Paul was a true father to Timothy, in both a human and a spiritual sense. They loved each other dearly. Paul knew his son would not want him to hold back from speaking the truth in love, so he encouraged him out of his fear and timidity rather than pretending it didn't exist. He did this by telling him to fan into flame the spiritual gift he had received and by describing its characteristics: power, love and self-control. He wrote: "Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus."

But he was also concerned for his physical well-being. "Don't drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often." He encouraged him to take his medication.

On one occasion when I phoned my favourite auntie – an amazing woman of God who loved and served her precious Saviour with all her heart – I detected an uncharacteristic heaviness in her voice. She told me that pressure was being put upon her at her church because she was suffering from macular degeneration and in great pain from osteoporosis and disc prolapse and not getting miraculously healed. It was being said her faith was too weak. She was being made to feel her suffering was her own fault.

When Jesus sent out his disciples he told them to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons, and in the book of Acts we see the apostles performing many signs and wonders. We must expect to do the same. The question as to those who don't receive healing when ministered to doesn't appear to have been asked or answered in the Gospels and Acts. What we do have, however, are insights as to how such situations were handled by the early church.

Timothy was told to take his medication and in no way reprimanded for remaining in need of it. No pressure was put on Epaphroditus to exercise more faith for healing. Paul wrote to his home church: "He was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he certainly was ill; in fact he almost died. But God had mercy on him – and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another." I see the loving kindness of God at work amongst his people. They believed in healing and prayed in faith for it, but made room for and honoured God's sovereignty as to the outcome. They didn’t see healing as a right.

Paul himself is another example. "Three different times I begged the Lord to take the thorn in my flesh away. Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."

So, the basic principles seem to be that we are not to refuse to take medication and we are to either to expect mercy and be healed, or to receive grace and endure with joy. What we mustn't do is to add to a person's suffering by implying those who do not get healed are either harbouring secret sin or aren't truly exercising faith. (Personally, I would apply this to both physical health and mental health.)

Consider Rachel's story. She was a member of Grace Church Salisbury and, while always asking for prayer for healing, she would also frequently exhort us through her prophetic gift. Her example challenged us to rejoice in the Lord at all times and to be radical disciples. She was an absolute gem.

Salisbury Journal 2nd November 2010 (the attached picture was taken before 2002): "A woman whose courage and fortitude was an inspiration to all who knew her has died aged 38. Rachel Coxon was an active 13-year-old looking forward to a bright future when she was bitten by a tick during a family day out in the New Forest. The seemingly minor incident led to her contracting Lyme disease and she was left paralysed from the neck down. (She was given a tracheostomy.)

In 2003 the Journal supported a campaign to buy Rachel a £6,000.00 wheelchair she could control with her chin to allow her to move independently. But earlier this year she was diagnosed with cancer and died last Monday. A service of celebration will be held for Rachel at St Paul’s Church."

In hospital, when she was told her cancer was in fact inoperable, it was the doctor who could not control his weeping. Rachel smiled warmly at him and comforted him. She shone so brightly during her stay that a number of the nurses signed up for Alpha courses soon after she went to be with Jesus.