We pray for people - God does the miracle or healing
PRAYING FOR PEOPLE
Establishing an accurate definition of what constitutes a miracle is difficult in view of the prevailing influence of Deism among Christians.
God is continually and directly in control of everything that occurs! In light of this, several inadequate definitions of miracles need to be rejected. E.g.,
- Some define a miracle as a direct intervention of God into the world. But “intervention … into” implies that God is outside the world and only occasionally intrudes.
- Some define a miracle as God working in the world apart from means to bring about the desired result. But God often uses “means” or “instruments” in performing the miraculous, as in the case of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000.
- Others define a miracle as God acting contrary to natural law. But this implies there are forces (“natural laws”) which operate independently of God, forces or laws that God must violate or override to perform a miracle. God is the author and providential Lord over all natural processes.
Wayne Grudem has proposed the following definition of a miracle that avoids the virus of deism while seeking to remain faithful to the Scriptures:
“A miracle is a less common kind of God’s activity in which He arouses people’s awe and wonder and bears witness to Himself.”
Lewis Smedes offers this definition:
“In the biblical view, a miracle is a signal that God is, for a moment and for a special purpose, walking down paths he does not usually walk. A miracle is not a sign that a God who is usually absent is, for the moment, present. It is only a sign that God who is always present in creative power is working here and now in an unfamiliar style.”
Should we consider unusual answers to prayer as miracles? Yes, if they are remarkable enough to arouse awe and wonder and to evoke acknowledgement of God’s power at work. E.g., 1 Kings. 18:24, 36–38; Acts 12:5–17; Acts 28:8. Thus a “miraculous healing” occurs when God, most often but not always in response to prayer, restores health at a rate or to a degree that could not otherwise be produced by normal medical means.
HEALING IS IMPORTANT TODAY
There are some (perhaps many) in the church today who disregard healing because they disregard the body. They believe that to focus on the health and well-being of the body (at least to the degree that you would regularly pray for its healing) is misguided. Our attention is to be more “spiritual” as we focus on the condition of our souls. This is little more than a modern version of ancient Gnosticism.
Among the many beliefs of ancient Gnosticism was that the physical body is not the creation of God. It is evil, as is all matter. The body is a temporary prison-house of the soul, from which all of us will be delivered at death. Gnostics tended to one of two extremes as a result of this belief:
- some were inclined to deprive the body, to punish it, to treat it harshly through ascetic disciplines such as extended fasting and self-flagellation;
- others went to the opposite extreme: they would indulge the body in all forms of sensual pleasure (sex, food, drink, etc.).
The biblical view of the body is, on the other hand, quite positive.
God created us as physical beings. We are both material and immaterial. See Gen. 2:7. The body must be distinguished from the flesh.
- Our bodies were redeemed by the blood of Christ no less than our souls (1 Cor. 6:20).
- Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
- Our bodies are designed “for the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:13).
- Our bodies are members of Christ himself (1 Cor. 6:15).
- Our bodies are capable of being sinned against (1 Cor. 6:18).
- Our bodies are to be used to honor God (1 Cor. 6:20).
- Our bodies will be resurrected and glorified.
- At the judgment seat of Christ we will have to give an account for what we have done in our bodies.
Storms, S. (2006). Divine Healing. Oklahoma City, OK: Sam Storms.
