Boy Dies Because Parents Prayed for Faith-Healing Without Seeking Medical AttentionA two-year-old Philadelphia boy died this past January because his parents did not take him to get medical attention when he was sick. It wasn’t because the parents didn’t care. It wasn’t because the parents didn’t notice their child’s symptoms. Rather, the boys parents are ardent believers in faith-healing, and they watched their son die while they “prayed to God for victory …[that the boy] would be raised up.”
The dead boy’s parents are now facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter, and endangering the welfare of a child. The Assistant District Attorney responsible for charging the parents said, “At no time [the day the boy died], nor in the week-and-a-half prior, did [the boy’s parents] seek medical attention for their son despite his sore throat, congestion, liquid bowel movements, sleeplessness, and trouble swallowing.” She went on to say that a “simple visit” to the doctor for antibiotics may have kept the child alive.
The parents are members of First Century Gospel Church, which believes that those who are sick should be healed through prayer alone, without the use of medicine.
While I believe that God can and does miraculously heal people, and while I have seen God heal people before my very eyes, and while I believe strongly in following the biblical command to “pray for those who are sick” (James 5:16), I nevertheless believe that God has given us a brain, and he expects us to use it! Unfortunately, this tragic story (like many others very similar to it) showcases the foolishness of two parents who no doubt meant well, but who simply were not using the brains that God had given them to their best ability.
More than brains, God gives us other things that he expects us to use! For instance, while this couple was praying for their sick son, God had provided intelligent doctors and potent medicines that were at their disposal that no doubt may have been exactly what was needed to save the boy’s life. And yet the desire of this couple nevertheless remained to see God miraculously heal their son in the way that “they” deemed that he should. In other words, they tried to put God in a box and dictate how God should behave according to their own determined ideas.
This reminds me of the often told tale about the man who was trapped on the roof of his house in the wake of a major flood. As the story goes, the man prayed and prayed, “God, please save me from this disaster! Spare my life!” Meanwhile, a rescue boat passed the man’s house and those on board beckoned the man to jump aboard, but the man said, “No thank you! I’m waiting on God to save me!” Next, a helicopter flew over the man’s house and a rope was lowered down towards the man, but the man waved off the helicopter and shouted, “Thanks, but I’m staying right here! God will save me!” Before long, the man ultimately dies in the flood. When he enters the gates of heaven, he asks God first-thing, “Why didn’t you save me from the flood?” And God answers the man, “I sent you a boat. I sent you a helicopter. I tried to save you, but you just wouldn’t let me.” (I believe there were actually three attempts to save the man in the original tale, but please pardon me for forgetting all of the details).
Here’s the question you should ask yourself: “Am I putting God in a box and expecting him to move according to my plans and ideas?” Like the parents who lost their son, and like the tale of the man who lost his own life, sometimes you and I can make the same mistake – maybe not so much about matters concerning life and death (albeit it’s possible), but most likely regarding other issues. We place God in a box when we pray about anything and then expect God to act and respond to our prayers in conjunction with our own predetermined ideas. This is foolishness on our part, and I believe it results in our missing out on many blessings from God. Perhaps there are a multitude of prayers that have gone seemingly unanswered because we have dictated how God’s answer must be revealed.
Starting today, may we endeavor to un-box God and let him move how he sees fit. May we use the brains he has given us, and may we acknowledge that God might use people and things around us in ways we might not expect … or prefer, for that matter.
Further Contemplation (Regarding the Above Article)
1. Are you seeking an answer from God, or perhaps some form of direction, and it seems like God is ignoring you? Could it be that instead you are ignoring his prerogative to answer you in any way he sees fit? Maybe God’s answers will be (or have been) sent through people and things that you would not have expected or preferred. Let God out of your box!
2. Are you praying for a miracle regarding some situation, and you’ve told God exactly how and who and when this miracle should happen? Basically, you’ve written the script for your miracle, and you expect God to win an Emmy when he makes it happen just the way you’ve laid it out? Let God out of your box!
3. Are there people and things around you (including the full use of your brain) that you have been neglecting and under-appreciating because you’ve thought you’ve got God’s plans all figured out? Let God out of your box!
