O'er Moor and Fen

this morning my thoughts arising from my meditation turn to the idea of intercessory prayer.  i can't recall an instance where jesus prayed that someone would be made well.  instead, jesus acted to heal the ills of those around him.  i think of the woman who simply touched his clothing and was instantly cured or the centurion whose servant was healed without jesus ever seeing the sick person.  while i don't believe such miraculous cures really happened, the stories of such events in the gospels indicate that jesus taught that human action, rather than superstitious prayers, was the effective means for helping others.

if God really is omniscient and caring, God already knows when we are in need of healing care.  we don't need to ask God to heal us.  we may ask God to give us the knowledge to turn to those who can take action to provide the care we need.  we may ask for strength to endure the necessary treatments or wisdom to seek out the best provider for our care.  we may ask for those who treat our disease to have the skill needed to help us, but i believe it is selfish and wrong to ask God to heal us.  why should God heal us while condemning another to die when that person has uttered the very same prayer?  God is not the cause of our illness any more than God is the cause of our cure.

praying for God to intervene in our lives is not the same as saying, "may i recover from my illness" or "may i find healing with the help of those treating my disease."  this change to "may . . ." from "God, please . . ." recognizes our deep wish for recovery but it does not place the responsibility on God but rather on the person praying and on those caring for that person.  God gave us minds for a reason and that reason is not blind faith or abandoning personal responsibility.  so often i hear a sick person or a member that person's family say, "it's in God's hands now."  no, it is in our hands.  we may say, "may i have the strength and intelligence to endure or to recover," but i believe it is a mistake to ask God to take responsibility for our lives.

may we rely on our own initiative, reason, and abilities to effect change in our lives, rather than insisting that God must be responsible.  may we have a faith that teaches us that God gives us what we need and expects to use what God has given us.  shalom.