This summer, a mile and a half into a trail race, I suddenly fell forward and landed on my right shoulder, dislocating it. Another runner made a sling out of her jacket and walked me back to the trail head. She then drove me to the nearest ER, 45 miles away.
The ER doctors had to put me under twice to get my shoulder back in place. When I followed up with an orthopedic doctor, I learned that I fractured the bone. The doctor didn’t think surgery would be successful at my age, so he had me wear a sling for a couple of weeks to see if the bone would stay in the right position. If the bones were displaced, I would have to have surgery, possibly even a shoulder replacement.
I rarely ask anyone to pray for me, but I added my name to my church’s weekly prayer list.
Two weeks later, x-rays showed that my bone fragment had moved. The physician’s assistant recommended that I have surgery two days later. The physician was out of town, so the PA referred me to a doctor at a different practice. That doctor had no concerns about my age. Post surgery, I am well on my way to recovery.
Although God didn’t intervene by keeping my bone from moving, I still believe He worked things out for my good, putting me in the hands of a well-respected surgeon.
In my experience, the overwhelming majority of prayer requests are related to physical health issues. Philip Yancey made a similar observation in his book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
Do prayers for healing make any difference? I believe they do, but I believe we should keep our expectations realistic.
Yancey has heard from many people who question why God did not answer prayers for healing. He wrote that although there have been accounts of miracles, miracles are rare.
Natural laws make our world predictable. For miracles to happen, natural laws must be reversed or suspended. God rarely intervenes in the physical world that way. We learn to adapt to natural laws like gravity, and if we don’t also adapt our prayers, we will surely be disappointed.
Prayer doesn’t stop the aging process. It doesn’t eliminate death, and it doesn’t reverse genetic defects. (In my case, it also didn’t keep bone fragments from moving.)
Prayer can help you deal with stress. It can give you comfort, hope, and peace. These positive feelings can impact your physical health “because the mind regulates the body’s natural healing systems.”
God created our bodies with amazing self-healing powers. He gave humans the intelligence to discover treatments for physical ailments. He gave doctors, nurses, and other professionals the skills to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate us.
How can we pray for people with health issues?
- Praise God for the healing agents of the human body.
- Pray for wisdom and guidance for medical professionals.
- Pray for other caregivers.
- Pray that the person will fully use the resources of their body, mind, and spirit.
- Pray for relief from pain.
- Pray for peace for those near the end of life and for their loved ones.
My heart goes out to those who suffer from chronic health issues. God loves you and hears your prayers. He will be with you in your suffering.
