Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.

Several years ago, my mom started watching a preacher on television. He kept repeating, "If you have faith, God will shower you with health, wealth and prosperity. If you turn away from sin, God will richly bless you with all your heart's desires." This sounded great! All I need to do is grow my faith in Jesus and then all my medical troubles will be over. How simple! As the weeks and months passed, I tried growing my faith as much as possible; however, my health continued to be burdensome. "Why wasn't God healing me? I am doing what this preacher is saying, but health, wealth and prosperity have not come my way! What am I doing wrong? I must be a horribly wicked person. If God loved me, He would heal me." As these thoughts swirled in my head, a deep depression took hold on my heart.  "In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue." (Psalm 120:1-2)

One day as I was reading verses 1-3 in the ninth chapter in the Gospel of John, God answered my prayer. "As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw a blind man from birth. And His disciples asked, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he would be born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was neither that this man sinned nor his parents, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" When I read this passage, I started weeping uncontrollably. I was viewing my illness as a curse and punishment while God was using my dismal health as an avenue to display His works and majesty. Oh, how blind I was to God's abundant love! The health, wealth and prosperity preacher is completely wrong! God does not reward faithfulness with perfect health and abundant riches. No, God desires for us to know and understand Him, so that we can see His works and glorify Him.  "Thus says the LORD, 'Let not the wise glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his strength, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight,' says the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Wow! A tremendous sense of unworthiness takes hold of me when I think how God can use someone as insignificant as me, someone with so little faith to display His abundant glory.

Although it is incredibly hard to be afflicted with poor health, I see it as a perpetual challenge to grow more and more in my love and faith in Jesus. It is so easy to to trust in Jesus when your life seems to be perfect--you have the perfect job, a loving family, excellent health and money abundantly flows into your life. But, how strong is your faith when adversity strikes? Do you cling to Jesus or do you turn your back on Him? Do you allow God to be glorified in your life in all circumstances? Despite desperately desiring better health, I am very grateful God has used my illness to reveal His wondrous works. "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now I have kept Your word. It is good that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Your statues." (Psalm 119:67, 71)