For years I prayed for healing for my son. God had already granted him one miracle, by bringing him back to life after being pulseless for sixty-one minutes, but my son still had quirks: speech issues, difficulty in school, anxiety, an IEP, and therapists—I wanted those gone. I begged God to heal him. I begged Him to make my son "normal."

He did no such thing.

I didn’t understand.

Jesus said so plainly in Luke 11:10, "Everyone who asks, receives," and I had asked. Jesus also said in Luke 11:8 that He will "give him whatever he needs because of his persistence," and you better believe I persisted. Throughout the days and over the years I fasted, prayed, and offered back to God every example from His Word of why He should hear this prayer.

His lack of an answer seemed to be the answer: NO. No, I will not heal your son.

Fed up and angry I finally asked the Lord, “Why? Why would you bring him back to life in a miracle approved by the Vatican for a beatification but let him have these issues?” And in the silence of my heart, He answered very clearly, “Because people with special needs deserve to be saved, too.”

That was it. In that moment I knew that my son—with all his special needs—was exactly who and how God wanted him to be. He was fearfully and wonderfully made, and the Lord delighted in him just as he was. My son did not need healing. I did.

And healing and peace are exactly what I received through the Holy Spirit that day. That might be your prayer, too, sister. To ask God to help you understand where you need healing.

[bctt tweet="The Lord delighted in him. // @BonnieEngstrom" username="blessedisshe__"]

listen to today’s devotion

Peruse this powerful instruction on prayers for healing.