The Lord's Healing Words: Six Months of Daily Readings from the Bible on Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health (With Commentary)

Contents

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

CAUTION

NOTE ON THE USE OF GENDER TERMS

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION

PHYSICAL HEALTH

MENTAL HEALTH

FOR FURTHER READING

About the Author

FOREWORD

Health is a precious gift enabling us as human beings to engage fully in the enjoyment of life. I would define health as a state of wholeness of body, mind and spirit. The Lord God is the creator and Provider of health. Our wholeness is dependent upon our relationship with Him. This book opens the door to a rich relationship that can be ours with Him through His Word concerning health and healing. The Lord cares deeply for each of us as individuals. He has provided His wisdom and counsel on behalf of our health: it is interwoven throughout the bible. The Lord’s Healing Words extracts His teachings on health from both the Old and New Testaments and supplies wise commentary on their relevance to our health today. Reading, thinking, meditating and praying about the Lord’s admonitions can result in a change in our behavior that will be beneficial to our health.

One of the founders of our country, Thomas Jefferson, recognized the fundamental importance of health when he stated, Without health there can be no happiness; an attention health, therefore, should take the place of every other object. Yet health is so requisite to life that it usually is valued only when it is compromised. An attention to health receives little priority in the daily lives of most of us. This is where careful study of the Lord’s Word can help us raise health to the conscious level.

The discipline of medicine has made astounding advances in our understanding of human physiology and disease during the last century. Through such fields as molecular genetics, cell signaling, developmental biology, structural biology, computational biology and imaging science, we now understand many of the cellular and molecular processes governing human life and initiating disease. The Human Genome Project has given us the entire genetic code for man. Research on the some 400,000 proteins encoded by the 35,000 genes will help us to answer many important questions. We will translate this information into a cure for some diseases, alleviation of human suffering and improved prevention.

Yet with all these advances in medical science, our health will still require our own personal and individual commitment. Twenty-first century medicine will empower the patient to take charge of his or her health in partnership with the physician. Questions will be raised concerning both what is scientifically available and which of the available alternatives is right. Here it is crucial that we turn to the Lord for the answers. He has set the standards governing our actions that are from everlasting to everlasting. His words, the same throughout the centuries, are just as compelling and pertinent to our health today as they were when they were first written.

I have very much enjoyed and benefited from reading and thinking about The Lord’s Healing Words. I commend this book most enthusiastically to you.

Robert M. Carey, M.D., M.A.C.P.

The University of Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

6 May 2001

INTRODUCTION

The Bible speaks to everyday life, and has much to say about health and happiness. Light shines out from every page to guide us into the way of peace. If we follow the wisdom of the Scriptures, we shall enjoy a quality of life unknown to others.

This collection of Scriptures about physical and mental health is incomplete. Many other passages could have been cited. Those included could also have been assigned to different categories, for some passages have several different applications.

The contents of this volume took many years to compile and compose. The process began in 1978, when my wife and I returned from our first term of missionaries in Taiwan. We had had to come home early, because my health had broken down. Physically, I was thin and frail, unable to walk more than a few hundred yards at a time. Emotionally, I was depressed because of my failure to cope as a missionary. Spiritually, I was wondering why I had not been able to trust God more when facing the pressures of life in a foreign land.

I began searching the Bible for what it teaches on total health, collected those passages into a short book, and submitted it to a publisher in Taiwan. The editor showed interest, but said that each passage really needed a short explanation in order for readers to derive the full benefit of my studies. The first version of this book, published in Chinese as Living More Healthily, was the result.

Over time, God granted me substantial healing, and we returned to Taiwan to serve for two more terms - a total of seven years. During that time, I had sufficient energy for each day’s work, and never doubted God’s presence, pardon, or power. Had I been more attentive to my own body, however, I would have noticed that it was aching all over almost every day. My joy in my work and with life in general masked the pain and blinded me from its significance.

In the fall of 2001, I finally broke down even more decisively than I had in 1978. It took a year of tests and medical doctors’ examinations to discover that I suffered from something like fibromyalgia (FMS). Though I lacked the necessary tender points required for a diagnosis of FMS, more than twenty other symptoms connected with that condition put me in a similar category.

Ever since 1978, I had assiduously read all I could about health, and had tried to watch my diet, avoiding too much meat, dairy, and refined products. Still, my physical health had declined and I now found myself mildly, but chronically, depressed. Further reading, including a re-reading of this book in order to expand and revise it, convinced me once more of the intimate connection between body, mind, and spirit. To my dismay, I discovered that I had not been living by the principles contained in these pages!

Now, in the winter of 2006, I am happy to say that God has largely restored my health. In almost every way, I am stronger, healthier, and happier than I have been in many years. The major credit must go to the Lord who has graciously delivered me from almost all symptoms of the FMS-like condition which had plagued me for decades.

Part of that healing process, however, has included a more consistent attempt to live by the teachings of the Bible. More than ever, I believe that if we believe and obey the inspired Scriptures, we shall be more likely to enjoy better physical, mental, and spiritual health (although see the caution below).

So, I once again issue this volume with a strong belief in the power of the Lord’s healing words. May each reader be greatly blessed by the same God who has been so kind to me.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank those who have helped me make this book better than it otherwise would have been.

Several friends have kindly read all or part of the manuscript and given valuable suggestions. They include:

People with bio-medical training:

Donald Baker, Ph.D.

Richard Bohannon, Ph.D.

James Goble, D.D.S.

Carl Haynes, M.D.

Henry R. Lesesne, M.D. and his wife Jean (a speech therapist)

Robert M. Carey, M.D., M.A.C.P. (Dean of the University of Virginia Medical School) kindly provided an elegant preface after having read the manuscript several times and made many specific recommendations for improvement.

Counselors:

The Rev. Lee Copeland, M.Div., M.A.

The Rev. Wendall Friest, M.Div., Ph.D.

The Rev. John Kuebler, M.Div., M.A.

Pastors:

The Rev. James Abrahamson, Th.M.

The Rev. Tom Darnell, M.A.

The Rev. Tony Giles, M.Div.

Michael Dowling, M.B.A., also made many helpful suggestions, as did Bill Jones and Omelia Chan. Richard McClintock, M.A., Ph.D., of Hampden-Sydney University, provided invaluable advice about both form and content, as did Richard Thurston, M.Div., M.A. CPA, and Rachel Sivalia, M.A. Valentina Minak made necessary corrections. At the last minute, Iris Lin solved a computer problem that had stumped experts; without her help, the book could not have been printed. I especially want to thank my wife, who is my best teacher. To her, my faithful companion since 1967, I gratefully dedicate this work. Mistakes which remain are my own responsibility. Please bring them to my attention, so that any future edition can be improved. May God himself use this book to increase your health and joy!

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Read slowly. Consider only one reading each day. The selections are numbered so that you can plan to read through the book twice in one year.

First ponder the meaning of the Bible passage quoted. Then read the explanatory comment.

Think about what you read. Ask questions, such as, How does this apply to me? Does my situation differ significantly from what this passage describes? Have I met the conditions laid down for healing?

Some texts have both a physical and a spiritual application. We urge the reader to study all these passages on your own, in their original context. Follow up the cross-references supplied, and supplement them with your own cross-references and notes.

Decide to act upon what you learn.

Pray for God to work His word into your daily life.

Vary your approach occasionally:

Try to read consecutively, gaining a balanced view of the Bible’s teaching about physical and mental health.

Consult the Table of Contents for passages dealing with a theme of particular interest to you at the time.

Again - Read slowly! Do not try to finish this book all at once. I have repeated some important ideas, for emphasis. This repetition might irritate those who rush through, for they will encounter the same thought often in a short period of time.

Note: If a passage contains several verses, and if these are referred to in the explanation, only the verse number will be indicated. So (20) is verse twenty from that same chapter that is quoted at the beginning of the entry for that day.

CAUTION

Do not consider this collection of Scriptures with comments as a medical manual. Do not attempt home treatment for acute or chronic pain without first consulting a physician!

We do not believe that the Bible teaches that all disease and pain will be removed in this life. We await the resurrection of our bodies for full healing. This book is not intended to foster the notion that we can always expect God to heal us completely, even if we have faith and obey him. He may allow us to suffer from something like Paul’s thorn in the flesh.

If God does allow us to suffer, then we can be assured that he will also grant us grace sufficient to bear our afflictions, and that Jesus, who endured the unspeakable agonies of the cross, understands how we feel.

NOTE ON THE USE OF GENDER TERMS

I have used the masculine pronoun to stand for both male and female references. This practice not only makes for a less awkward style, but also reflects the usage of the original languages of the Bible. In Hebrew and Greek, when the author meant to refer to people in general, he used the masculine pronoun. Further specification could make gender distinctions clearer when necessary.

Far from implying a lower regard for women, this convention emphasizes the unity of the human race. It also reminds men to look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of women.

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ (John 5:6).

Jesus’ question to a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years challenges us still.

Reading the words that follow will do us no good if we do not want to enjoy total physical, mental, and spiritual health.

That is nonsense! you reply. Everyone wants to be healthy and happy!

To some degree, that is true. On the other hand, the world is filled with people who do not care enough to do what is necessary to be made well in body, mind, and spirit.

Some of what follows will seem rather like simple common sense to you. For example, I recommend that we wear seat belts when we ride in a car. And yet, thousands of passengers suffer major injuries each year because they would not follow this simple safety precaution. Why?

Many other motives crowd out our innate desire for health and happiness. Fear, greed, envy, lust, resentment, laziness, pride – to name a few – interfere with our well-being. They bind us in chains of our own making and prevent us from enjoying life as much as we could.

So, dear Reader, you must have the courage to face the forces that hold you back from an abundant life. When your mind agrees with the teaching of the Bible but your heart holds back, ask for wisdom to know why you do not want to be well. You will also need the humility to admit that you are the main impediment to your own happiness and to turn to your Maker for liberation from all that keeps you in unnecessary bondage.

My suggestion: When something you read in this book seems either ridiculously easy or impossibly hard, return to this page and reflect upon the deepest desires of your heart. Then ask God to strengthen you to want to be well!

PHYSICAL HEALTH

I. LIFESTYLE

Today we see a number of what are called lifestyle diseases. That is, they result, not from some virus or infection, but from the way we live.

The Bible speaks clearly about lifestyle and promises us that if we follow God’s principles we shall live longer, happier, lives.

LONG LIFE

1.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

Proverbs 9:10-11

My son, do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;

For length of days and long life

And peace they will add to you.

Proverbs 3:1-2

God promises long life to those who fear him and obey his teaching. We fear God when we reverence him, treat him with awe and respect, and heed his words. We find his words written in what the writer of this passage called God’s law. In addition to the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai fourteen hundred years before Christ, the law of God is all the instructions he has revealed to his people through special messengers, and written down in the Bible.

God gave these teachings for the good of his people. If we obey, life will go well for us. This is a general promise, and contains a general truth, that obedience to God is good for man.

We may not take this as an absolute rule for all people at all times; many true followers of God have died young.

On the other hand, this promise will find complete fulfillment when Christ raises believers from the dead on the last day. At that time, they will receive a glorified body that will live in perfect peace and happiness forever.

2.

He who trusts in his riches will fall,

But the righteous will flourish like foliage.

Proverbs 11:28

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree...

They will still yield fruit in old age;

They shall be full of sap and very green...

Psalm 92:12, 14 NASB

As we shall see in the following pages, obedience to God often brings life and health and peace. True believers will try to fill their mind with happy thoughts; they need not waste away with worry; they will try to avoid harmful practices like over-eating, drunkenness, smoking, law-breaking and violence. In these and many other ways, they can preserve their strength even to old age.

As a result, they will provide shade for others. Their wise living will benefit not only themselves but those around them. They will not only exist; they will enjoy true and abundant life!

Of course, all this depends upon God’s sovereign grace: he may allow one of his people to meet an early death through illness, accident or disaster, human or natural. Stephen, for example, died young, though he was righteous.

3.

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,

And the years of your life will be many.

Proverbs 4:10

Forsake foolishness and live...

For by me [Wisdom] your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

Proverbs 9:6, 11

The fear of the LORD prolongs days [life],

But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Proverbs 10:27

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who keeps [watches] his way preserves his soul [life].

Proverbs 16:17

The years of those who sin may be shortened, because God has created us to live righteously; when we don’t, we pay the consequences. For example: those who break God’s laws about sexual purity may die of venereal disease or AIDS. Those who resort to violence may be killed. If we break traffic laws, we may die in an accident. People who harbor resentment often develop illnesses which can lead to a premature death. In general, however, those who obey God’s laws live longer.

HEALTH

Not only length of days, but a generally healthy life, will come to those who heed God’s words.

4.

My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh [body].

Proverbs 4:20-22

Children should hear and heed their parents’ words.

If a child obeys his parents, he will avoid harm. To the degree that his parents give wise counsel, obedience will bring the child health and happiness. They will tell him what to eat and when to rest.