When He Just Walks By

Have you ever asked God for a miracle, and He didn't come through? Or asked Him to intervene, but nothing happened? I hear stories of miraculous healing or God showing up in dire situations, and I stand in awe. I thank God for showing Himself in that way. But every once in a while, I can't help but wonder, "Why them, and not that other person?"

As Jesus walked through crowds of people shouting His name, begging for His help and healing, how did He chose? What made Him walk past 8 blind men to that one in particular for His healing touch? How would I have felt as a leper, calling out to Him, and watching Him walk past me to heal someone sitting next to me?

Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of His earthly ministry. He spent 40 days in the wilderness to fast and be tempted. Then, filled with the Spirit, He made His way to Nazareth. On that first Sabbath, when Jesus was in the synagogue, He said these words to the people in the synagogue with Him:
Taken from Luke 4:25-27

"I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

Many are sick, but not all are healed. Many need rescuing, but not all will be saved. Jesus acknowledged the unfairness that we sometimes discuss as if God isn't up to date. Every person Jesus walked past to heal that one, He knew by name. He's knew them before they were born. He loved and cared for them deeply. It can be easy to forget these things when we're the ones feeling 'walked past.' Whether we need a miracle, or we're on our knees begging for a miracle for someone else, God hears our prayers of desperation. He knows the situation we face, and He could easily take the burden away. But sometimes, Jesus walks past us to heal the one sitting next to us. 

When that happens, the question is...will we still proclaim Him as 'good'? Will we still worship Him even when He says "No"? Can we let go of our own Will for health, healing, and life longevity?

 Will I still believe that He is the Almighty, powerful Healer, who is full of love and compassion towards me and my pain, even when He just walks by?