Warm hellos once again friends, brethren, fellow laborers, spiritual family, and scattered children of God from here on the Gulf Coast of lower Alabama. My wife and I pray and hope this finds you doing well, and that again your week has been blessed.

Over the years I’ve conducted funerals for some who’ve died unexpectedly. There is sadness over the loss especially for the family he or she leaves behind. But there is also the positive component of celebrating the life of one who remained faithful to their calling. Sometimes family members ask, “Why didn’t they ever go to the doctor?”

Everyone has to own their faith, decisions, and how they trust in God to take care of them in facing various health challenges. Some decide to forgo medical help in addressing health problems and look only to God to heal them miraculously. Others don’t seem to put as much trust in God. It’s a slippery slope when we start drawing lines in the sand as we look on.

Recently I was asked “Is it wrong to ask our Father in heaven for healing, be anointed, and also partake of help from medical doctors and/or other health care practitioners?”

Some may remember the days when some believed very strongly that “It is wrong to go to a Medical Doctor when we are sick”. Unfortunately some still today cling to these ideas and at times can be quick to condemn those who do.

I remember once being told “Why even bother asking for anointing if you are going to go to the doctor anyway?”

So, might we see if there are instructions or indicators in the Scriptures regarding these situations? Let’s look at several Scriptures and examples.

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)

This comment promotes having a positive attitude when dealing with health problems. It also puts “medicine” in a positive light and does not condemn the use of medicine. The Hebrew word translated “medicine” is gehah and refers to “a cure, a healing.”

The word is from gahah and means “to depart” and “to be cured or healed” (Above from the Online Bible Hebrew Lexicon).

Medicine often helps the disease or affliction to depart. I realize that medicines back at the time Proverbs was written were most likely made from plants, minerals, or from other natural substances, but let’s continue.

Isaiah 38:1 records the event of King Hezekiah becoming sick and near death. He was informed through the prophet Isaiah, “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.” Those would be words none of us would like to hear.

Hezekiah prayed with tears for God to remember him and have mercy. (Vv.2-3) Isaiah brought word from the LORD to him and he was told, “I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.” (Vv.5-6) We see the famous sign of the “bringing the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” (v.8) Then we come to the event I want to emphasize. “Now Isaiah had said, ‘Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.’ (v.21)

Here we see Hezekiah taking advantage of a medical procedure to assist in the healing of his boil. We neither see the LORD finding fault with Isaiah nor with Hezekiah for performing this procedure.

There’s also an interesting account of Jesus healing a man blind from birth recorded in John 9. Jesus used some of His saliva and mixed it with dirt from the ground to make some kind of clay and anointed the eyes of the blind man. Then Jesus told the blind man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam and then he recovered his sight. (Vv.6-7)

Obviously the dirt from the ground and the water of the pool did not heal him. He was healed supernaturally. However, he had faith in Jesus, followed His instructions, and attributed the healing to Him. (v.11)

I have heard of doctors who say, “I cut, sew, stitch, glue, and operate on the patient, but Someone else does the healing!”

The apostle Paul referred to Luke as “the beloved physician.” (Colossians 4:14)

The apostle Paul advised his disciple Timothy to “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” (1 Timothy 5:23) Here the wine is to be used in a medicinal way.

Notice this interesting comment found in the book of Ezekiel quoting the Eternal. “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.” (Ezekiel 30:21)

Here the LORD mentions medical techniques that are presented as normal and expected to be used to treat a broken limb.

In this discussion some will turn to passages where sorcerers are condemned. The Greek word translated “sorcerers” in Revelation 21:8 is pharmakeus – one who prepares or uses magical remedies and is from pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion) (from the Online Bible Greek Lexicon).

The Greek word translated “sorcerers” in Revelation 22:15 is pharmakos – pertaining to magical arts. The English word “pharmacy” obviously has a derivation or connection to the Greek word.

Might I point out that there is a vast difference between one who dabbles in the occult, magic arts, and/or who produces spells to control his subjects, and a pharmacist who distributes prescribed medications to address a specific disease or medical condition.

Revelation 9:21 refers to those who “did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” The Greek word translated sorceries is pharmakeia and is from pharmakon above. It refers to “magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry”. Trying to assert that all medication, drugs, doctors, and pharmacies are promoting idolatry, the occult, and magical arts is not logical or sound reasoning.

Each person should do his/her own research, homework, and investigate which practitioners might be competent and helpful, and also look into the possible side effects of the medication. Some choose more natural methods, herbs, and nutrition.

As many of us have learned, sometimes medications might adversely interact with one another. This can also happen with natural nutrition. Each one of us will have to make our decisions about how to deal with diseases, injuries, and other health problems. It’s also very important to respect the decisions that others make.

You and I must be careful to not quickly judge others when they either choose to seek medical treatment, or decline to do so. Like so many other challenges we face as disciples of God, we have to personally decide what to do or not to do and do our best to be part of the solution, not be part of the problem.

So, seeking medical help when we’re unwell? It’s a personal decision based on each person’s individual faith. May we continue to pray for one another as a family, and encourage, uplift, and exhort as we continue in this life on our journey. I also hope this will be helpful when you face challenges with your health.

Arms up friends! Our sincere prayers and thoughts are with you daily. Thanks in advance for your heartfelt prayers for us.