Excerpt from Acts 28:1-10

"It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery.  Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him."

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

Our God is a healing God.  Sometimes God heals through the ways in which we have been created, with wondrous immune systems and with bodies that are able to recover from injury.  Sometimes God heals through the skill and expertise of doctors.  But scripture also affirms, and experience confirms, that prayer also can be an instrument of healing.  Any of these forms of healing can be called miraculous, because the word miracle means, literally, "a sign that points to God."  

If we are skeptical about the role of prayer in healing it may be because there is a tendency in our time to talk of human beings as made up of distinct parts:  we are physical beings, emotional beings and spiritual beings.  The Bible, however, points us back to an understanding that these aspects of our lives are inextricably intertwined.  They are all of a piece.  God does not just care for our spiritual lives.  God cares for us as whole people.

Prayers are not magic words which, if said in the right way, necessarily will bring about the desired result.  Rather, prayer is a way to enter into a relationship with the God who cares for us body and soul.  And if someone else is offering prayers for our healing, we are also drawing on the ways in which we are bound in community.  For those seeking healing, such prayers can make all the difference.

Prayer

O God, you care for me personally and as a whole person, so I am bold to ask:  heal me in the ways I need to be healed.  Amen.

Martin B. Copenhaver

About the Author Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts. He is the author, with Lillian Daniel, of This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers.

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