Mental Illness and the Church (part two)

Can mental illness be prayed away? 

It is a fact that from the moment we are born, we are also dying. Very subtle perhaps, but our bodies begin to decay over time and the older we get, the more it does and the faster it does until one day, if we are not killed in some kind of accident, our bodies die of some kind of disease. Not a very comforting thing to think about is it ? 2 Corthinigans 4L16 says this: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day. 

We look forward to the day when these bodies are no longer wasting away when we will have a glorified body. Until then, every part of our bodies will break down and function improperly. To quote Stephen Altrogge, in part, he said this: "My brain, which is a key, central, integral part of my body, will not function properly. Chemicals will become imbalanced. Serotonin will not be properly absorbed. Norepinephrine will be unevenly distributed. Synapses won't fire correctly. My brain, just like every other part of my body is prone to illness." And also, "To say that depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar, and every other disorder are purely spiritual disorders is ignoring the fact that we are both body and soul." See Is Mental Illness Actually Biblical? - Stephen Altrogge 

There is a belief within some churches that mental illness can be prayed away if the person has enough faith. That they do not need medical science to do it. And in fact, believe that it is a spiritual problem, and demonic. Trying to cast a demon out of someone with mental illness can result in a person not only not getting rid of the illness, but can make them worse. I saw that in my own

mother many years ago.  That I believe, can be hurtful for those that are struggling with it. 

Saying the above, do I not believe that God cannot heal someone struggling with a mental illness. Sure he can. Praying for someone that has depression or any other illness is drawing closer to God and asking for his help. And God should be the first one we should turn to ask for help. But he also gives us doctors to help with those illnesses as well. And he may choose to answer our prayer by sending us to the right doctor or directing a doctor to the right kind of medication or treatment that would specifically help the person. 

Mental illness is complex. As is our bodies, both our bodies and our souls. But God knows what we need and he can and will give us the right answers for those struggling with any kind of illness if we put our trust in him. A simple healing? Sure he can do that. However, he may choose medical science to get the person help. He is, after all the one that created us and he knows us best. 

Thanks for coming today Friends. I pray for you a blessed day. Tomorrow is "Happy Fall" so I hope you will come back then.