4 Reasons Why God Might Not Be Healing Your Heart

One of the reasons I love hearing the Gospel stories of Jesus' healing miracles is because it really shows us the great love He has for us, especially those who are suffering. The 10 lepers, the woman with internal bleeding, Lazarus, the daughter of the centurion... the list goes on and with each episode, we see the tender care Jesus takes with these souls undergoing great trials.

Since one of the goals of reading and contemplating Scripture is to assimilate the message of the Gospel into our own lives, someone who is experiencing great suffering and trials, like divorce, might be tempted to ask why God is not healing his own pain? Why does God seem to be absent when she is seeking healing? Jesus healed others, why isn't he healing you?

Well, if you're feeling this way and asking this question, here are some reasons why you may be having this experience:

1. Obstacles in your relationship with God.

When you suffer the loss of something or someone you love, it is possible that person or thing was an obstacle to your relationship with God. For example, I know a couple who was having their dream home built and they invested a lot of money into buying the land, having the floor plans drafted and they spared no expense in selecting the details. There were coffered ceilings, granite in the kitchen, and so on. But, halfway through the process they fell upon difficult financial times and lost the house and all the money they had put into it. It was a devastating blow.

Sometime later, the wife said the whole thing was for the best. She was now able to see how micro-focused she had become on money, materialism and the approval of others. She did not see wealth as something bad, but she saw how easily she, personally, had become consumed with this house and how easily her focus had drifted away from her relationship with God.

2. Restoring your relationship with God.

We know marriages should be permanent, and in-tact families are what God intended, yet, is it possible that through your divorce God has removed some obstacle in your relationship with him? Is it possible that you now have the freedom to restore your relationship with Him?

3. There are lessons God wants you to learn.

This took me a long time to figure out myself. It's just about having an attitude of childlike trust... What do you want me to learn from this, Lord? In keeping this attitude you also help keep your sanity and it becomes easier to find a purpose in your suffering.

4. He actually is healing you, you just can't feel it.

Healing is a gradual process, we all know, but it's not just time that has an effect on this process. It's a lot like getting a sun tan. You know, you go to the beach, play in the water, play a little frisbee and lay out for a while without noticing a thing but when you go back inside, you've got a tan. Sometimes you just have to get out there and move forward so you can look back and recognize exactly how much you've progressed. It's the same with healing. Oftentimes, it's in the looking back that you see how far you've really come and all that God has been doing for you.

I offer this reflection to you in hopes that it will help you be patient. I encourage you to start approaching this conversation of healing with God by asking, "What do you want me to learn, Lord? What are you trying to show me?" If you are being faithful to Him and you keep this spirit of child-like trust, He will bless you abundantly.

Please send me your comments and questions to asklisa@catholicmatch.com or reach out to me on Twitter at @lisaduffy.