Formulas

I was listening to a teaching on healing recently, and it got me thinking.

Not because I agreed with every conclusion.

But because it forced me back into Scripture.

The longer I walk with God, the less interested I become in formulas.

Humans seem to love them.

If you’re not healed, you must have unbelief.

If you’re struggling, there must be a demon.

If you’re depressed, it must be sin.

If you’re anxious, you need medication.

If you’re grieving, you need more faith.

If you’re hurting, you need to come up higher.

If you’re suffering, there must be a reason.

The problem isn’t faith.

The problem isn’t healing.

The problem isn’t deliverance.

The problem is when we take biblical truths and turn them into formulas.

Because Scripture doesn’t always fit our formulas.

If every struggle is caused by sin, what do we do with Job?

If every struggle is caused by unbelief, what do we do with Paul?

If every sickness is caused by a demon, what do we do with Timothy?

If every hardship is the result of a lack of faith, what do we do with the countless faithful men and women who still suffered?

God doesn’t seem nearly as interested in formulas as we are.

He seems interested in people.

Real people.

People with wounds.

People with grief.

People with questions.

People with stories.

I know what it feels like to have people assume they know the answer.

I’ve had Scripture thrown at me.

I’ve had people tell me it was spiritual.

I’ve had people tell me it was emotional.

I’ve had people tell me it was physical.

I’ve had people tell me I just needed more faith.

The truth is, some of my greatest battles couldn’t be explained that easily.

What I needed wasn’t another diagnosis.

I needed people willing to pray with me, walk with me, and trust God with me while He worked layer by layer.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit exposed a lie.

Sometimes He healed a wound.

Sometimes He corrected my thinking.

Sometimes He simply sat with me in the grief.

That’s why I have become careful about explaining other people’s struggles.

I still believe God heals.

I still believe truth sets people free.

I still believe faith matters.

I still believe unforgiveness can become a prison.

I still believe God wants to get to the root.

But I also believe we need humility.

Because not every journey looks the same.

Not every battle looks the same.

And not every answer is found in a formula.

The better question isn’t:

“What is wrong with this person?”

The better question is:

“Holy Spirit, what are You saying?”

Because the answer may be different for every person.

The longer I walk with God, the more convinced I become that healing is not found in a formula.

It is found in a relationship.

The Holy Spirit still leads.

Jesus still heals.

The Father still knows what we need before we ask.

Sometimes He heals instantly.

Sometimes He heals through a process.

Sometimes He reveals a root.

Sometimes He simply asks us to trust Him one more day.

I don’t always understand the journey.

But I have learned that I can trust the One leading me through it.

Maybe that is where faith grows.

Not in having all the answers.

But in knowing the character of the One who does.

Because God doesn’t think like us.