Healed

"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise" (Jeremiah 17:14).

The physician needs more than human wisdom and power that he may know how to minister to the many perplexing cases of disease of the mind and heart with which he is called to deal. If he is ignorant of the power of divine grace, he cannot help the afflicted one, but will aggravate the difficulty; but if he has a firm hold upon God, he will be able to help the diseased, distracted mind. He will be able to point his patients to Christ and teach them to carry all their cares and perplexities to the great Burden Bearer. The physician is never to lead his patients to fix their attention on him. He is to teach them to grasp with the trembling hand of faith the outstretched hand of the Saviour (2MCP 408.2).

There are practices and ideas that should never be combined with our faith. But when it comes to healing the body and mind, spirituality must never be left out. Science confirms that faith, hope, and prayer are powerful forces that impact health.

The Mayo Clinic reports that people who pray or engage in spiritual practices cope better with illness, experience less anxiety, and recover faster. Harvard research shows that patients with strong faith are less likely to relapse after major surgery and enjoy better long-term health outcomes. Studies in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine and at Duke University Medical Center also found that spiritual engagement is linked to lower depression, stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and greater overall well-being.

“Faith is trusting God, believing that He loves us and knows best what is for our good” (Education, p. 253). “Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His Spirit, God is ever seeking to draw us to Himself” (Steps to Christ, p. 7). Faith is not blind; it is built on God’s constant effort to show His love and power to heal.

Spirituality brings a hope that medicine alone cannot provide. Without it, healing is incomplete. With it, even in trauma or setback, we discover resilience that comes only from above. So today I ask: what is your level of pain? More importantly, do you trust the Savior to do what no surgeon, no medicine, and no therapy can? He is still the Great Physician, healing bodies, renewing minds, and saving souls.

Leaving faith and religion out where they do not belong is wise, but never remove Christ from the center of what He created: our body, our mind, and our soul. When He is at the center, true healing follows.

-Dr. Dana