James 5:13 – 15 “Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”
The patient’s condition was truly horrific! This nice lady from some small town in West Virginia had been suffering with uterine cancer for years. The doctors had done all the operations, had given all the cancer drugs, and had administered all the radiation treatments that they possibly could, and nothing had worked! When the patient lay flat on the bed, the lumps of tumor distended her abdominal wall. One leg was three times the size of the other due to blood clots, and we had even had to perform an appendectomy. Now the patient was preparing to be discharged. The biggest problem was pain; the swollen leg was incredibly painful and no amount of medicine helped.
When I visited this lady for the last time before discharge, I asked if I could pray for her. Anointing her with the hospital lotion, I begged God to heal her, but particularly to take away her pain. That afternoon the lady left for home, and I forgot all about her.
Two years later, I was making pre-op rounds one afternoon and entered the room for a patient who was to have a small incisional hernia repaired the next day. As soon as I entered, the patient asked me, “You don’t recognize me, do you?” I admitted that no, I did not recognize her. This was my lady with the horrible cancer from two years earlier! There were no tumors. Both legs were the same size and looked normal. Questioning the patient, I learned that she had become cancer – free shortly after returning to her home. Now she was coming because she had developed a small weak spot in the abdominal wall at the site of her appendectomy. This lady felt wonderful and all tests indicated that her cancer was gone, never to return. What had happened?
While I am certain that I was not the only person praying for this patient, I am equally certain that God chose to heal her miraculously. Since that time, I have seen other people who have been healed miraculously. The big question that bothers most of us is “God, why THIS person and not some other person?” Or if you are the person in need of healing, you might ask “Why are you not healing me?”
Several years ago, Edith Schaeffer wrote a book entitled “Suffering.” In that book, Edith contended that no matter how God chooses to deal with our suffering, His sovereign power will be displayed. Some people are healed; this demonstrates that God’s grace is sufficient for miraculous healing. Some people are not healed; Edith Schaeffer’s own husband, Pastor Francis Schaeffer, eventually died with Lymphoma. But Edith emphasized that those who were not healed suddenly and miraculously were given the grace to go through whatever trials they encountered as a result of their sickness. This perseverance was also God’s gift and a further demonstration of His unlimited grace.
In the course of my medical career, I have prayed for thousands of patients of all ages. Some patients have been healed through surgery. Some patients have been healed through medicine. Some patients have died, but I must content myself that my Heavenly Father is greater and wiser than I am and that He alone knows the needs of each patient and each family member.
The wise writer of a hymn expressed things well:
Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
PRAYER: Father God, today many of us need healing from all kinds of things! Some of us are dealing with emotional wounds. Some are dealing with physical illnesses. Some are dealing with wounds from family members. Lord, we beg you to bring healing, comfort, peace, and grace to each of these wounded people. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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