Hiding Behind Prayer: Expecting God to Fix What We're Afraid to Face

For years, I prayed that if there was anything in my body that didn't belong there, God would remove it in Jesus' name. I sincerely believed that through prayer, God would supernaturally eliminate whatever might be wrong with me so that I wouldn't have to face it.

I learned this particular way of praying from older women in my prayer circle. I looked up to these women and valued their spiritual wisdom and experience. Because this was how I heard them pray, I naturally assumed it was the correct way to approach God concerning my health. I adopted the same language and beliefs without giving much thought to whether I was allowing prayer to take the place of seeking medical care.

Looking back, I realize that I wasn't simply praying for healing. I had developed an expectation that God would remove whatever was wrong with my body before I ever had to confront it. And because I believed that was how faith worked, I continued praying while putting off the medical examinations I needed.

Well, that didn't happen.

Eventually, I discovered that I had uterine fibroids. But instead of immediately recognizing the importance of medical intervention, I found myself entering another cycle of prayer. This time, I believed that God could supernaturally dissolve the fibroids.

Again, that didn't happen.

Ultimately, I had to undergo an abdominal myomectomy to have the fibroids surgically removed.

That experience forced me to examine something about my understanding of faith and prayer. Had I confused believing that God could heal me with expecting that He would heal me supernaturally, eliminating the need for medical care altogether?

I wasn't wrong for believing in God's ability to heal. But I had allowed that belief to become a reason to postpone seeking medical attention. Instead of using prayer to find the courage to face whatever might be happening in my body, I was praying that God would remove the problem so I would never have to face it in the first place.

And that is what I mean when I talk about hiding behind prayer.

Sometimes, we aren't simply asking God to help us through a difficult situation. We're asking Him to make the situation disappear so we won't have to confront it.

But prayer does not eliminate the need for knowledge, and faith should never become a substitute for taking care of our health. We can believe in God's power to heal while also seeking medical examinations, asking questions, considering treatment options, and making informed decisions.

My experience taught me that I needed to change not only how I approached my health, but also how I understood the relationship between faith, fear, and personal responsibility.