Divine Healing

James 5:14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Coming across a large number of people with debilitating conditions has often caused me to think about how much of my medical training is able to help alleviate their pain and suffering. There are two ways doctors look at their role:

1. Many doctors just use their skills and knowledge to heal in the here and now. Some patients will get better and others will not. The doctor concerned develops a mechanistic view of the failures and strives to develop new diagnostic and therapeutics to help.
2. Others realise that even as they use their skills, there seems to be an ineffable quality to healing that is a mystery. Some patients seem to heal despite medical efforts. Others succumb to illness despite the very same treatment.

Into this mix comes the new spirituality – the post modern worldview that anything that feels good may be valid. Recent neuroscientific studies do reveal that there are processes we still do not understand that could explain the temporary healing of psychosomatic illness.

But the vast majority of anecdotal healing therapies and cures are just that – anecdotal. It is based on the power of suggestion. That explains the proliferation of metaphysical modes of healing e.g. most rely on the age old method called faith healing. These alternative systmes have become a multi billion dollar business. While some of the new age health practitioners would baulk at being chracterised a faith healers, the definition of such healing is that it requires “faith”.

Christians who try to seek out miraculous healings, which is often confined to large meetings or specific times or to people with professing to have divine healing power, seem to be seeking a "christianised" version of faith healing. Whether this is of God is left to be seen. But all traditions have their faith healers.

Recently I read about the Irish faith healer, Danny Gallagher (http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-seventh-of-a-seventh-son-makes-international-press-as-faith-healer-119113929.html?page=1). His claim to the power lies in the fact that he is the 7^th son of the 7^th son- an Irish folklore belief. The way the Danny Gallagher’s website touts the healing process (http://www.danny-gallagher.com/) is similar to “christian” faith healers . 

Christians should ensure that they do not end up with a defective understanding of divine healing, since this can leave the unhealed disappointed in, and often reject, Jesus Christ.

As a Christian doctor/pastor, I believe that all healing is divine healing. But the main way God effects divine healing today is through the medium of medical care. Modern medicine may have originated in a pagan system but over the last 300 years, influenced and changed by Christian world view,  has been based on a very simple biblical principle – that God is sovereign and has created the world with a set of clear absolute principles. Doctors have thus sought to seek out those principles and use them to heal. In recent times, unfortunately, the busy medical practice and time constraints results in limited empathy. This drives people to seek more empathetic “faith healers”.

Time magazine reviewed a book by Dr Nolan, a Christian doctor who investigated faith healers, including those who called themselves Christian.

“Some healers offer patients more warmth and compassion than physicians do." More important, Nolen acknowledges that, in some cases, the healers actually heal. Faith healers can and often do cure psychosomatic ailments. But they cannot cure organic illnesses. The problem is that the psychics as well as their patients frequently do not know the difference. Doctors do, or at least should”

(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,913003,00.html#ixzz1ITPbOXwj)

In the rare circumstance that God does heal real disease in a miraculous way (ie where the healing is beyond the scope and explanation of medical knowledge and not clearly psychosomatic), it is done for His glory. Have realistic view of how God has created you, preserves and sustains you, and that in illness, He is there with you. If he heals you in the usual medical way, praise Him. 

If medicine does not help, seek Him and pray for healing (James 5:14). 

Will we be always healthy in this world? No

Will we always be healed miraculously? No

Can we demand that God heal us? No

Is Jesus with us in sickness and in health? Yes

If he does heal you, testify. 

If he does not heal you, testify. 

Testify to what? No what but who…………testify about Jeus Christ, who He is and what He has done for you on the Cross. In all circumstances, He is with you. And we are His witnesses.