Before we progress too far into this discussion, I feel compelled to outline my bias. Everything you read is presented through the often myoptic lens of the writer’s worldview, and this naturally influences their presentation of even objective facts. I am a Christian …big surprise there…, and I believe in an omniscient, omnipotent, loving, and healing God. John Wesley, the father of Methodism, wrote extensively about healing, the use of “natural” remedies, and the power of healing prayer. Wesley’s treatises on the importance of healing the whole person, physically and spiritually have influenced many, including myself. So I am initiating this discussion based on the firm belief that prayer is a wonderfully miraculous force for healing.
I am a physician, and as such I was trained to be analytical and logical in my approach to healing. I was taught that “first do no harm” meant don’t subject a patient to any therapy that is either unproven or more hazardous than its potential benefit. You expect your health care provider to suggest treatments that are efficacious, practical, and safe. The old adage, “People don’t care what you know as long as they know that you care,” is true to a degree. You do care that your doctor is competent, knowledgeable, and compassionate. Leaps of faith should be used sparingly in medicine, because if you leap indiscriminately you can land in some deep holes. It is with this background, a strong belief in a healing God and a devotion to the scientific method, that I want to consider the relationship between religion and health.
DEFINITIONS
Healing refers to much more than just ridding the body of disease. The origin of the word “ to heal” is haelan, which means to make whole. Whole in this sense is the equilibrium among mind, body, and spirit. This is the healing triad where each component is dependent on the other, and, to achieve balance, all parts must be in harmony. It is like a three legged stool, where all the legs must be balanced or the stool teeters and totters. In this concept, health is defined as achieving a balance of all three components. Simply getting rid of a sore throat with an antibiotic is curing, and that is a good thing; however, healing involves going beyond the bacteria and exploring causes such as diet, stress, relationships, and spiritual well-being, all of which may play a role in initiating, perpetuating, or healing that sore throat.
I am not a theologian. I aspire to the KISS philosophy, Keep It Simple …and Scriptural. My definition of prayer is simple; communication with God. Prayer can take many different forms. Many would assume that it is talking out loud in English to a patriarchal male with a long flowing beard somewhere in the sky. That image and approach is okay, but this communication can be many other things. It can be songs, music, dance, or meditative silence. It can be anytime you and God are together, and that is all the time! This is the essence of what Paul meant when he entreated the Ephesians to “pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.” …Ephesians 6:18…
I am not normal. You see, I run marathons for fun! When I run, often I pray. As I lope along the riverbank and the fog creeps down the river and the sun gushes over the crown of the trees, I feel very close to God. It’s like when the Psalmist bathes in the glory of creation as the fingerprints of God. The physical experience of running in God’s beauty is overwhelming. I have had some real heart-to-heart talks with God on those long runs. Granted, at times I am praying, “God please let me make it back before I die of exhaustion!” But, for the most part, it is a joyful time alone with the Creator in which I renew and refresh.
Prayer is a dialogue. It is two-way communication. If you spend all of your time talking, how will you ever hear answers to your prayers? Think about constructing a relationship with your spouse. If you spent all your time talking and never listening, you wouldn’t know him at all. So it is with God. How can you expect to strengthen a relationship unless you hear Him? Be still, be quiet, and be open.
When my daughter was about five years old, I was attempting to teach her about prayer. I creatively used the analogy that prayer is like a long distance phone call to God. This seemed to click with her. A few nights later when we were saying her prayers, she looked up and said, “Daddy, I know now why we always pray at night.”
“Why is that darling?” I asked.
She replied, “That’s when the rates are lowest!”
