Thought for Today
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he; there is no god besides me. I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and no one can deliver from my hand.
Ecclesiastes 3:3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Luke 5:17 One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
I had my first cataract surgery yesterday and the post-operative checkup today. Only Greta needs to be burdened with the details; but, everything went much better than either the doctor or I anticipated. The whole experience has made me very conscious of the art of healing and of being healed. It has also reminded me of the truth of the first line of Amazing Grace, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.” (Without bifocals!)
Medical science has made amazing progress during my own lifetime. During elementary school, I contracted Scarlet Fever. I remember the doctor coming to our house every day for a week to give me a shot of a new ‘wonder drug,’ penicillin. It worked and still works miracles for many diseases.
“Christiaan Neethling Barnard (8 November 1922 – 2 September 2001) was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967. . .” (Wikipedia) By 2012, while I was finishing my ordination requirements, I volunteered as a lay chaplain on the multi-organ transplant floor on one of Houston’s hospitals. Over those 45 years human organ transplants progressed from experimental to an established part of medical treatment.
When we think of the progress in medicine over the last 2024 years, we can begin to understand the amazing impact Jesus’ miracles had on those around him. For thousands of years of human history, the causes and treatments of diseases were mysteries. Elaborate constructs of demonic hierarchies were postulated to explain the diseases which have long plagued humanity. Driving out demons necessitated exorcisms. Sometimes they worked; sometimes they didn’t.
During the pandemic, during a discussion of this, a friend commented that the word demon was about as good a title for the COVID 19 virus as any other. The difference being, of course, that medical science now has enormous resources that could be and were marshalled to defeat that virus. The speed with which multiple, highly effective vaccines were developed was record-breaking.
I am not comparing my cataract treatment with the battle against COVID. But, I remember when my mother and aunt went through their own experiences with cataract treatment. Although my sister took Mom and did all the heavy lifting, the difference between then and now is incredible. And that is only one example of the progress humanity has made since Paul wrote “Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.”
The alleviation of physical suffering and disease is of great importance and value. Jesus’ power to alleviate such suffering and to heal disease was truly a miracle. It was also a problem for the ‘religious authorities.’ Yesterday, as I awaited my surgery, I talked to Jesus and to God about my own situation . . . I prayed. Is my already-improved vision a result of those prayers or the advances in medicine and the skill of my doctor? Yes! Those advances in knowledge and skills were made possible by God.
Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that God’s ability to heal and cure is not limited to physical suffering and disease. There are also mental and spiritual sufferings and diseases. When we find ourselves in the gripes of those, the same recourse of prayer is available and the same surcease is ours merely for the asking. Just as God calmed my fears and anxiety when I prayed yesterday, God will soothe our weary minds and souls. "Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
Stay safe, pray often, trust God,
Pastor Ray