Doing Nothing...Doing Everything

I heard a great story from a friend recently, she was telling me about some missionaries who were going to China and were advised to get some shots to prevent dysentery and some other awful illnesses they could get while there. These shots are not widely available, but someone had referred them to a local doctor who dealt with this regularly and could give the shots. The missionaries refused to get them because they felt God would protect them from any illnesses if He was sending them there in the first place to minister. Unfortunately, they missed the fact that God was protecting them right here by sending them to this doctor so they could get the shots needed and not be ill while over there.
`Now I know that the Lord could certainly protect someone from being ill, shot or no shot. But I think we can sometimes be extreme either way. It made me think of the story in John 9 where Jesus heals the man born blind. The verses read in John 9: 6-7: "When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing." God could have spoken a word or even without a word, healed this man, but He chose to use the clay and saliva and then had this man go and do something himself, wash his eyes. Why? It sure seems a whole lot easier to me if God would just have said; "You're well". But He didn't.
Many times I have seen the Lord take care of something in a moment while at other times it has been a process. There have been times when I haven't felt well and have prayed and the Lord has made me well on that alone. There have also been times when I haven't been well and prayed and the Lord gave rest and the blessing of good friends, medical attention, godly counseling or medication. Either way He gets the much due credit for the healing process.
I think in a fallen world of sickness and quick fixes, we need to pray for the discernment to make wise choices. I don't pretend to know His reasons. Truthfully, I really don't need to know. But I do need to trust Him.

Dina