9 March, Monday — It is about the process

Monday of the 3^rd Week of Lent

2 Kgs 5:1-15
Lk 4:24-30

“Here was I thinking he would be sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprous part.” 

That’s just not how God works. In fact, Jesus doesn’t heal us the way we expect. We would think the obvious way would be for Jesus to lay his hands over the area that needs healing. That’s how I’d imagine it anyway — when I ask for his healing touch. 

I realised that Jesus heals us in many different ways and, sometimes, most unexpectedly. Just like how Naaman was asked to go bathe himself seven times in the river Jordan. It’s the process that’s equally important. Jesus wants him to travel to a particular place and to go through the act of cleansing. 

That process makes me think of my own recent process of healing. I had a bad fall a few months ago in December 2025, and sustained a fractured elbow that needed surgery. I prayed and hoped that I didn’t need to go through surgery. Wouldn’t it be much simpler if I just let the fracture heal itself over time? But that was not the case for me. The doctor told me that as I’m still young, and if I wanted to get back to my ‘normal’ life and stay active, like playing sports, then surgery was necessary.

Next, I started pondering on why I had to suffer this ordeal. Why did my fall have to end so badly in the first place? Surely, he could have intervened and prevented the disaster? But I learnt that it is through these trials, ordeals and tribulations that my faith is stretched. I lean on Jesus more and more, for every moment that I endured pain, the uncertainties and anxieties of the surgery, the inconveniences, frustrations of not being able to do much during recovery, and the humility of depending on others for help. 

When I knew that surgery was a sure thing, I surrendered to Jesus and trusted that everything was in his good hands. In place, I felt completely at peace, and I had trust in the operating team of doctors and nurses. There was no fear or anxiety. These were the graces given to me. Recovery was also steady. I did not feel much, or any, pain except for the stiffness and some aches. In fact, the only time when I experienced excruciating pain was after the fall when my arm was dislocated. That is God’s blessing when we trust and surrender our lives to him.   

It is also through the prayers of many that I sailed through the whole experience of having a fractured right elbow, where I learnt to be still for five weeks (of recovery). I also got to spend more time in prayer. So rather than just complaining to God, he wants us to see something beyond just what’s happening to us. He wants us to see when it is happening to us, to see how Jesus is right there with us in every suffering, how he is comforting and healing us in the process. In other words, it is not so much about the fall, but the entire process of learning to be still, of being (with him), and to trust in him during the time of uncertainty.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cynthia Chew)

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, during this Lent, we want to surrender our crosses to you so that we can walk in complete faith and trust. For those who are unwell, we ask for your healing touch to be upon us – whether physically, emotionally or mentally. Amen  Thanksgiving: Thank you, Jesus, for your compassion and goodness and for always wanting to heal us because you love us so much. We may not always see it your way, so teach us to be patient. In your name, Amen.