Are we given the power to heal?

I have always believed in the power of prayer and the power of healing and often the two go hand in hand. Or do they? This was the question that has been hovering in my mind for a couple of years now and I haven’t had much luck finding an answer. Do we as humans have power to heal? Do doctors? Scientists? Or better yet, evangelists and those who have the “gift of healing”. I know the latter group often give God the credit for their gift and scripture does say it is an actual gift so I’m not denying that. My question narrowed down, is “why do we feel the need to heal?”

            Jesus performed numerous miracles that can’t be denied. I am reminded of all the physical healings like the blind man given back his sight, the lame man walking, and Lazarus being raised from the dead and the list is so numerous I won’t try to recall them all. What I have realized recently for some odd reason is that of all the people that were healed, they all eventually died. At some point, their time was up as is all of ours. This brings me back to the original questions. I personally think that prayer changes us more than it changes circumstances. God created good and allowed evil which created a fallen world. He knows all and is capable of fixing anything but only He knows how many breaths we’ll take while we live on the earth He created. Are we healed of ailments because of prayer or does modern medicine prolong our ultimate demise? Remember, God created us and doctors in turn as well as the plants and byproducts used in medicine along with the knowledge scientists use to create such medicine. Does God heal people through us or do we want something so bad that no matter what slightly positive news we receive, it’s a miracle? When a tumor shrinks it is a miracle, when a surgery goes better than expected it’s a miracle, when radiation obliterates a potentially deadly growth it’s a miracle… I am not saying that God doesn’t hear us or that He doesn’t care, but I’m not so sure we play as vital a role in healing as we might think. You might ask the question “why should we pray if it may not affect the outcome” and it’s a question I have often asked myself. I can only reflect on my own experiences to answer that particular question. From the moment my late wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor my prayer life changed drastically as did many people’s who were aware of our situation. I prayed fervently for “healing” and so did hundreds of others. If I didn’t have enough faith, surely one of the hundreds of other people did, right? I have to admit I was not perfect during that 5 months. I allowed myself to sink into some pretty dark places and I often didn’t trust that God would lift neither me nor her out of our predicament. That being said, I don’t believe I could have done anything differently to change our outcome. Her journey was coming to a close no matter what and I couldn’t change it. My ever-changing prayer life was a way for God to draw me close to Him and hold me tight for the roller coaster I would have to endure. Although I doubted Him at times, deep down I always trusted that He would see me through despite the outcome. God knew what was best for me and He knows what’s best for you if you are willing to trust Him even when nothing makes sense and you feel completely and utterly abandoned. I have been there. Now, I am watching as His perfect will has begun to unfold in my life and I feel blessed. I have undergone some heartache but He kept my head above water long enough to show me a new paradise. God is faithful and He hears our prayers but He knows best and He has determined how long we will walk on this earth. This post is not a way to prevent or dissuade any of you from praying but to encourage you to accept His answer even if it’s not the result you felt like you needed. I will reiterate, God knows best and those legitimate few who have the gift of healing have a special connection to God’s will and know what to pray for in my opinion.