The Power to Heal

"One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was there for him to heal the sick." (Luke 5:17, NIV 1984).

She wheeled in on her rolling walker, much younger than I but more world-worn. In spite of her difficult health history, she was cheerful. Thus far, she had defeated three separate cancers and had watched a number of her family members die from an obvious genetic tendency toward malignancy.

I wondered.

“Thank the Lord you are doing well,” I said. “I’m curious. Do you credit the Lord or the doctors more for bringing you through all of these cancers?”

“I have to say the Lord,” she replied.

“You are absolutely right.”

As doctors we certainly have paid our dues with long hours of study and work. Most of us devote ourselves to the healing and wholeness of our patients, sacrificing our time and emotional energy for their good. Our time, our skills, our efforts often coincide with our patients doing well, allowing us to feel good about the work. This is as it should be but carries with it a danger.

As Christian doctors we thrive on words of appreciation for what we do, so much so that we might at times forget that we are but servants of the King. The design that holds our patients together and helps them heal is a blessing from the King. The skills we possess come to us through the same design and through wonderful opportunity provided by the King. The science that we use to aid us in our mission is but the creation of the King, uncovered to relieve the suffering of those He loves. The breath of healing that comes to some and not to others is the breath of the King, blown in response to purpose and prayer. We certainly have a tremendous privilege to work with the Great Physician. With that privilege comes the responsibility to fight any temptation that would have us steal his crown of glory and put it on our own heads.

Dear God,
Thank you so much for the privilege of sharing in Your work to help those whom You love. Help us never attempt to steal Your glory.
Amen