Why Doesn't God Heal Amputees?

I believe that one of the key aspects that has contributed to making me a stronger Christian over the years has been thinking like a non-Christian. It was listening to atheist podcasts that first spurred me on to test my faith, and to own it. But even more than solidify my personal faith, thinking like a non-Christian has helped me to empathize with those who don't believe as I do. It has helped me to feel compassion rather than judgment. Who can't sympathize with those who feel as though an all loving and all powerful God can't exist because of all the pain and suffering in the world? Who can't sympathize with those who think a story about a talking snake and a "magic apple" are just as crazy as all other religious stories? Who can't sympathize with those who have difficulty acknowledging their own sin - when we judgmental Christians look down on unbelievers, forgetting ours? "But by the grace of God, there go I?" 

But beyond building up my assurance, compassion, and (hopefully) humility, thinking like a non-Christian has also helped to convict me of inconsistent thinking. It has often reminded me of powerful truths that I have either forgotten or that I have tossed to the wayside as a result of my unbelief. The biggest conviction for me recently has been in the area of prayer. 

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