Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 1
Pablo says he asked for anointing with oil and “God chose not to heal me immediately,” yet he also says, “we have found the Lord faithful”; what picture of God’s faithfulness is he working with that includes unanswered (or delayed) healing?
Another way to ask: Pablo says God didn’t heal him right away, but he still calls God faithful. What does “God is faithful” mean to him even when healing is delayed or doesn’t happen?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s teaching, God’s faithfulness is not measured by immediate healing but by God staying good, present, and trustworthy while leading him through suffering—even if that path includes dying.
- He says he received “the astounding news” of “terminal cancer… grade four,” yet adds, “we have found the Lord faithful.”
- He connects faithfulness with God’s sovereign choice: “I asked for anointing with oil, and God chose not to heal me immediately. He might still heal me.”
- He describes God’s kindness in the middle of sickness: “I don't have pain. That's a blessing the Lord has given me… a lot of discomfort, but no pain.”
- He frames dying under God’s care, not as abandonment: “they have released me to die. And I look forward to that very… much.”
- He repeats that even with weakness, “my relationship with Him is just as strong as ever.”