Unlike curing cancer or heart disease, we already know how to beat hunger: food.
- Mario Batali
"Jesus wept" is the shortest verse in the Bible. It's also among the most telling. Why did Christ weep prior to raising Lazarus from the dead? In a word, "Compassion." And that on a variety of levels.
Few challenges in life are more troubling and painful than serious illness and disease. Good health, easily taken for granted, is instantly missed the moment it's gone. Modern medicine, clearly an unprecedented blessing, provides amazing remedies and relief, yet clearly can only do so much.
Thankfully, Scripture is filled with directions and promises related to hope and healing for the sick. Even so, the continuing problem of global pain and suffering raises important issues as to the nature of God. Accounting for one of the greatest complaints mankind has with its Creator. In light of Biblical revelation, the real question is does the plight of the needy in general, and the dearth of Divine intervention in particular, cast doubt on God's goodness or our own?
Modern society places an incredible amount of emphasis on the physical body and appearance. It's estimated that in America the diet industry alone grosses 100 billion annually. Combined with the time and money spent on exercise, not to mention apparel, and the figure is staggering. When factoring in that the U.S. spends 16.2% of our GDP, over 2.3 trillion dollars annually on health care, it's clear how important our bodies are to us.
Appearance is even more crucial outside the faith community. "What you see is what you get" carries far more weight with God removed from the equation. After all, if this life's all there is we need to "get it while the getting's good." Moral Therapeutic Relativism's the pseudo spiritual philosophy in vogue, complimenting our runaway entitlement issues. Addicted to more, newer and better as well as youth and beauty, our new religious creed's "if it feels good do it."
Sadly, modern Christianity's more a fan than foe of the secular world view. With spiritual disciplines like Bible study and prayer in decline, unbelief and immorality's on the rise, Me-ism is replacing faith and sanctification as the predominate wisdom of our time.
The traditional teachings of scripture suggest there's more to life than how we physically look or even feel. While doctrines vary, most agree that development of the whole human being is essential. Just as the Bible explains that Jesus grew, "physically and mentally, in favor of God and man" so wise believers recognize the importance of developing spiritually noting, "physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
While scripture continually emphasizes the vital role of spiritual health, it also repeatedly reveals God's compassion for those suffering from illness and disease. Far from stoic on the subject, the Bible addresses the matter in a variety of ways, from dietary directions and injunctions against needless violence to human compassion and Divine healing:
- "It was at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. He said, 'If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”' Exodus 15:26
- "So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: 'Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.' So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!" 2 Kings 5:9,10,14
- "Dignify those who are down on their luck; you'll feel good—that's what God does. God looks after us all, makes us robust with life— Lucky to be in the land, we're free from enemy worries. Whenever we're sick and in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health." Psalm 41:1-3 The Message
- "O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing! He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence." Psalm 103:1-5 The Message
Hope and Help
The Old Testament's filled with stories of God intervening on behalf of those in need, while setting the stage for the ultimate act of compassion. Moved with concern over the needs of mankind in this life and the next, Omnity takes human form in the Person of Christ. From His humble manger birth to Golgotha's cross, God the Son becomes the manifestation of the love, mercy and faithfulness of the Godhead.
- "My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all." Isaiah 53:2-6
- "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes." Acts 3:15-16
- "You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." Acts 10:37-38
- "While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking."' Acts 14:8-10
- "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, 'When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.'” Ephesians 4:5-8
According to scripture, the "Children's Bread" of healing and deliverance is meant to be a staple of Christianity. "Signs and wonders" were the cornerstone of the Gospels and Book of Acts, reinforcing the tenants of the the kingdom of God. More importantly, the Holy Spirit's presence and power among His people was meant to continue as long as the Church continued fulfilling it's great commission. Clearer still is the Bible's promise to heal believers of illness and disease:
- "Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven." James 5:13-15
- "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops." James 5:16-18
What's the Problem?
Such scripture's sound great but beg the asking why the vast majority of our experiences in the arena of Divine healing seem to fall far short? Fortunately, the Bible address this very condition. Foremost among the explanations for unanswered prayer is the fact that humanity at large, and the modern church in particular, constantly grieve the Holy Spirit.
As the Personification of God's presence, the Spirit is the source of all spiritual gifts including that of healing the sick. By alienating God's Spirit we "cut off our nose to spite our face." Yet given today's unprecedented levels of temptation and entitlement, billions do so none the wiser. For this reason, expectations for the continual gift of healing figures prominently in the pastoral epistle of James in part to raise an alarm if and when the miraculous becomes rare. Clearly described as as a continuing birthright of believers, the cessation of Divine healing sounds a warning that all is not right within the church. Like coal miner's finding the proverbial dead canary, Christians should be greatly concerned by our failed attempts to heal the sick.
Scripture explains many attitudes and acts of omission and commission can hinder prayer, and thus the healing of the sick. The Bible repeatedly warns that immorality, apathy and unbelief, all at record levels today serve to hide God from us. Tragically, the secular philosophy of entitlement has so infected the thinking of Churchianity that it bares little similarity between 1st Century Christianity.
Hundreds of millions of believers seem oblivious to our current dilemma. Satisfied to merely attend church, most are comforted by ritual and tradition until trouble strikes. Addicted to "seeker friendly" sermons and songs, few are troubled by decreasing levels of spiritual discipline in the face of the exponential growth of personal and corporate sin. What's desperately needed today is a resurgence of the will to diligently seek God. We must learn to seriously study and be studied by scripture. Practicing the art of prayer, learning to be still before and wait on God are essential elements to the recovery of the fruit and gifts of the Spirit.
Our success at realizing the full potential of provisions of Christ, including that of healing the sick, hinges on our willingness to diligently seek and serve our Creator and Savior. Is the church confident enough in the goodness of God to acknowledge His apparent silence and distance? Do we care enough about the kingdom, or even those we love, to honestly face our culpability? Are we ready to admit devotional lives of a few minutes a day are an insult to God and commit to extend times of fasting and intercessory prayer?
Clearly mankind has issues with God. At some level, most are angry at or with Omnity for a variety of reasons. Loneliness and depression, bitterness of loss, financial distress as well as pain and death stand as giants, foes in the battle for faith. The question is, as we make judgements as to the goodness of our Creator will we review all the evidence? Scripture discloses much, if not most, of human suffering originates from the temptation, deception and resistance of an ancient and terrible Adversary. Evil arises from earth being beset by an Evil One, the "god of this world who has blinded the eyes of unbelievers" and "taken them captive to do his will."
In actuality, Scripture tells the incredible tale of a Cosmic and Angelic war, likely predating the creation of our universe. A story somewhat in keeping with Open Theism, though with decidedly more intricate and interesting detail. The context of which serves as the backdrop of all the content of Scripture, and as such largely remains the Greatest Story Never Told! One Both Old and New Testaments reveal an extraordinary history of eternity were Lucifer, once the pinnacle of creation, has become the Devil or "Prosecutor" accusing humanity "day and night" before the Supreme Court of Heaven. From the fall of Adam and Eve to Job's trials, from Christ's wilderness temptation to Revelation's tribulations, Satan has and continues to orchestrate mankind's woes.
Our challenge is to understand the cosmic battle before us and equip ourselves as soldiers of the kingdom of God. Like Christ before us, we must "work the work of God while it is day for the night comes when no one can work." Working out our salvation with "fear and trembling" let us pursue every addition to faith that we might be able to recognize and stand against the day of evil. Softening our hearts, it's high time the church arise to the crises before us, stop aborting our prayers and cry out day and night until the fruit and gifts of the Spirit, particularly that of healing, be restored.
Thankfully the word of God still offers the promise of hope and healing to the sick and suffering. Yet, as terrible as the pain and heartache of illness and disease is, far worse is fast approaching. The prophetic stage is being set for scripture's forewarned great tribulation that will claim the lives of billions and fill earth with unequaled misery and distress. Soon the "spirit of antichrist" so prevalently at work in the modern world will become personified in the "man of sin." The fire of God's justice and judgment is coming to consume all that stands in the way of the holiness of the "kingdom of His dear Son." Yet, as has been noted, "fire can't go were it's already gone." What's needed today is unprecedented repentance ushering in a New Global Pentecost. Then, as in the Book of Acts, the presence and power, provision and protection of God will be palatable in our midst. Then, scripture's greatest prayer may be fulfilled in out lifetime, that we might "know the love of Christ that passes knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God!"
Scripture still beckons, "Come let us reason together" and assures, "Whosoever will, let him come." The choice is ours. Do we care enough about the sick and suffering, or even our own souls, to"fight the good fight of faith?" Through the compassion and power of his life and death Jesus taught us to pray that God's kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Are we willing to begin earnestly doing so? As St. Augustine insightfully pointed out, "Without God, man cannot. Without man, God will not."
Note: Given the global suffering and health needs of billions being stressed to the limits by pandemics like COVID-19, a restoration of all the genuine gifts of the Spirit, and in particular that of miraculously healing the sick, has never been more vital. For an in depth treatment of what could have been the Church's greatest hour having become our darkest, see GB's COVID-19, and Prayer of Anguish.
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