Doctor Johnson, my son is possessed with demons. He has fits of rage, speaks in a strange voice and even appears to have seizures at times. Our lives are disrupted. I have taken him to the hospital, he has been admitted and seen every kind of specialist without any change. What should I do? Is this demon possession? Should we seek a medicine man, witch doctor or priest?
This is not an actual scenario, but a composite. I had these kinds of question while in Kenya. It was always frustrating to me because I never was sure if the strange behavior wasn’t due to a persistent brain lesion from an infection, or a nutritional deficiency seen in people who suffer chronic malnutrition. During my time in Kenya, we had no real access to CT scans and getting someone to see a neurologist or psychologist was nearly impossible due to long and expensive travel over dangerous roads in unpredictable weather.
I put this question to a visiting Kenyan psychiatrist at our hospital. He was a very strong Christian and put it in this perspective; referring to Jesus’s interaction with His accusers, when asking Him to whom should they pay their allegiance and taxes. They showed Jesus a coin hoping he would choose to dishonor Caesar as He clung His calling to serve His Father. Here is the Messiah’s answer;
Matthew 22:20-22 And he said to them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say to him, Caesar’s. Then said he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.
The bottom line is we must give the patient his medication and pray for him at the same time. We render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and unto God the things that belong to God. Since all science is only made possible by God’s allowing man to investigate, discover and research, record and recreate (man cannot create), we can acknowledge man’s hand in healing. But it is God who gives us the wisdom, insight, resources and capability. The tools of learning are in a creative mind that was created.
There is always the move to attribute healing to either man or God. In truth, only God heals and sometimes He uses drugs. I am approached by people who want to stop their diabetic, hypertension, lipid and other medications. They don’t want to have the breast cancer removed or even refuse blood transfusions. They don’t want to start the medicines because they believe they will be hooked on their water pills and if they can just take the right nutritional supplement, garlic, wear the copper bracelet or drink the right solution, they will be healed.
My answer to them is, God uses drugs. You should too.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases