26 July 2025

God  forgives our sins. Things go wrong. We feel badly. We long to be free. But only love can liberate us – that unconditional love of God which has shown us on the cross that there’s nothing we can do to make God stop loving us.

God heals us. The forgiveness of sins is not a prerequisite for healing. Like God’s forgiveness, God’s healing is an act of grace. It is undeserved and unexpected. He heals not because we have been good or said sorry or suffered long enough. He heals simply because he loves us and wants to restore us to health.

But not everyone is healed? Jesus dies on the cross despite praying that the cup of suffering would pass. Paul lived with the thorn in his flesh despite asking God to take it away. In both cases, there was no healing – but there was liberation.

Jesus’ fear subsided in the Garden of Gethsemane and he had the courage to face death. Paul discovered that God could use his disability in a remarkable way. ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ And he was at peace!

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