Not long ago an editorial cartoon appeared in a West Coast newspaper that caricatured reliance on prayer for healing as little more than irrational faith overshadowed by the specter of death. It was a brutal statement and one that requires a healing response.
The fact of the matter is, many people today do view themselves as far removed from the immediate care of God—even if they believe that God exists. Many don't consider themselves good enough to expect such healing experience, as if one needed to be a saint to be healed or to heal through prayer. Others may simply feel that such close association with God is an unexplored area of life.
If we think of God, ourselves, spiritual healing, and New Testament Christianity in this kind of context, God's presence and power will seem remote in the middle of human suffering, or even when we are in the midst of just plain, ordinary daily routine.
