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What Kind of Miracle?Chaplain Deb Fennama, MDiv, Pastoral Care, CTCA/MRMC
There some people brought to [Jesus] a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. Mark 7:32-33 A patient asked me recently whether it was appropriate to pray for a miracle at the same time he was undergoing radiation. He wondered where he was placing his trust. Good question. Can God heal without the use of chemo, radiation, surgery, or other means? Of course, God can. But does God also use chemo, radiation, surgery, and other means to effect our healing? Of course, God does. We see it every day. When Jesus performed miraculous healings, He used many means. Often, He used the touch of His hand. In some cases, Jesus lay a hand on a sick person. In others, He used a hand to raise them up. Sometimes He spoke a word directly to a sick person. Occasionally He spoke from afar to perform His healing. In the case of the deaf-mute man, Jesus used his own saliva (which was thought to have medicinal uses in that day). Jesus was not limited to one means or another, and God is not limited today either. God has graciously enabled researchers and doctors to develop different cancer treatments. These are gifts from God, which can be used to do His will. God uses different cancer treatments to work His healing miracles every day. Thank God for His healing, whatever means He uses. |
