, and shortly after his birth — he was delivered at his grandmother’s home — complications with breathing resulted in his death.

Dale and Shannon Hickman, are members of a “faith-healing” church in Oregon. The church believes that a child may be healed through prayer and anointing with oils— they specifically reject modern day medical care.

So when it appeared that baby David was having trouble breathing, Dale brought out the oil. Whether they should instead take him to the hospital was a thought that never crossed their mind. 

    “Dale ran into the room where one of his aunts was holding David and anointed David’s head with olive oil and began to pray. He noticed that David was taking short breaths, was minimally responsive, and was lighter in color, so he took David into the bedroom where Shannon still lay.

As a result of David’s death, Dale and Shannon were convicted of second degree manslaughter in 2011 and sentenced to six years in prison. The pair appealed their conviction, arguing that the burden of proof was on the prosecution to show that the couple knew their religious beliefs would result in the death of their child.”  READ FULL STORY HERE.

It’s things like this that brings many questions to mind… is it the old catch 22? Because he doubted so that’s why God’s word didn’t work? Was his doubt superseding her faith and the faith of the church?  I hear of these stories all the time, a person believes God and doesn’t doubt that God will heal and/or protect but then, it doesn’t happen.  Does that make God a liar? Was their faith in vain? Was it “God’s will?? When God’s word says it’s not God’s will that any perish?  Is the word of God still in effect or is it….. you have to do this and this and that, then this for God’s word to work. 

People have a tendency to make Faith and God’s word so complicated. especially when it doesn’t come to pass that it’s exhausting just trying to figure it out, let alone going through a million steps just to find out there was more you haven’t done or always some kind of loop hole as to why it didn’t happen as the word of God promises. 

Too often you hear of stories where a person or family believed, didn’t doubt and yet… they’re the ones who look like an idiot for trusting God and his word. So… what is it? I know from personal experience trusting God for one thing doesn’t mean that’s how it will work out. Sometimes the very worst happens regardless of faith and trust in God and then people tell you that you were crazy for trusting God. So.. what does that mean? 

Don’t get me wrong, I still love God but at the same time, knowing what I know now, If I was that couple… I would have taken the baby to the hospital and trusted God to use them to help the baby. 

Sometimes it seems faith isn’t enough…. when having done all STAND!  Although I understand how that couple would feel.. they haven’t done all. If they took the baby to the hospital and the baby didn’t make it… that would be one thing, and I would take it up with God.  But if the baby had made it, would it mean a lack of faith their part?

I know of a man of God whose wife had got bitten by a tick and ended up with Lyme disease. He really had faith and believed God would heal her and his wife believed that too. But.. instead she passed away as a result of it. Why wasn’t their faith enough? Have they done all as it states in the Bible in Ephesians 6:13, “When having done all Stand.” I loved this couple very much but to be unbiased about the situation, they haven’t done all. The man could have taken his wife in for treatment. Would taking her into the hospital meant doubt or lack of faith? No… it simply means there was a lack of simple common sense of his part, Not God’s.

I’m not saying completely ditch God’s word but God put doctors here for a reason. Modern medicine is a good thing. God uses them all the time. Never put a life in danger because of a lack of common sense. Especially if you know the hospital can save them. If the hospital is unable to save them and you’ve done everything you know in your power… that’s one thing then maybe perhaps it is God’s will but never endanger a life because of some screwed up people in a building tell you not too. 

What about those times where it’s beyond one’s control?

Now.. I know a woman who had 6 kids who went to sleep on a normal evening. A storm raged in the middle of the night. She was awoken by her children telling her about it. She made sure the windows were closed, kept her children close to her and they prayed and trusted God to protect them and she did everything she knew to do to keep her children safe. As they slept, lightning hit her home at 3 in the morning, killing 3 of her children and the mother was injured trying to get her children out of the smoke filled house. Now… was that faith in vain or God’s will. Proceeding the fire the woman’s ex husband who had just left them for another woman, lied to steal the woman’s daughter to get out of child support. He got a loan, hired the state senator and based the case on stating she had no stable home for the daughter since hers was now lost. He refused to repay the loan and had tormented the woman for years while putting her deceased children down in the process. After years of fighting in court resulted to no avail. The ex husband who succeeded in his plans, will tell you he lied and he’s proud of it. So, you may ask… where was God during this whole escapade? Was her faith in vain? Or was there some greater purpose still unknown? 

It’s really hard to say why things happen or what was God doing or why he allows some things and/or why his word doesn’t come pass. 

I have been over this in my mind at least a thousand times and the only thing I can come up with is one day we’ll find out why things happened the way it did or for what purpose. 

 So, for now…… 

I Just love God, do the best I can and leave the answers to him! That’s all I know. But hey, I’m just a voice in a sea of voices with their own ideas, opinions and thoughts.

Nothing more than that. Just sayin………

Until Next Time.