“We just buried him, but he was healed”

Some years ago, while I was working at a lifestyle center, a guest arrived with prostate cancer that had already spread to his bone. Medically, there was nothing more that could be done for him. In the preceding weeks, his medical records were reviewed by our staff. We could not promise him any miracle cures. Yet, he still came. 

Jim¹ was generally a cheerful and cooperative guest. He attended all the classes, showed up for appointments promptly, walked several times each day, and never complained about his condition and prognosis.

At the close of one of his visits, Dr. Jay Sloop discussed with him the pos­sibility of being anointed. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14, NKJV).

Jim’s response was very curious: “Yes, but I can’t.” That is all he would say. No more explanation. Whenever the topic of anointing was brought up, his response was the same.

On his final visit with Dr. Sloop, he was asked again if he would consider an anointing and responded the same as before. However, Dr. Sloop pressed a little more for an explanation, and finally the story tumbled out. Many months before, Jim had given one of his grandsons an automobile against the wishes of his parents. As a result, his son-in-law refused to talk to him. This brought a terrible rift into the family. He felt a lot of guilt for this mistake, and thus did not feel worthy of being anointed.

Dr. Sloop listened intently and then asked, “Do you think your son-in-law would talk with me?” Jim responded, “I am sure he would.” He dialed the number, and shortly Dr. Sloop was talking with the son-in-law. When asked if he would be willing to talk to his father-in-law, he responded, “Of course.”

Dr. Sloop handed the phone to Jim, then he stepped out of the room to let them talk in private. He went back when the phone conversation ended. With tears in his eyes, Jim smiled and said, “I am ready now.”

An anointing was scheduled for the next day. Jim confessed his mistakes, asked the Lord for forgiveness, and requested healing according to the Lord’s will. The service was short, sweet, and very meaningful.

Several days later, Jim went back to his home, having finished his pro­gram. About two weeks later, he died. Shortly after the funeral, we received a phone call from Jim’s wife. She wanted to thank us for all we had done for him. Although they had just buried Jim, she ended her call with these words: “He was healed during his stay with you!”

How could that be? Just a few days after Jim’s death his wife was saying he had been healed during his stay at our facility. Through this experience, I learned a valuable lesson in healing.

We so often think that if people just eradicate the bad habits of life such as smoking, drinking, sedentary living, or poor diet that they will get better. Yet changing all those habits and more may not bring true healing, for we are more than physical beings. One of the greatest robbers of joy and peace can be the unwillingness to forgive or be forgiven. Harboring bitterness, anger, or resentment can be a deadly habit to our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Only Christ can treat those maladies.

David I. Levy, a neurosurgeon, in his book Gray Matter eloquently described the impact that prayer and forgiveness can have on the process of healing the body and mind.² This captivating book is a must read for all pastors, physicians, and health care workers.

When people come to health edu­cation programs, do we focus only on the harmful habits in their lives, telling them to start exercising, eat better, and quit smoking? Or do we offer to pray with them, listening carefully to their responses, and encouraging them to forgive those who have hurt them, and seek the forgiveness of those they have hurt?

Doing this may be more important to their healing—and much harder­ than teaching them to exercise more, make better food choices, and quit health-destroying habits.