Pain and our ability to cope with pain are problems common to all people of all cultures. For  years, mission organizations have realized that helping people deal with physical issues opens the door to deeper discussions about Jesus. Many people have benefited from this work  worldwide.  

However, we do not always do an adequate job helping our people connect to the reality of physical pain as a spiritual issue. This leaves our people searching for answers from secular authorities. I believe the church needs to reclaim a healthy view of the spiritual aspect of pain and the struggles it causes in our people.

In my experience as both a physical therapist and pastor, individuals who identify themselves primarily as children of God are less likely to see their pain as an attack from God. Instead, like Paul, who prayed for his affliction to be healed, but was satisfied with God’s answer “my Grace is enough” people are able to live a relatively normal life despite the presence of their pain.

In contrast, those who find their identity outside of Jesus have a much different physical and  spiritual reaction. Rooting their identity in the diagnosis above their identity in Jesus, creates an existential crisis that can manifest in physical pain even though the root cause is a spiritual struggle. There is a fearful anxiety in their lives for they bear not only the physical strain, but also the deeper spiritual struggle.

The Church’s Role in Healing

The church is called to help restore the broken image of God in other’s lives. This is the first step in helping someone heal spiritually, which often leads to the alleviation of physical conditions.  

There is a great example of this in John 5. Jesus is walking to the Temple and there is a man who  has been crippled for 38 years. Jesus asks him if he wants to get well- why would he ask that? Immediately the guy makes excuses for why he cannot get into the pool, “I don’t have anyone to get me in there and someone always beats me to it.” He has identified with his condition. 

Later, when Jesus sees him again, he does not even mention the healing. Instead, Jesus asks about how he is doing and tells him not to sin anymore. Apparently, for 38 years this man harbored some spiritual condition that manifested as a physical issue. Jesus addressed the whole man. He healed his physical issues, he dealt with his emotional social need of waiting for someone to help him and then he dealt with his spiritual issues by telling him not to sin. This man’s pain was more than just being crippled, and Jesus knew it.

Healing as a Holistic Process

Healing has to address the reality of a spiritual dimension. Discussing the person’s issue through the lens of a fractured image of God can be both transformational and an invitation into deeper  conversations about their relationship with Jesus. Physical struggles lead people to ask many questions: Why Me?, Does God love Me?, etc. There are spiritual conflicts in our lives that are  often being ignored. 

Dear church and church leaders, your people are asking these questions! If you do not address it,  they will seek out the answers elsewhere. I feel the church needs a clearer voice so our people do not seek out answers from secular sources. While secular sources may alleviate physical symptoms, they cannot address the spiritual questions people are asking.

We must seek understanding of how to pray for Jesus’ complete healing while working alongside the medical system. God can and does do anything he wills. We all long for the miraculous instant miracle of healing. I have seen it many times, but I have also seen gradual healing as the person works through their spiritual blockades while working through physical healing. In this way the entire person is treated. 

Practical Steps for Addressing Pain

• Realize that God can and does use trained professionals to aid in the healing process.  
• God not healing someone immediately or the way they perceive healing needs to happen does not mean God has abandoned them.  
• Ask God to reveal any underlying spiritual cause.  
• Being made in the Image of God means we are built to be in harmony with God, the world and others. Ask God if these relationships need restoring before healing can take place.
• Lastly (although not less important), discuss any unconfessed sin the person is harboring that is hindering their healing process.

The Transformational Power of Confession

I often ask my congregation to start writing a list of unconfessed sin during their prayer time. This may take a week or more to complete. Once there are no more sins to write down, the prayer becomes simply: God, show me anything else and then wait. When the Holy Spirit does not bring any other sins to mind, confess the sins out loud. This can be done alone with Jesus or with another trusted Christian friend. Once the confession is complete, the list is burned to represent the freeing of the sin. This is an important time of discipleship centered around forgiveness and the attacks of the enemy. Once sin is confessed, it is under the blood of Jesus and does not need not be brought up any further. People sometimes have ongoing regret about their sin issue and will want to keep confessing or reliving a confessed sin. As long as there’s no return to the sinful action, the individual needs to realize this is unnecessary.  

Restoring the Image of God

Helping someone work through the process of restoring their broken image of God is a  significant step in dealing with their pain. By including the spiritual aspect of pain, we allow the healing power of Jesus to touch all areas of their lives, bringing wholeness to their body and spirit. 

And that resulting wholeness is indeed good news to be shared.