Energy Healing and the Christian Part 1

Energy Medicine is a really important topic for both massage therapists and their clients.  Mention the subject in a room of therapists and you will observe people taking pro and con sides immediately.  The same thing happens in church.  This subject is important for at least a couple of reasons:

1. If Energy based approaches are quackery then the public is being deceived and/or ripped off and therapists are deceived or lying and stealing.  

2. If Energy based approaches are of the occult the public is being subjected to demonic influence and this is being done through their therapists.

Part of delving into this subject is to determine what is meant by the term “energy medicine.”  We need to do this because if we do not define our terms at the beginning we will fail to communicate.  We will be talking past each other without even knowing it.  The definition is all important. 

One attack against the use of energy medicine is that no such thing is possible since energy is simply the ability to do work.  The energy practitioner does not describe or define energy in this way.  The critic has set up a concept that the energy practitioner does not hold and dismisses the concept as untenable simply on the basis of the use of language.  I find this type of argument unsatisfying.

The belief of the energy practitioner (EP) is that there is some type of force or “energy field” that the EP can feel in another body.  They believe that they are able to manipulate this “energy” in such a way as to have a positive influence on the health of the person they are treating.  This is frequently described in terms of heat.

What are we to say to this as Christians?  How are we to evaluate such claims?  I have some ideas that I want to share but I think it is imperative that before I give any such information I do so with an important caveat.  We need to evaluate each person in terms of what they actually believe.  If a person tells us that they do not use power symbols, spirit guides, or other occult practices it is important that we accept that claim.  We may need to ask a few more questions to actually clarify and be sure.  If the person maintains that they are not participating in the occult and our only evidence is the name of their method – we should treat this person charitably and not attribute to them what they actively say that they are not doing.

One of the biggest issues that I have with the concept of treating an energy field is that in at least 2 studies I have read the participants were not able to identify one under controlled conditions.  [i],[ii] A 1,000,000 challenge by the James Randi Educational Foundation has been offered to anyone who will demonstrate the existence of a human energy field under controlled conditions.  This has not been done. 

It is not as if I have not had exposure to people who do this type of work.  I have on a number of occasions.  It is not that I am ignorant of the science behind the ideas – I have read some of the best books on the subject.[iii] [iv] [v] [vi]

It is certainly of concern that it has not been shown that the energy field exists.  The books and web sites that try to lay a foundation for the practice often begin with occult or pseudoscientific explanations of the topic. Spiritually, the occult foundations and practices are of much greater importance than the lack of proof for the energy field.  The first raises spiritual concerns and the second intellectual issues.

Deu 18:9-15  "When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.  "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear…”

This passage alerts us to the spiritual issues.  We find here a veritable grocery list of occult practices.  The magicians and sorcerers of old are the precursors of many of our “modern” energy healers.  They too had rituals to prepare them to intervene in the health of others.  We need to be as wary as the original hearers of this passage were to be.  The contrast could not be more clear.  The final section about the prophet is referring to Jesus.  There is a contrast between those using occult/spiritual methods of healing and Christ.

The practice of Reiki requires an attunement.  This is a spiritual happening.  The following is an explanation of why one needs this as an initiation into Reiki:

“I am sure that there are those who worked with energy work much longer than I had when they took their first Reiki class. They may question why it is necessary to be initiated into something that they believed already existed within them. I would have two responses to them. Would the neophyte believe in this natural gift from Spirit of healing self and others without the ritual? Secondly, as the “Oxford Dictionary” indicates, initiation is also “admission to the knowledge or instruction in the elements of any subject or practice.” Is this not the process that Dr. Usui went through when he received the Reiki keys to healing from Spirit?

As a teacher I have seen my students many reactions to the process of receiving an initiation. In varying degrees each student has been touched in some special way by Spirit. Initiations are a part of the process of reconnection to Spirit and a beginning of a new or renewed walk down the path of life. Many doors are opened in this sacred ritual.” [vii]

Notice the description refers to the “Spirit.”  Dr Usui is said to have received the “Reiki keys to healing from Spirit.”  This certainly sounds like occult practice.  It is certainly not the God of the Bible giving out this information.  These ideas of an energy field are wedded to a view of the world that view “energy” as a manifestation that all that exists is one.  This is a view that is inconsistent with the biblical concept of the creator creature distinction in my previous post (http://christianpainmanagement.blogspot.com/2014/02/massage-therapy-and-creatorcreature.html).  If you are not familiar with this concept you should read that post before continuing.

We see the same thing in Therapeutic Touch.  The practice was developed by a medium and each visit the practitioner is to “center” themself in ways that mirror that background.  Look at this description of the process: 

“From this extemporaneous account one realizes that the importance of sustained centering throughout the healing act is that it becomes an act of interiority, an act of self-exploration. This shift in consciousness sets up conditions that attract the TT therapist’s inner self to take an intimate part in the therapist’s life activities. We have profiled the changes in the TT therapist that are characteristic of this shift:

There is a rapid psychomotor quieting of the physical body,

A significant lessening of usually uncontrollable verbalizations (“monkey chatter”) in the brain,

A sense of timelessness pervades,

A profound stillness and a sense of peace,

A diminution or shift of egocentric focus

* There is greater clarity in recognition of compassion as power,

An increase in self-confidence,

A strong grasp of intuitive insights and access to deep inquiry,

A tacit understanding of the power of effortless effort when, for instance, working from the crown chakra, and

The amazing realization that the deeper one goes within oneself, the easier it is to heal.  It becomes apparent that this is increasingly so as the inner self becomes the secret ally on this healing path, the Guide, the Teacher who helps the TT therapist become self-aware, an attainment that is the stated goal of this Newer Age quest into who we really are.

Experientially, at least, we now realize that Therapeutic Touch is an opportunity to touch another level of consciousness, a new path of self-realization of our ability to compassionately help those in need, an inner journey to what we are in the depths of our consciousness. This understanding comes with the conscious liason of the individual’s inner self. If the TT therapist is doing Therapeutic Touch correctly, she will not be personally attached to the outcome of the TT interaction, for she is calling upon a source other than her self-willed persona. From this more impersonal stance she can reflect and, as a model, perhaps open up for the healee a glimpse or an impression of the healee’s own inner experiences with his own inner self. He then may find out that the very act of believing that the inner self is accessible lends courage and decisive purpose to one’s life. Life itself then becomes more meaningful, more interesting, and … more fun !  [viii]

Here we see the therapist reaching into themselves but this time to somehow make it easier to manipulate the patient’s energy field.  Of interest is the other source, “the secret ally on this healing path, the Guide, the Teacher who helps the TT therapist become self-aware” – the one other than her self willed persona.  How would one know that they were in contact with some deeper level of themselves as opposed to say – a spirit guide?  How would knowing oneself better make them better equipped to manipulate another person’s energy field.  Therapeutic Touch is certainly dealing with spiritualistic practices here.

Training to do Reiki and Therapeutic Touch both cause the learner to involve themselves in occult activities.  This is something that a believer should not be doing.  This leads to another problem.

Believers have told me that they have taken these trainings and do these techniques but instead of calling on spirit guides or channeling energy they instead rely upon the Holy Spirit.  It is certainly commendable that they immediately see the issue and seek a solution.  The problem is with the solution they have chosen.

We as Massage Therapists like to help people.  We like to see them get better.  This sometimes makes us think of ourselves as healers and when we do that we sometimes think that we have the biblical gift of healing.  Once we take that step it is not difficult to turn to these energy medicine techniques, baptize them by throwing in a dash of Christian terminology, and poof – we are Christian healers who use energy techniques by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We need to stop doing this.  Only the Holy Spirit speaking through the Bible can disavow us of this notion.

There are a number of ways of going about this.  I like to look at what actually happened in biblical healings and contrast that with what happens in treatment rooms of EP.

We see Jesus and the apostles doing a number of healings.  Take the man born blind in John 9.  He receives his sight.  What happened?  Jesus spat on the ground, made clay, and applied the clay to his eyes.  The blind man was then given directions to go wash the clay away in the pool of Siloam.  The man returned as a man with sight.  Notice that Jesus did not need to spend time centering himself.  He did not move his hands over the man in any particular order.  The healing was complete.  This man did not require booster healings.

Look at Lazarus in John 11. He was dead.  He had been in there for four days.  Jesus orders the stone away even though “there is a stench.” Jesus spoke and out came Lazarus.  Again, He did not move his hands over the man in any particular order.  He was not even near the body, nevertheless, the dead was raised to life. 

In Luke 6 a man with a withered hand is at the synagogue.  Jesus tells him to stretch out his hand.  He did not move his hands over the man in any particular order.  The man stretched out his hand as commanded and the healing was complete.  Notice that as with the other 2 that this man did not require booster healings.

There is a pattern here.  I am not aware of any case in scripture where anything similar to the attunement ceremony or the centering process was done before a biblical healing occurred.  Whatever is happening today in energetic healing bears no real resemblance to what was done by Jesus and the apostles.  There is no resemblance because biblical healing is qualitatively different from what is passing for healing in these energy based healing disciplines of today.

But we have believers who do energy work.  How do we explain their effectiveness?  We especially need to consider that these practitioners deny that they use occult methods.  We have already seen that what they do does not approximate what was done by Jesus and the apostles but they say that what they are doing is in the name of Christ.

If what they are doing is of Christ it will look like what he did.  What they do does not look like what Christ and the apostles did.  Therefore what they are doing is not of Christ.  This leaves us with a few alternatives.  We will look at those in my next post.

---

[i] Rosa et al. A Close Look at Therapeutic Touch, JAMA April 1, 1998 Vol  279, No. 13 pg. 1005-1010

[ii] R. Glickman and E. Gracely.  Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine 2 , No 1 (spring/summer 1998)

[iii] J. Oshman, Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance, 2003 Elsevier Science

[iv] J. Oshman, Energy Medicine the Scientific Basis, 2000 Elsevier Science

[v] R. Becker and G. Selden, The Body Electric, 1985 Quill

[vi] Y. Jwing-Ming, The Root of Chinese Chi Kung:  The Secrets of Chi Kung Training, 1995 Yang’s Martial Arts Association

[vii] http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/whyattunementnecessary.htm

[viii] http://www.sma-us.org/content/therapeutic-touch-bridge-inner-self

Healing and Healers Part 2

The series of posts is part of a discussion I am having with some other Christians.  It is a very important question for those who seek to help those in pain as well as those who hurt.  Those of us in the healing professions are often here because we ant to help those who suffer.  You see us briefly for treatment and go on your way. 

What you miss is our inner struggle.  We actually care about what we are doing.  We don’t just apply a procedure, perform a service, or prescribe a pill.  We leave the treatment room and think long and hard about what worked and what did not.  We think about those we have tried to help.  On my own part I can say that I go home and scour medical journals and books looking for ways to improve what I do and for answers to why a particular person may not be responding as I like.

The last post focused on Biblical reasons that people suffer.  In this post I want to look at what the Bible says about healing and healers.  I am going to do it in a way to answer a question that a friend has.  We will give this person a nice unisex name.  How about Alex?  You supply the gender.

Alex is a massage therapist like me.  These are 2 related comments that I will be responding to.  Please keep in mind that the purpose of this post is instruction.  I am not making a personal attack.  I am trying to build up and help another who professes faith.  Alex said:

“I want to see MS be cured, the paralyzed to walk, and bodies be redeemed. I know God can do that through me as a vessel, but what's blocking it. How can we remove ourselves out of the picture from doing tangible acts like massage & allow God to supersede our limited thinking with His limitless power?”

“However, John 14:12 keeps nagging at me, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

Human rationalizations or even Biblical interpretations don't seem to suffice this hunger in me to see those red letter words fulfilled. If that's what HE said isn't that what we should be doing or expecting instead of trying to explain it away? The power of sin could never overcome the power of salvation.”

Alex wants to know why the people he/she touches are not responding in an even greater way than what happened for Jesus.  It’s a valid question.  A bible verse has been quoted. It appears according to the theology of the first glance that we should be out performing Jesus.  It looks like that is what he clearly said.  Why ARE we explaining away what God the Son, the second person of the Trinity said?  What are we to do?

If you are suffering from chronic pain you might well have the same sentiment.  Where are these healers?  You would even be satisfied with what Jesus did!

It would probably be a good idea to go the passage mentioned by Alex. I will go a little before and after:

John 14:11- 14 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 

In the context Jesus states that his works in and of themselves should cause those who see them to believe in him.  There is no local context that tells us what these works are.  This chapter is silent but we do learn something about the purpose of the works of Jesus that are recorded in the book of John.  He says here that these works should lead us to faith.  John 20:30 - 31  “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” So we see twice that the purpose of the works was to drive us to faith.  Another interesting thing is that these works were not few in number.  John says again chapter 21: 25  “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”

So Jesus came and did many great works to cause people to have faith in him.  Why on earth would they do that?  Why don’t we just record them in Ripley’s Believe it or Not and chalk it up to an interesting story that has no effect on our lives?  Why is it that according to 1Co 1:22  “Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom…”  Why in fact did Nicodemous say in John 3:2  "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  What is this about signs and faith?

It began with Moses:

Exodus 4:1-9  Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.' " So the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."  And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), "that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." Furthermore the LORD said to him, "Now put your hand in your bosom." And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, "Put your hand in your bosom again." So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. "Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land."

Moses needed to speak to the leaders of Israel.  God gave him signs to show that he was indeed bringing a message from God.  They knew the time was near because God had told Abram in Gen 15:13  “Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”  So the signs and wonders were used to authenticate that the messenger was in fact from God.

There was also the promise of the Messiah.  We read of the amazing things that he was to do through then entire Old Testament.  The Old Testament scriptures describe the offices he was to fulfill as Prophet (Dt. 18:18-22), Priest (Ps 110 ) , and King (2 Sam 7).  In the discharge of his Kingly office he was to heal: Isa 35:5-6 “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. “

So, the Jews were waiting for a Messiah who was a healer.  When John the Baptist was having a crisis of faith in prison he sent messengers to Jesus.  Look at Jesus’ reply in Luke 7:19-22:

  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' " And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

The healings of Jesus were presented to John the Baptist to demonstrate that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.  The healings were additional proof to the Jewish people that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  The Apostles continued this ministry.

So Jesus tells his disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…”  Did the Apostles do anything more fantastic than Jesus did when raising the dead or making the lame to walk?  If they did it is not recorded in scripture.  This would be a great place for a non believer to cast aspersions on the truth of scripture.  Jesus said it and it did not happen. 

That is a pretty scary thought.  The Jews would have made good use of such an argument.  We read in the passage where the coming of the Prophet is announced exactly how to tell a true from a false prophet.  Deut. 18:20 - 22  But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”  The Jews would certainly have made use of this argument when bring the Apostles to trial – yet it is never mentioned.  Why?

There was a common type of argument used by the Jews at this time.  It was called an argument from the lesser to the greater.  We see Jesus using this when he talked about the unjust judge. Luk 18:1-7 “  Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' "Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” The argument was that if an unjust judge would hear an entreaty he cared nothing about and would deal righteously – hom much more would the Father?

Another instance is displayed in Matt. 7:9-11 “ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”  If these natural arguments are true, how much more will God bless us!

My favorite is Mat 9:2-8  “Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!" But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"—then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. "And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.” This is really amazing – is it more difficult to do the spiritual or the physical healing.  This is really pertinent.

This statement of Jesus regarding greater works is another example of this type of argument.  Which is more difficult or spectacular.  I think John Gill says it well in his commentary on this verse: 

“John 14:12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me,.... Having mentioned his miracles as proofs of his deity, he assures his disciples, in order to comfort them under the loss of his bodily presence, that they should do the same, and greater works; for we are not to understand these words of everyone that believes in Christ, of every private believer in him, but only of the apostles, and each of them, that were true believers in him: to whom he says,

the works that I do shall he do also; he shall raise the dead, heal all manner of diseases, and cast out devils; things which Christ gave his apostles power to do, when he first gave them a commission to preach the Gospel, and when he renewed and enlarged it: and which they did perform, not in their own name, and by their own power, but in the name, and by the power of Christ: and greater works than these shall he do; meaning, not greater in nature and kind, but more in number; for the apostles, in a long series of time, and course of years, went about preaching the Gospel, not in Judea only, but in all the world; "God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost", Heb_2:4, wherever they went: though perhaps by these greater works may be meant the many instances of conversion, which the apostles were instrumental in, and which were more in number than those which were under our Lord's personal ministry: besides, the conversion of a sinner is a greater work than any of the miracles of raising the dead, &c. for this includes in it all miracles: here we may see a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, quickened; one born blind made to see; one who was deaf to the threatenings of the law, and to the charming voice of the Gospel, made to hear, so as to live; and one that had the spreading leprosy of sin all over him, cleansed from it by the blood of the Lamb yea, though a miracle in nature is an instance and proof of divine power, yet the conversion of a sinner, which is a miracle in grace, is not only an instance of the power of God, and of the greatness of it, but of the exceeding greatness of it: and the rather one may be induced to give in to this sense of the passage, since it is added, as a reason, because I go to my Father; and upon my ascension the Spirit will be given, to you, which shall not only enable you to perform miracles, as proofs of your apostleship, and the doctrine you preach, but which shall powerfully attend the Gospel to the conversion of multitudes of souls.”

Far from “explaining this verse away” this post illustrates how these words would have been understood by those who heard them.  The greater works had more to do with the progress of the gospel going from Jerusalem and Judea unto the uttermost parts of the earth.  There is still much to be said.  Lord willing – more to come!

Healing and Healers Part 1

I often have people question me about friends and people they know who are suffering.  They don’t understand why their friend or loved one is going through whatever it is that is happening “to them.” It is one of the “Why God?” questions that comes up often.  How ought we as Christians respond?

I never tell a person that I know why they are suffering.  God has not given me that knowledge.  I do make people aware of some of the following material so that they can think about the issues from a more biblical perspective.  There may well be more explanations than I write about.  This subject may very likely require a few posts to deal with the many issues involved.  Stay tuned!  But for now – well here goes!

The big reason many people jump at for an explanation is that the person afflicted is in some type of sin and that this is the punishment involved.  We certainly have many illustrations in scripture of people being judged for their sin.  Miriam became a leper in Numbers 12 for her complaining about Moses.  The children of Israel were bitten by snakes in Numbers 21 for speaking against God.  Instances of this type can be easily multiplied.

The problem is that this is not the only cause for suffering.  I often think of the man born blind in John 9.  Look at this amazing interchange:  Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

This grown man had suffered his entire life for at least one incredibly significant purpose.  People have spoken of this man for over 2,000 years.  He suffered so “that the works of God should be revealed in him.” Christ did his works so “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” The prophesy was that the Messiah would in the words of Isa 35:5  “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped” open the eyes of the blind. This man’s blindness helped demonstrate that Jesus was indeed the Christ! Basically the point is – no sin here, God chose to be revealed specifically in this man.

I love the book of Job.  Job loses everything – family, fortune, and especially respectability.  It’s hard to look or feel respectable when your scraping your sores with broken pottery {Job 2:8} and your breath is offensive to your wife {Job 19:17}.  Job was being tested for his faithfulness.  Generations have read his story, felt his pain, and learned from his experience.  Far from being punished for his sin, Job was made an example of faithfulness to God’s people for millennia.  The thing I personally find so amazing is that, in this life, Job never knew why things were happening to him.

Paul was an incredibly effective and important apostle.  He laid hands on and healed many.  Even his used tissue was used to bring healing in Acts 19:11-12.  Yet he relates in 2Co 12:7-9  “ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Paul had a physical problem given to keep him humble.

Let’s look at what James has to say:  Jas 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Our trials are there to teach us.  We would not be who or what we are without the trials that God uses to perfect us.

I could go on but I hope you get the idea.  There are many reasons why people suffer.  I tell people with pain or medical issues to seek appropriate help.  There is nothing wrong with that.  I don’t try to play Holy Spirit and tell them why they may me suffering.  I do however point them to passages in scripture for their own edification.  I hope this is helpful.  Lord willing, There will be more to come.