Health & Healing

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“It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” -- Proverbs 3:8

Solomon warned us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and he told us not to lean on our own understanding. As we acknowledge God in all our ways He will direct our path. He advised us not to be wise in our own eyes, but to fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Once we do this the wisdom of God who provides healing for our flesh and refreshing for our bones will prevail.

I never considered the importance of wisdom in maintaining our health and emotional well-being until I read about what Solomon wrote. It is true that sometimes ignorance can make us unwell as well as leaning on our own understanding. Trusting in ourselves rather than relying on God can mean that we are not fully surrendered and this produces a lot of stress and anxiety. Trusting God, being surrendered relieves us of the stress and worry of trying to do things in our own strength.

Most times when we consider health, we think of physical health which relates to the absence of pain and physical ailment. Many illnesses, however, originate from having an unsettled heart and mind which has a negative impact on our emotional well-being. This then leads to stress, worry and anxiety which can then have a knock-on effect on our health. What I mean is that many of the symptoms that produce lifestyle illnesses originate from difficult emotions such as anger, frustration, guilt, shame, isolation and fear. What this means is that negative emotions can make us unwell. And to manage our emotions well can help us to maintain good health.

‘’Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.’’ (2 John 1:2)

John’s reference to the saints prospers in all things, and being in health also relates to the soul prospering. The soul is the seat of the mind, the will, and our emotions. He was saying that he hoped our minds would be at peace, not that our will would be submitted to God and that our emotions would be in alignment to God's will and purpose.

There are times when our will and emotions can be out of alignment. For example, if we're harboring unresolved or difficult emotions. Bitterness and anger for example, can result from experiencing disappointment from the people who we love or trust to treat us well. The disappointment comes from unmet expectations of people to treat us in a certain way.

Anger is ok when expressed appropriately and if we don't harbor this for long periods of time. Holding on to anger for example, can cause our soul to become unwell and can lead to symptoms of additional ill health in our body.

In Job 10:1, Job spoke of hating his own life and vented his frustration. He spoke from the bitterness of his soul. Job was unwell as the Lord gave satan permission to touch his body to cover him in boils. The bitterness which Job felt was not just in relation to his physical health, but he was also grief stricken after losing his children and all his wealth.

The trial which Job experienced was the test of his faith and he was eventually restored as God gave him twice as much as he had before. During the time of his calamity, Job also became bitter towards his friends because they spoke in a manner which felt like condemnation. Despite their ignorance, God instructed Job to pray for his friends and as once he was obedient, he was then restored (Job 42: 10-17).

We don't have a Biblical explanation for every form of illness, and we see this example in John 9:3, of the man who was born blind. When Jesus and His disciples approached this blind man, they questioned him about whose sin had caused the man to be blind. What this suggests or clarifies is that sin and disobedience can open the door for illness and infirmity. We saw this example with Elisha’s servant who inherited Naaman’s leprosy due to greed, covetousness and deceit (2 Kings 5:27). As it relates to the blind man, Jesus said that he was born blind so that the work of God might be manifested in Him. We could call his blindness redemptive suffering, which God allowed to demonstrate His power and strength to the world. By this man's healing others will believe and the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and they should also increase their faith for healing.

The sick are instructed to call for the elders of the church to lay hands on them and anoint them with oil so that they can be healed (James 5:14). We don't have all of the answers to life’s challenges and there isn't an explanation for every time that a person becomes ill. There are many indications in Scripture about what we can do to walk in divine health such as, treating our bodies as a temple unto God, which means honoring our body and treating it well. It means eating healthy, incorporating movement and exercise where possible and avoiding our exposure the stress and anxiety. Getting enough sleep and rest is important for our health and vitality. Rest goes beyond sleep as there is a need for us to take breaks from work, from caring responsibilities and all the activities help make a demand on our time and energy.

Prayer and meditation are helpful tools to eliminate stress and other difficult emotions such as resentment and fear. There are times when we need the help of a professional when we are struggling to contain difficult emotions and we need the guidance and support to be set free. God wants us to be well in our bodies, our souls and minds and He gives us His peace to help us rest in Him.

‘’Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’’ (Matthew 11: 28-29)