MEDICINE OR MIRACULOUS HEALING?

When we are confronted with sickness, what should be our approach?

A man with coronary artery disease went to a healing rally but was not healed. He still had severe, recurrent chest pain. But after undergoing open heart surgery, he showed remarkable improvement. On the other hand, a lady with advanced cancer––pronounced incurable by doctors––miraculously recovered through healing ministry.    *

Believers who are sick should avail themselves of miraculous healing:

• Affirm and declare by faith that God is pro-health: "I thank you that you are Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:26)—God our healer."

• Let the elders of the church pray for them (James 5:14).

• Seek to be ministered to by those endowed with the gift of healing (1 Corinthians 12:28,30).

                                                                     

However, the sick need not shun or stop medical treatment as a demonstration of faith. Doctors treat but God heals. ‘Faith healers’ who insist that patients stop medical treatment––as a precondition for supernatural healing––may face litigation if death occurs. For example, a diabetic patient may slip into coma and die if drugs (or insulin injections) are suddenly stopped. Please check out: http://bit.ly/19pnl5I

Jesus certainly does not discount the role of doctors in treating diseases. Otherwise He would not have said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick” (Luke 5:31). The apostle Luke was a doctor who followed Jesus in His healing ministry.

Rather, He seems to imply that doctors and practitioners of supernatural healing should happily coexist. Why can’t both camps work together and learn to respect each other? Let the infirm seek healing––be it from doctors or practitioners of supernatural healing––leaving the outcome to God. Let God be sovereign.

                                                                     

When we are sick or minister to those who are sick, what approach should we adopt?

• Remove hindrances to healing––unconfessed sin, unbelief.

• Seek miraculous healing and medical treatment. These options are not mutually exclusive.

• Wait upon God.

• Acknowledge His sovereignty. Commit the results to God.

• When miraculous healing does not occur, do not put the blame on the sick.

• Be open-minded about miraculous healing without medical intervention.

• Don’t try to figure it out––God’s ways are beyond us.

• His peace and presence will comfort us when all else fails.

Footnotes:

Healing was as much a part of Jesus’ ministry as preaching. Among those healed were lepers, paralytics and the blind. In the majority of cases, Jesus healed people without requiring faith on their part (Mark 6:56). Sometimes He performed few miracles because of their lack of faith. But, nevertheless, He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them (Mark 6:5).

God, being sovereign, does not heal always. And we cannot possibly fathom why some remain unhealed. Many disabled people gathered round the pool of Bethesda. But Jesus chose to demonstrate His healing virtue to one invalid (John 5:2-9). Please check out: http://bit.ly/19Q5bdA

Perhaps, those with healing gifts should bear this in mind rather than ascribe non-healing to unbelief on the part of the sick. Acknowledging God’s sovereignty reflects a healer’s humility; it does not detract from his reputation or anointing.

 *  In my 40 years as a believer and 30 years as a doctor, I have witnessed God healing people in different ways––with and without medical intervention. The two patients mentioned above are not hypothetical but documented cases.