Prayer and Medicine
Every pill we prescribe has a risk of doing good or harm. To rely on personal experience and education is not enough, no matter how many times the treatment has worked previously. Not only doctors, but lawyers, accountants, financial advisers and all who make decisions for others would do well to offer prayer to those they serve. Offering prayer is honest because no matter how good you are, you cannot control the outcome. In most cases, we are paid even if the patient or client loses something valuable.
What do you think of someone who apologizes after making mistake? To apologize is to admit that we are fallible humans and not god-like. It feels as if we are weak when we humble ourselves and apologize, yet it is only the secure that are able to do this; insecure people will not admit that they are wrong. It is the strong who admit their humanity and have the power to restore relationship.
Medicine and faith
Similarly, an offer to pray is an acknowledgment that we are not god-like, no matter how extensive our experience or education. Medicine and faith can and should work together. The heart of the matter is that prayer requires humility and goes against our training and the work we have put into making our name great. Prayer with the patient or client is because we desire the best for them. Because a mistake is possible, prayer requires authenticity, courage, and confidence.
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