Faith and Healing

Whether you believe or not, some placebos have been known to relieve pain in certain people. There were even placebo surgeries on the knees and the back that had been documented to produce the same long term pain relief as surgery. It was suspected that it was the patient's own belief that generate changes within the body.

What about those who are healed in Christian healing services or in places regarded to be holy like Lourdes? Did healing come from divine intervention or is it just the mind, out of believe in divine intervention, tricking the body into starting the healing process?

How about miraculous healing recorded in the bible? Jesus often healed with His words alone. Did He worked through the influencing of the mind as well? It could very well be. Is it just a matter of persuasion then? If persuasion is all it takes, doesn't that put any highly persuasive person who is believable in a position of a powerful medicine man?

The human body God created is an amazing thing. It can go haywire for no apparent reason. But it can also right itself without much intervention. What does it mean then for those modern man like myself who put so much faith in modern medicine that has gone through randomized clinical trial? After all, modern medicine has its own limit. At which point should people like me stop believing in modern medicine and rely solely on divine intervention? When the doctors say that modern medicine is no longer a viable option? As Christians, we are called to put our hope in God only. What does that mean? It will be too extreme, won't it, to forgo taking medicine and rely solely only on prayers and faith in God.

I know some will go to one extreme and say anything less than total reliance on divine intervention is a sign of 'lack of faith' and therefore the prayers offered will not produce results. But I believe that God has given me a curious mind and resources to tap into modern technology for a reason. That said, I cannot, in the right mind, ignore them completely. These information are made available to me so I can heed them. It is by no means a sign of lack of faith.