thoughts and ruminations while in exile (1 Pet. 2:11)

Don Carson tells the story of a woman (we’ll call her Mary), who was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer spread throughout her body very quickly, and despite the medication, her condition worsened. Mary’s church held a prayer meeting for her, and Don Carson and his wife attended.

What stood out to Dr. Carson were some of the prayers he heard being prayed. For instance, one person said this:

“Lord, you’ve said you will answer if two or three are in agreement. We have 287 in agreement, and we want you to heal her!”

This was followed up by someone quoting Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Then somebody prayed, “Lord, will you not have mercy on her husband and her children?”

Finally, Dr. Carson’s wife prayed:

“Heavenly Father, we would love it if you would heal Mary. But if it is not your will to heal her, teach her to die well. She is going to die anyway, and so if the time is now, teach her to die well. Give her a joy of the Lord. Give her a heritage of godly faith, with one foot firmly planted in heaven, so that her husband and children will be stamped by it, and will look to Christ. We don’t ask that she have an easy time, but ask that she be so full of grace, people will see Christ.”

After this episode, the people in the church were not too happy with Dr. Carson’s wife. People said her prayer was not a prayer of faith. However, shortly after this, Mary’s husband wanted to talk with Dr. Carson. He said he was beginning to feel uncomfortable at church since so many people were assuring him that his wife would be healed. He told Dr. Carson, “Mary couldn’t focus on eternity or talk about it, because there were so many Christians around her telling her she was going to be healed.”

Carson’s concluding observation is timely and should be heeded by us:

“Well-intentioned, but poorly informed brothers and sisters who try to deflect people from thinking about death, or who hold out the constant hope of healing, keep them so occupied with matters in this world that they have neither the time nor the energy to think about the next world. They succeed only in robbing their loved ones of the enormous comforts of the gospel as they step into eternity. . . . Whatever the church does, it should prepare its members to face death and meet God.”