Excerpt from “Wellness Piece by Piece,” by Pat Sullivan.
“Just think about how much happens inside and around us that we do not even see. Our thoughts, will, and emotions are unseen; yet they are what truly make us human. Our body houses the unseen ‘us,’ and therefore our spirit affects our body, oftentimes in profound ways. Conversely, if something is wrong physically, for example a nutritional deficiency, our ill health can affect us spiritually and emotionally as well. So both the physical and the spiritual elements of our lives are very important to our health. In fact, they are integrated and inseparable.”
Accordingly, the power of prayer can have a profound healing effect upon the body. In a report released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), prayer is in three of the top five positions of complimentary and alternative therapies. This report also shows that seventy-five percent of the adults surveyed have used prayer specifically for health problems.
The 10 complementary and alternative medicine therapies most commonly used measured in terms of the percentage of adults who used complementary and alternative medicine.
But while scientific research from notable establishments—such as the Duke University’s Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health—are now proving the effectiveness of prayer, it is very important to recognize that physiological symptoms usually stem from physiological problems.
If God created the body, then it is obvious He also created natural laws to maintain the health of the body. And in many cases, those who are chronically sick have somehow violated God’s natural laws for the body—either knowingly or unknowingly. For example, eating “fast-food” every day of the week eventually produces many negative effects in the body, regardless of how much you have prayed. If the body does not have the vital nutrients it needs, the natural laws of health are broken.
The Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) When this verse is considered in the context of chronic health issues, it certainly rings true. While some problems are legitimately psychological and/or spiritual, oftentimes the body can detoxify and heal itself if it physically receives what it needs. And putting a focus on correcting physiological problems will frequently alleviate psychological problems as well.
But mending these problems will likely take time. So you should consider adding prayer and forgiveness to your arsenal as these are a few of the more important pieces of the puzzle.
Excerpt from “Wellness Piece by Piece,” by Pat Sullivan.
“One of my favorite verses of Scripture that has often sustained me [and given me hope] is ‘Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.’ (Psalms 25:15) That is exactly what chronic illness feels like to me. It feels like being caught in a terrible web that you can’t extricate yourself from and it is beneficial to finally realize that on your own, you often can’t get free. But if you surrender yourself and your illness to God, He will extricate you from that net somehow, someway. That is my belief and it is His promise.”
Additional Reading
- The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel
- The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
- The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
- More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell
- The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Dallas Willard
- Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ by Dallas Willard
- Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
- Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
Sources
http://www.dukespiritualityandhealth.org/
http://nccam.nih.gov/
Article ID: 613
