Is God against Medicine?
Hosea 4:6b “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge…”
I do not think I have read where anybody addressed the issue of health in the below perspective. So, I have decided to share a very unpopular fact.
The greatest concern we have as humans is possibly our health. Being healthy is the foundation for any other achievement in life. Without Good health, we may not be able to fulfil God’s plan for us on earth. That is why God is very interested in our health and total wellbeing.
But what many of us do not know is that God is not restricted to sudden/quick healing when it comes to managing our health. The ignorance of this truth is why many Christians have gone to early graves.
A lot of Christians have been taught to ALWAYS expect sudden healing when they are ill, without putting any effort to find out the cause of the illness. That is what they refer to as a miracle. They believe it is only a miracle when the healing is sudden.
Consequently, someone that is having high blood pressure has not bothered to take any measure to address the issue order than to just pray. He keeps consuming the same amount of salt, he does not keep fit and does not check his BP regularly.
For the avoidance of doubt, God does recommend drugs for people.
1 Timothy 5:23, “Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.”
This is equivalent to drug prescription today. A lot of drugs we take today have alcohol as part of the contents.
God does refer people to the hospital for treatment. He does recommend surgery where necessary.
Who would have agreed that a person would have a need to see a human being after encountering Jesus face to face? Paul prayed to Jesus and Jesus sent a human being to him. Act 9:5-19
God is not against medicine and he is not against the study of the same.
God is not excited about healing Christians. He prefers we were never in bad health. Except he is the one who allowed it for our growth, and in such cases, we are never healed suddenly but through process.
Sickness is one of the major things that draws men to God.
And when we are ill, God prefers that we go through a healing process. Sudden miracles come to play when we have no choice or when it becomes an emergency and it is at God’s prerogative.
Miracles as seen in public places like churches or in the streets, are to convince unbelievers about the power of God. And to free people from the shackles of Satan.
A lot of Christians receive divine healing even without them knowing that they were ill.
God sometimes recommends a special kind of diet to Christians to avoid illnesses or to bring about healing. Sometimes, God recommends exercises to Christians who do not know they need it for healing to take place.
What God does not like is when Christians put their trust in medicine. He wants us to trust him alone for our wellbeing.
There are times when an illness is spiritually orchestrated. And in those instances, it may be difficult to use medicine only. Sometimes the sickness may not manifest before it kills the person. So, I am not saying that drugs can cure all types of sicknesses. That is why it is dangerous not to have a conversational relationship with God.
As Christians, when we are ill, we should seek the face of God and go straight to the hospital for medical checkup. Except God expressly says otherwise.
It is not a lack of faith to ask for a doctor’s opinion. Especially when you are not 100 percent sure of what God is saying about the issue. Having to know what is wrong, may even give you a clearer prayer point. But we are afraid to know what is wrong, so we assume nothing is wrong.
It is wrong to always assume that God will heal you through supernatural means. Assumption is a dangerous thing that has been used by many Christians to replace faith. They are not the same.
Many Christians have died of Covid-19 because they wrongly assumed that God will protect them, irrespective of their lifestyle. You cannot run with another person’s revelation when you were not divinely co-opted. How can you refuse to take vaccines because of unfounded assumptions? Those who God told not to take vaccine, he gives them regular instructions on what to do and what not to do.
If you are lacking in vitamins for instance, what do you want God to do? It is either you eat foods that contain the particular vitamin or take supplements. God may prevent your organs from packing up before you are able to close the vitamin gap. But eventually, you have to sort it out. And God will always show you signs and give you room to do the right thing.
If you are having heart issues based on a sedentary lifestyle, what do you expect God to do? He may prevent heart attacks but you have to eventually do the needful, which is to quickly visit the hospital, start exercising as recommended by the doctor and improve your lifestyle. We usually ignore the warnings because they did not come through an Angel in the night. The warning from God may even be a mild heart attack. Especially when you cannot access divine revelations.
God will always warn you of impending danger. But sometimes we do not get the message and keep assuming that all is well.
Most of God’s promises come with an “if” statement, including long life. You must have a constant walk with God if you must partake of his promises.
Psalms 91:1 “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. The “if” clause in this verse is “dwelling in the secret place”. Consequently, if you dwell outside God’s secret place, you are not under his cover.
God promised Mary a Child and also said that the child would grow up to become the Savior of the world. The child was born as promised but the child would have been killed at a very tender age and destiny truncated, if Joseph had not listened to God’s warning to physically run away with the child when King Herod was trying to kill the child. If God can say this to Joseph, why on earth does anyone think that God cannot recommend drugs to a sick person?
That God promised us long life does not mean we will all live long. We have to walk with him closely if we must fulfill our purpose.
Back to illnesses and healings. How do you celebrate that your child is a medical doctor and then turn around to think it is a lack of faith to seek the services of a medical doctor? It does not add up.
In conclusion, when you are ill, find out the cause of the illness. You can run a test if you can afford it. Pray about it and seek medical assistance. As a Christian, you should always pray on your prescriptions before taking them. Just the way you pray before eating. Drugs are processed food mixed with chemicals.
God is a healer but when you are having a headache as a result of stress, you need rest and not prayers. When you have a stomach ulcer as a result of prolonged fasting, you need food.
I have said the above based on personal experience in my walk with God. It is not everything you will see in the bible verbatim. But you can check through the scriptures and see that it aligns with God’s word.
Many times God has asked me to engage in physical exercise in order to prevent or address a health issue.
God has stopped me from eating certain foods many times. God has recommended certain types of fruits to me many times. When he does this, I go to Google to find out the benefits of such fruits and realize that they actually address my health issue. So, next time, I may not need to pray about it. That is knowledge.
There was a time when I had a knee problem and I prayed to God for healing. God told me that it will be healed with time. That response was very strange to me as I have never heard anybody say God told them such a thing before. In disappointment, I called a family doctor who after hearing my complaints said “don’t worry, time will heal it”. I had to beg God for forgiveness for doubting him.
Please if you are a servant of God, do not deceive yourself or your members concerning this matter. We have many Medical Doctors who are pastors. There are doctors who get confused in the cause of their duties and go to God in prayer for insight and God tells them what to do.
I have been to the hospital before and the doctor offered to pray for me with my permission before prescribing drugs for me. That is what God expects.
Jesus is The Chief Medical Director.
Shalom
Osoria Asibor