You are divinely designed to heal.
The last few years have moved health and healing to the forefront of many Christian and secular conversations. The pandemic exposed many of our hearts and fears about life and death. When we examine the Scriptures through the Old and New Testaments along with the life and death and Resurrection of Jesus, we are challenged to view life and health much differently than today’s world encourages.
The Scriptures speak deeply and specifically toward healing and wellness:
We are created in His likeness and image.
He knits us together in our mother’s womb.
He knows the hairs on our heads.
He knows the number of our days.
We are called to be stewards.
We are told we are temples of the Holy Spirit.
We are called to finish our race well.
Yet, many times in the present-day American church, it seems healing and wellness health care are not embraced. My heart is to redirect our scattered focus of today back to the wisdom and guidance of our Great Physician.
Shifting Focus Back to Jehovah Rapha
In many ways, today’s “healthcare” model has become an idol much like the golden calves of Bible times. Today’s fertility gods are ObGyn’s. We use potions and spells in the forms of labels, diagnoses and drugs. We often look first to man, but only as a last resort do we then turn to God.
The divine design of our bodies has indirectly led some to risk tumbling down this slippery slope. The bodies that God gave us are so incredible at help us repair and sustain themselves that many often end up taking them for granted, abusing their physical, emotional and spiritual health due to stress, poor lifestyle choices, over use—even though our bodies then bounce back and heal. However, the Lord gives us free will and it can often lead us down a trail of destruction without respecting this blessing. And when it “breaks down” we often blame God and seek man. My prayer is we can correct this perspective.
The Majesty of His Creation
My life was deeply changed while I was getting my doctorate and we performed work on human cadavers for our anatomy lab. When I saw firsthand the incredible and intricate design of the human body, I was overwhelmed by His majesty, power and provision in our lives, specifically as it relates to our bodies and health.
Let me share a few incredible facts about the human body and God’s creation…
Your body is made up of 50-100 trillion cells, that are all performing trillions of interactions every second, of everyday, even while you sleep.
Each kidney has over one million tiny filters to help clean and detox your body.
You can remove 75% of the liver and it will regrow within six weeks.
In all of human history “man” has not been able to create one single cell from scratch, yet your body has made millions in the few minutes you have been reading this.
From these fundamental details, I hope you are reminded, inspired and empowered by how incredible the human body is that God has given each of us, created in His holy image. It is my prayer this knowledge leads to understanding that will overcome and remove fears we often have about our health, disease and symptoms while increasing our faith in Him as our Healer.
Of course, there a time and place for emergency medical intervention, but this is a small proportion of healthcare. The rest of healthcare falls into the category of lifestyle, wellness and stewardship, yet many of us do not assume that responsibility and instead we hand it over to today’s modern idol of medicine.
Here are a few additional startling statistics that may surprise you:
In the USA, the 3rd leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer, is medical care itself.
The USA is ranked 33rd in longevity in the world.
Americans are only 5% of the global population, yet we consume a majority of the prescription drugs.
Americans have one of the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world.
Research has shown that both heart disease and cancer are significantly related to our lifestyles and not genetics.
As believers in Christ, what are we to do with this information? What does being a good steward of our health look like? In many ways, our poor stewardship has been that slippery slope of cultural influence in over four hours a day on social media, we are more sedentary than ever, we are more stressed than ever, we often eat more processed and unhealthy food, many people are taking multiple prescription drugs daily. And yet we don’t even consider whether any of this is in alignment with God’s plans for our lives or not.
In most of today’s studies, people are just as sick and stressed inside the church as outside the church—something definitely is not adding up. We have been called to be a set apart people, our lives ought to bear that fruit.
Here’s How to Engage, Steward Your Health
Just as we are called to know the Word of God so it is written on our hearts, and we need to spend time with the Word of God and the Lord Himself to know His heart and ways, the same is true with our health. Many of us simply have not invested the time learning how to properly care for the bodies God gave us.
We are often too caught up living like the rest of the world, burning the candle at both ends, living on coffee and energy drinks that burn out our bodies. We need to take a deep breath. Take time to be intentional and build a strong foundational understanding of the goodness and majesty of the divine design of our bodies, and build our faith and trust in God’s ability and desire to heal us, while at the same time, being good stewards of what He has provided us.
In many ways, our health lives should be like the book of James. It’s a balanced tension of faith and works. As our faith increases, the fruit of our lives should as well. As we appreciate the lives and bodies the Lord has given us, we express our gratitude to Him.
Water of Life
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let him who hears say, ‘Come.’ Let him who is thirsty come. Let him who desires take the water of life freely,” (Rev. 22:17, MEV). These are nearly the last words of the Holy Scriptures. They are Jesus’ words to the world. A final call. An opportunity to drink the living water, to taste of His goodness forever.
While we have talked a lot about caring for the bodies God has given us, make no mistake, we will all face the throne of judgment.
Don’t miss your chance.
Don’t settle for the things of this world. Call on the Lord. He will answer.
Take Heart
His desires are for you to drink of His goodness, to be saved. Seek Him. Yearn for Him.
Take Action
If you have any doubt about your salvation or relationship with the living Christ, pray to Him now. Ask Him to save you. Repent and be saved. Only He saves. Forever and ever. Amen.
Ben Rall, DC, is a wellness‐based chiropractor who has taught tens of thousands of people over the last 20 years about the healing power of Jesus Christ. His new book, Designed to Heal, was released earlier this year. He lives in Orlando, Florida, with his wife, Megan, and their two children.
