Article February 26, 1996 Issue

The Bible and the healing of young people

Frank C. Darling

The Bible is a rich source of inspiration on the subject of spiritual healing for people of all ages. And it is not without specific guidance for the healing of children and young people.

In one of the first healings recorded in detail in the Bible, the prophet Elijah restores to life the young son of a widow at Zarephath (see I Kings 17:17–24). Through a deep trust in God and the heartfelt prayer "... let this child's soul come into him again," Elijah witnesses the revival of the small boy to health and wholeness. When the prophet takes the child back to his mother, she acknowledges the power of God at work. The prophet Elisha, in a similar incident, raises to life the young son of a woman living at Shunem (see II Kings 4:8–37). In this account of the demonstration of God's love and power, one is struck by the mother's confident thought despite the appearance that her child is dead.

Such Biblical experiences, especially the accounts of Christ Jesus' healing of children, are most instructive. They can illustrate the God-bestowed mental qualities so vital to the work of spiritual healing, particularly when the patient is a child. For example, Jesus' raising of the daughter of Jairus from death provides an especially useful lesson in Christian healing.

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