The Choice to Heal

I'm not a fan of "choosing" to heal. There's just too much snake oil out there associated with bad theology and pop philosophy. My mom had a disease that caused her a lot of pain for most of my life (and most of hers). I recall some well-meaning Christians saying, "Just believe and you will be healed." As tears streamed down my mom's face ("am I sick because of a lack of faith or desire to be healed?"), I recall growing angry. It was wrong of them to say and the head-trip of faith wasn't worth the journey.

Does prayer matter? Absolutely. Are we to pray for wholeness and healing, believing God can heal completely? A resounding yes! But God, in His Sovereignty, will also allow believers to live in a world of sin and its effects. And sometimes, His choice not to heal reveals His handiwork as much as His choice to heal. Joni Erickson Tada may have not stood up from her wheelchair (yet), but her life, despite her physical brokenness, has been an inspiration and testimony to God for many (including myself). I'm a Christ-follower today in large part because of how my own mom responded to her pain with faith, joy, and humility (particularly, without any dismissal of the pain or some kind of false spiritualitization of that pain). To put it plainly: sick sucks. Sometimes, aside from utilizing every medical tool at your disposal, all you can do is pray. It doesn't take away from the effectiveness of prayer. Ask a sick believer if prayer matters to them, and they'll talk about how conversations with their Lord is often their greatest source of strength.

That said - knowing my personal bias and history - let's not throw the baby of choice out with the bathwater of healing quite yet.

This blog was sparked by an article I read with this statement, "You don't have to live a life under a burden you can actually heal from." (p. 53, Oct. 2022, "Men's Health", Avi Klein). Jesus himself talks about a lack of belief being associated lack of the miraculous (Mark 6:4-6). One of the more poignant stories in the Gospels involves the tenacity of a sick woman, her faith, and Jesus (Matthew 15:21-28). As I thought of this statement, I thought of the choice we can make to turn to Jesus for healing. We can choose to ask, believing in the best outcome, and trusting God for any outcome.

Then I thought about the broader association.

Sharing faith is, according to Jesus, sharing GOOD news. The news is good for many, many reasons. One of them is that many live under a burden from which they can heal. In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Wait...Paul was never a physical slave, so why write this? Because Paul understood what it meant to be trapped, chained to yourself, and under the slavery of striving for good without experiencing grace. 

When we think of missions in the world, one way to think of it is as helping others know they "don't have to live a life under a burden [they] can actually heal from." They're not the Healer. But they can get to Him. Our source of healing, and that healing will require a personal choice. There's so much in this world that happens to us. It's good to know there's a future into which we can opt by the Spirit's invitation.