Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases…( Psalm 103:3).

Newsflash—followers of Christ get cancer

and brain tumors

and diabetes

and sometimes they die.

So…what does this verse mean? Because, well, God doesn’t heal all our diseases.

But he doesn’t lie, either.

This is the part where I remind you that I am not a Bible scholar.  I’m just a guy who likes to run off at the mouth—or the keyboard, as the case may be.

But here’s what I think.

First off, I don’t buy the “lack of faith” argument.  I’ve known too many Christlike people who have died for that to be true.

Nor do I think this verse is only referring to “spiritual diseases”—AKA sin.  That’s a copout, and God doesn’t need us to cover for him.  Besides, he already talked about forgiving our sin.

I think this verse is a reminder that God has power over all diseases.  There is nothing he can’t heal, when he chooses.

So why, sometimes, does he choose not to heal?

Well, Beloved, I guess it’s for the same reason that he allows car crashes and school shootings.  Our world is broken, and these things are the consequences.  Sometimes he saves us from them, and sometimes he saves us through them.  Sometimes he heals us here, and sometimes he heals us there.

Sorry if that sounds like a copout, but it’s the best I can do.  He will heal, Beloved.  You can bank on that.