Thy touch has still its ancient power,
No word from you can fruitless fall;
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
And in thy mercy heal us all.
From “At Even, Ere the Sun was Set” by Henry Twells
Healing is perhaps the greatest test of our faith. It comes at the intersection of our most powerful human desire – a long, happy, healthy life – and our deepest spiritual need – to know without doubt God’s presence, and with it, proof of eternal life.
When we find ourselves at that crossroad, our too-human tendency is to focus on our physical well being, when the true purpose of all healing is spiritual salvation.
One of the things that draws our attention away from spiritual healing is we have edited our definitions of “heal” and “cure” to meet our earthly expectations. But neither word is applicable only to physical health.
Heal comes from the Old English haelan, which means “to make whole,” while the Latin word cura means “care, concern or attention.” In early usage by Roman Christians, cura was used primarily in regard to “the care of souls.”
The care of souls was Christ’s primary concern. Yes, he healed the sick, but behind every physical infirmity was a soul longing to be made whole.
In Matthew, we read about a woman who had been sick with bleeding for 12 years. She “came up behind (Jesus) and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed from that moment.”
The key word in this account is not “healed” but rather “faith.” The woman was not healed so that she would believe in Jesus; she believed first that Jesus was Lord, and she was healed.
Because of faith, this healing transcends the physical. Physical healing doesn’t last forever because we all eventually die. However, the healed spirit – reconciled to Christ by faith – lives forever. This is the true miracle of healing.
In healing as in all things, we must trust God’s will for our lives, and that may preclude a specific kind of physical healing for which we long. Not everyone who prays for healing will overcome the devastation of cancer, heart disease or Parkinson’s or the annoyances of chronic ailments or injuries. However, if we trust God and God’s divine plan for us, we are healed spiritually and gain a life that outlives our weak body.
While there are many people in the world today who claim to be healers, we should remember that only God has the power to heal. Often, God works with us and through us to accomplish God’s will, but those who claim the credit for themselves should not be trusted.
We also shouldn’t neglect our own role in healing as members of the body of Christ. If we need physical healing, we have a responsibility to ourselves and our loved ones to follow the advice of our doctors and to adopt healthy diets, exercise regimes and other good lifestyle practices.
If spiritual healing is needed, we should seek God’s grace and wisdom through spiritual practices such as prayer, confession, discernment and meditation. If we have broken relationships that need to be made whole, we must set aside our stubbornness and prejudices and meet the other person more than half way. We should ask or give forgiveness and commit ourselves to resolve the problems that are causing pain.
As followers of Christ, we are responsible to each other in the healing process. We can help ease each other’s anguish and pain through compassionate listening, counseling and intercessory prayer. But whenever we see people with real physical needs – illness, hunger, lack of shelter – who can’t help themselves, our response should be more than just clasping our hands in prayer for their healing. We should open our hands, reach out and lead them to those who can supply their needs, just as Christ has reached out to us.
As Henri Nouwen wrote, “We are all healers who can reach out and offer health, and we are all patients in constant need of help.”