“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” 2 Corinthians "12":7
The amazing fact apparent in the Bible is that it is relatively easy for a “heathen” to be healed, but that healing for a Christian is not as easy. The New Testament overwhelmingly shows us that whenever an unbeliever came to Jesus for healing, he was cured immediately. Now, the gift of healing is surely for the Christian no less than for the unbeliever; yet the Bible tells of believers who were not healed. Among these are some of the most godly—Trophimus, Timothy, and Paul. Each of these three excellent brothers in Christ had to endure sickness.<br/><br/>It is clear that sickness is different from sin in its outworking. Sin does not produce any fruit of holiness, whereas sickness does. Do not look upon sickness or pain as something terrible. In whose hand is the knife? Remember that it is in God’s hand. Why should we be anxious over infirmity as though it were in the control of the enemy? Without God’s permission, Satan can make no one sick. All infirmities are measured to us by God for the sake of the enrichment they can bring.