Response:

I do not believe it is wrong to ask the Lord to change your health after receiving a poor report from a doctor. I do not believe that this is a refusal to accept God's will. Our prayers should always be according to the will of God (I John 5:14, Luke 22:42), but we know that God can and does change His will concerning our situations in response to our prayers and actions. Hezekiah is a good illustration of this. In II Kings 20, the prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah that he was not going to live. In verses 2-3 he asks the Lord to spare his life, and in verse 5-6 God instructs Isaiah to go back to Hezekiah and tell him that God has given him 15 more years.

There are many instances of people being healed in the Bible. Had they not gone to Christ, they apparently would have died. Was God's will thwarted at these times? I don't think so. I believe it was God's will to heal, but it was His will to heal in response to the request of those who asked Him.

Hope this helps.

By Dr Mark Montgomery Ambassador Baptist Church 1926 Babcock Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15209 (412)477-3210