There is an old preaching story from the mission field. An African tribe had collected their sick and delivered them to the medicine man who stood in front of a fire. He examined each one and divided them into three groups. He stood in front of the first group and gave them something to eat from the boiling pot that sat behind him. Then, he sent them home. The second group he gave herbs from local plants. Then, he sent them home. He simply prayed for the third group. Then, he sent them home. A Christian missionary witnessed this event and was filled with questions. He asked the medicine man later, “What does this mean?” The medicine man replied, “The first group was sick because they needed a better lifestyle. I gave them vegetable soup and sent them home to rest. The second group needed medicine. The local herbs I gave them had healing power. The third group needed more help than I could offer. I prayed that God would heal them in miraculous ways.”
That story makes one point: all healing really comes from God. You may experience healing if your lifestyle improves. You may experience healing through modern medicine. You may experience healing because of divine intervention. Don’t dismiss any of these methods. The sick don’t care about how they are healed, the sick only want to be healed. Have you ever prayed for someone who was sick? Before I look at the scripture text, let me examine these three sources of healing.
Sometimes people experience healing because they just need a healthier lifestyle. America is facing a health crisis. According to the national Institutes of Diabetes and Kidney Disease, nearly one in three Americans is considered obese. There are thousands of websites devoted to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Each website seems to have a list of things to do. The Mayo Clinic has a website devoted to healthy living. This is their list of what to do:
- Eat nourishing food
- Sleep seven to eight hours per night
- Keep company with good people
- Avoid news overdose
- Get regular exercise
- Do something meaningful each day
- Think good thoughts about others
Do you do everything on that list, or do you have some work to do? Sometimes people experience healing because they need a healthier lifestyle.
Sometimes people experience healing because of modern medicine. Late in 1949, my paternal grandmother, Orbie Adams (1893-1949), came home from church. Her morning had been filled with Sunday School children and worship. She was doing what she always did after church – preparing lunch for her family. It was during that normal routine she suffered a fatal heart attack. She knew she had high blood pressure, so she watched the amount of salt she consumed. My grandfather, Roger Adams (1893-1980), said she didn’t take blood pressure medicine because there weren’t any blood pressure medicines in 1949. I inherited my high blood pressure from my father, Ronald Adams (1920-1996), who inherited it from his mother. The only difference between me and my grandmother is time. I have been taking blood pressure medicine for the past thirty-eight years. These are good times to be alive. The advances in modern medicine are truly incredible. Sometimes people experience healing because of a better lifestyle. Sometimes people experience healing because of modern medicine.
Sometimes people experience healing by divine interaction. At one time Kathryn Kuhlman (1907-1976) was a polarizing figure in America. She was born in Missouri in 1907 and became a born-again Christian through the ministry of the Methodist Church in 1921. At the age of sixteen she began preaching in the west. However, her identity is not as a preacher. She will always be remembered as a faith healer. She claimed to have many healings during her “healing crusades” from the 1940s into the 1970s. Her ministry reached its zenith when her television program, I Believe in Miracles, went nationally. Some believed she had divine power; some believed she was a fraud.
How do you feel about faith healing? The Gospels are filled with miracles. The lame could suddenly walk. The blind could suddenly see. Demoniacs were made whole. The lepers were made clean. I believe that in our world there are still instances of divine interaction. Those stories are important because they remind us God is active in our world. Have you ever known someone who has been healed? Sometimes people experience healing because of a better lifestyle. Sometimes people experience healing because of modern medicine. Sometimes people experience healing by divine interaction. That takes us to our scripture reading.
Our reading is James 5:13-16. Written in the early 60s, James was the oldest stepbrother of Jesus. According to Acts 15, James was a prominent Christian leader in Jerusalem. This letter was written to the scattered Christians throughout the world. It is clear that James understood the power of prayer. These few verses can be broken down into two sections. The first section deals with physical healing. Verse thirteen and fourteen tells us to pray during life’s hardships, including sickness. The second section deals with spiritual healing. Verse sixteen tells us to confess our sins so we may be healed. Do you see what James did? He connects physical healing and spiritual healing. Why? He knows physical healing is temporary, but spiritual healing is eternal. We are preoccupied with physical healings because we are preoccupied with the things of this world. God, on the other hand, is preoccupied with spiritual healing because God is preoccupied with eternity. Don’t miss the point – everyone Jesus healed physically is now dead; everyone who accepted Jesus spiritually is still alive!
When I was in seminary, I had a friend named David. He was from the state of Michigan and was part of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church. I liked him from the very beginning. However, his story was sad. Prior to his seminary days he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. His body was weak from that battle. However, his mind and spirit were sound. For two years he had been tumor free, but in the last year of his studies the unthinkable happened. The brain tumor reappeared. Everyone prayed for him. The seminary community prayed for him. The Christian Missionary Alliance Church prayed for him. Loved ones in Michigan prayed for him. Everyone who heard David’s story prayed for him. We contacted everyone at home to pray for David. God heard our prayers and God responded to our prayers with a loud, “No!” In time, David died. I went to David’s funeral and heard all the stories.
Someone spoke about what had happened to David one Sunday night. He was physically weak, but he had enough strength to go to a healing service. It was at that healing service David received some misguided teaching. The preacher anointed David with oil and told him healing was still possible. All he had to do was believe. The only thing holding the healing back was his own lack of faith. David was not healed, and he left that prayer service broken-hearted. He felt like a second-rate Christian, full of doubts. It was in that broken state that David died a few days later. He left this world feeling like a spiritual failure. That healing service preacher did David a great disservice. The preacher applied guilt to a man who needed grace. Do you know of anyone who died feeling like a spiritual failure? David wasn’t healed physically, but David was healed spiritually. No one questioned his salvation. When I get to heaven, I am going to look for David. Sometimes healing comes because of a better lifestyle. Sometimes healing comes from medical treatment. However, real healing comes from Jesus!
Russ Adams 