The Spiritual Purpose Behind Delayed Healing
The question can be understood in such a way that the absence of healing during prayer does not always indicate a lack of faith or the inadequacy of the prayer, but rather another design of higher powers. There are several interpretations of this situation.Firstly, illness may be seen as a reminder of sins and an opportunity for repentance. As stated in source link txt, "Every illness is part of God's plans, because through illness the Lord reminds a person of his sins. And therefore, when an Orthodox person falls ill, he performs two actions... It is as if he forgets about it" – here the illness is presented not so much as a punishment, but as a stimulus for inner renewal and spiritual purification.On the other hand, according to the text from link txt, the Lord may deliberately postpone healing to awaken in the person a true longing for God. "But the Lord thinks: if I help immediately, they will not fully awaken again. No, the son will remain ill until they all finally come to God" – this perspective emphasizes that the trial of illness can serve spiritual growth, as healing occurs only when a person truly turns to God, leaving worldly aspirations aside.Another interpretation is presented in the text from link txt, which notes that healing is sometimes delayed because physical health might hinder spiritual development. "Often the Lord does not heal a person, foreseeing that bodily health may harm his soul" – thus, the absence of healing becomes a way to protect a person's soul from the possible negative consequences of an excessive focus on physical well-being.In summary, the absence of healing during prayer is seen not as a refusal of help, but as an opportunity for profound spiritual rethinking, repentance, and the awakening of faith, where the trials of illness serve to achieve a more significant spiritual growth.Supporting citation(s):"Every illness is part of God's plans, because through illness the Lord reminds a person of his sins. ... It is as if he forgets about it." (source: link txt)"But the Lord thinks: if I help immediately, they will not fully awaken again. No, the son will remain ill until they all finally come to God." (source: link txt)"Often the Lord does not heal a person, foreseeing that bodily health may harm his soul." (source: link txt)