The problem with God, was never God Himself. But people’s expectation of Him.

God is not an ATM or slot-machine, ready to heal or solve problems at a whim.

For many people, prayer is a form of asking God for favours like:

• heal me or son/daughter/mother/father…
• pass me or my son/daughter… from an exam
• give me some friends

The list of favours can be endless. But God will never accommodate such wishes. This is why many people have lost their “faith” in God.

God is a companion, a father/mother figure who sits with you through thick and thin. Like a friend, or parent, who won’t solve your problem but is there to listen, to give advice, or a hug, or simply just being present. God is there to make it more bearable, whatever your suffering.

When my brother Matthew was battling against cancer, a year ago – during his very last days filled with pain – he told one of my friends that Jesus Christ’s name helped him live through all that pain in his body. When Matthew eventually died, it was like a bomb of light had just exploded. He inspired a lot of people, brought friends back together, grounded a lot of relationships, and left me with an inner peace that the world never gave me. This is the blast – the bomb! – of light. This is why God didn’t heal him, maybe.

When Christ was on the cross, God his Father didn’t save Him. Christ ended up dying, but look at that effect now, more than 2,000 years later.

So instead of asking God: “why didn’t you heal me?” or “Why didn’t I pass my exams?” Ask God to help you endure the pain, live through the situation and – more importantly – enlighten you on how to make good use of it for others – or at least for yourself.