How Do We Pray When Faced With Hopeless Situations?
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Isaiah 4-:30-31
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
One of the very difficult issues most health professionals face in their spiritual lives is dealing with apparently futile situations. We see a lot of them. Our scientific training
forces us to recognize that some situations are medically futile. And we are often the ones who must take the lead in helping patients and their families accept and deal with reality when they want to remain in denial. These thoughts from a sermon by Dr. Rob Boyd were helpful to me at a time it was needed in my life.
Our training to remain "objective" in dealing with difficult medical situations and the repetitive dealing with death and dying often lead to a cynicism about God's response to futility. I often find myself thinking along these skeptical lines when I hear others pray for healing from God for a patient that has no medical hope of recovery. This attitude makes it hard for many of us to turn to God with complete faith and trust when dealing with futile situations.
So how do we pray for hopeless situations? We can pray with confidence that God answers all prayers. Perhaps he doesn't answer when and how we desire. But God always answers our prayers. And, despite our cynicism, we must believe that He still can answer prayer through divine intervention. Just as God opened up the Red Sea for the Hebrew children, He still can deal with futile situations with His direct, unexplained intervention.
Who among us has not dealt with patients who had unexpected and unexplained recoveries from apparently fatal health problems? For the unbelieving health professional, there may be a need to attempt to explain away the unexpected outcome. I am happy knowing that in every apparently futile situation, medical or non-medical, there is always hope beyond what we can explain. There are times God allows us to soar on wings like eagles.
Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for continuing to perform miracles among us today. Protect us from the cynicism of this world and keep us in your care.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
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