By David ReayWednesday 4 Sep 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read 1 Timothy 5:23
By the way,I should advise you to drink wine in moderation,instead of water. It will do your stomach good and help you to get over your frequent spells of illness. (JBP)
From time to time we hear of Christians who decide that God and not medicine will heal their sickness. It can be true that in extreme cases,where medical remedies have been exhausted,we leave things in God’s hands. But to put divine healing and medical healing in opposite camps makes no sense.
God heals in many ways and can certainly go way beyond what medicine can do. But he often chooses to heal through medical means. Those who lament the fact that we don’t see as much healing today as there was in Jesus’ day miss the point by a long mile. We see lots of healing today,usually through the God-enabled provision of medicine and medical care.
Some Christians may even think that is a sign of super-spirituality and great faith to spurn medical means and rely on God. It is more often than not a sign of this false dichotomy between God and doctors. And sadly,such false spirituality can affect others. Just talk to those close to Christians who decide ‘by faith’ to not take anti-depressive medication. The consequences for everyone can be disturbing.
Let’s confidently trust in God’s healing power. Let’s use whatever means at hand to get healing. Praying for healing and taking your pills are not contradictory. Calling out to God and seeing your doctor are not mutually exclusive. If it was OK for Timothy to drink some wine to improve his health,it is OK for us to pursue any and every reasonable means of healing.
Praise God he isn’t confined to medical means when coming to our aid. Praise God that he uses medical means in coming to our aid.
Blessings
David Reay