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Do Miraculous Cures Still Happen?

“ACCEPT Jesus and be cured!” Slogans like this one led Alexandre, a member of an Evangelical church, to believe that to take medicine for his illness would betray a lack of faith. He became convinced that his faith alone would bring the miraculous cure he needed. Benedita, a fervent Catholic, was deeply touched when she heard about healing miracles in the sanctuary of Aparecida do Norte, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Using some magical words that her aunt had taught her, Benedita prayed to Our Lady of Aparecida, Anthony, and other “saints” for power to heal the sick.

Apparently, even late in the 20th century, many people still believe in miraculous cures—but why? Likely, some are frustrated when doctors are unable to do much to relieve the sickness, pain, and suffering of their loved ones, especially their children. Those afflicted by chronic illnesses may feel that in view of the high cost of modern medicine, they have nothing to lose in seeking faith healing. Some see on TV various churches and individuals offering cures for AIDS, depression, cancer, insanity, high blood pressure, and many other ailments. Whether they have any faith in such claims or not, they may turn to them as the last resort. Still others who believe that their sickness is caused by evil spirits may feel that conventional medicine lacks the power to help them.

On the other hand, there are those who strongly oppose, even condemn, the idea of miracle cures by dead “saints” or living practitioners. According to the Jornal da Tarde, immunologist Dráusio Varella feels that the belief “mocks the faith of the unwary and the desperate.” He adds: “Hoping in miracles, many may abandon serious medical treatment because of these deceivers.” And The New Encyclopædia Britannica explains: “Unorthodox healings have in the past been associated with sacred places and religious rites, and medical science is inclined to attribute all such healings to the normal process of suggestion working under favourable conditions.” Still, there are many who believe that they really were cured by a miracle. To them, the healing worked!

Those who are familiar with the Bible are aware that Jesus Christ healed the sick on many occasions, doing this by the “power of God.” (Luke 9:42, 43) Thus they may wonder, ‘Is God’s power still operating and causing miraculous healings today?’ If so, why do attempts to cure fail to bring the promised results? Is it because the patient does not have enough faith or because his donation is not big enough? Is it right for a Christian to seek a miraculous cure when he is suffering from a painful or perhaps incurable disease? And will unfailing miraculous cures of the kind Jesus performed ever occur again? You can find the answers to these vital questions in the next article.