Just a few weeks prior to Passover 2004, my wife and I were involved in a bad car accident. Our 22-year-old son was driving his car and we were passengers. The impact of the smash was horrific, and both cars were written off. The sole occupant of the car, which we hit, suffered broken bones and other quite serious injuries. My son was practically unscathed coming out with a sore foot and a few other minor injuries. My wife and I suffered broken ribs and severe seat belt bruising; we were both in terrible pain as we were taken to hospital.

Twenty four hours later, we were both home, but we were far from being well. We called an elder over to anoint us as per the scriptures.

Jas 5:14  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

The next day we were just as bad and it was obvious that we were going to have to go through the full healing process. The following verse came to mind and I began to wonder if I had any faith at all.

Mat 9:29  Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

I decided to have a good think about the accident and God’s healing. It didn’t seem to make sense that an all-powerful God would just change circumstances slightly to stop someone being killed, but still let that person go through a bad accident: after all God can do anything, why does He not stop the accident?

I was well aware of the following verses.

Isa 53:4  Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

I suffer terrible claustrophobia and during the accident the seat moved forward with the impact, which tightened the seat belt. I could not move and immediately began to panic and sweat profusely. I tried to calm myself and put my hand beside the seat; I immediately found the seat adjustment and the seat moved back without any effort. I then loosened the seatbelt and by then, Jesse, my son had opened the door. I got out and collapsed onto the bitumen, where I stayed till the ambulance took me to hospital. My wife was helped out of the car and she too, was in severe pain: she prayed constantly for the rest of us.

A few days after coming out of hospital, we went to see the car. There was no way the seat adjustor could have worked, nor the seatbelt release. The door, which opened with ease was jammed and would not budge. I began to realise that God had kept us alive during this accident, and began to get a better understanding of God’s deliverance from afflictions.

God does not stop persecutions or afflictions: He delivers us out of them.

2Ti 3:11  persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.

Consider this statement carefully. The old testament prophecies show that God the Father knew Jesus Christ would succeed in living a sinless life, and dying a painful death for the sins of mankind: But Christ still had to go through with the cruel ordeal.

If we have set ourselves to put God first in our lives, just as Christ did, we will suffer persecutions.

2Ti 3:12  Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

There are two reasons which could have caused the accident, and I ask everyone who is living a Godly life not to discount the latter.

Ecc 9:11  I returned and saw under the sun that The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I can now look back on our accident with a different perspective, and a better understanding of God’s healing. The verses in James become clear. The prayer of faith will save the sick, not necessarily heal the sick. Raise up can mean heal or it can mean resurrect, and is used in that sense a lot of times in the New Testament [1Co 15:4 etc]

If a person is too sick to repent of a sin, God will forgive that sin. God will not physically heal every time; there comes a time when we must die.

Jas 5:14  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Jas 5:16  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

God keeps some righteous people from the evil to come. This is done by letting them die.

Isa 57:1  The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil.

If we are faithful to God: God will be faithful to us. God will keep the following promise, just as He did to my wife and I in the car accident.

1Co 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

God requires each of us to walk the path He sets before us. This will sometimes include pain and suffering, but He will not expect us to suffer more than we are able.

Mat 10:38  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

If a person dies from an illness or an accident, after being anointed; that does not mean that God has broken His promise. God will keep His promise at the resurrection for that person.

If a person heals slowly and painfully after being anointed; God has not broken His promise. Our healing will take the course that God has set for us.

Pain and suffering work for the good.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Impossible that it might seem; we should rejoice by looking to the end of our faith.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;

1Pe 4:13  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Afflictions are included in the good news of the kingdom of God.

2Ti 1:8  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,

Let our prayer be ‘Thy will be done’

1Th 5:18  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.