*REASON VERSUS FAITH*

*REASON VERUS FAITH*

Imagine that Reason and Faith visit a mutual friend.

The friend is sick. Reason says to the friend, ‘Go to the hospital.’ Faith says to him, ‘Pray or call the elders to pray for you’. Neither of them is wrong.

They are only looking at the situation from two different but complementary angles.

Then Faith and reason look at each other in mutual respect for each other. Reason asks, ‘why does he need to pray? Faith replies, ‘Because only Godheals. ‘Reason queries again, ‘What about doctors, nurses, medicine, herbs, and drugs? Don’t they heal people?’ Faith squints its eyes,smiles at Reason and says,"I expect you to know better!" the atmosphere in the room becomes hushed as Reason has been chided to be reasonable!

Reason submits; ‘ I think you are right. With all these confusing symptoms, characteristics­ of severalillnesses that our friend is manifesting, doctors would also need that “intuition” or “inspiration”, in addition to their text books and experience, to know exactly what the problem is. And for drugs, they only help to remove the impediments or help the body to speed up its own process ofrecovery. I remember that on the logo of one teaching hospital Is the inscription; ‘We care, God heals’.

So , Faith, what do you suggest?’ Faith says to Reason, ‘Well our friend is in a critical situation. We don’t have time for argument.

We shall both work together and do all we can to get our friend back to his normal health. Only, remember this. I have to be in charge; I have to lead.’ Reason replies, ‘Alright! Here we go.’

Together they attend to their friend;each doing his best till their friend is healed.

Back home, when the friend is fully recovered, Reason says to Faith: ‘That medical consultant was very good. And the drug too was very powerful. What do you think? ‘Faith replies, ‘I believe God was in absolute control.

But for God’s providential care, there could have been many odds against us.

The consultant might not have been in the hospital when we took our friend there. He could be wrong in his first diagnosis of the case.

What if the specific drug he prescribed was not available in the market or if we had bought a fake drug?

A nurse might have inadvertently misapplied the drug.

The whole hospital could even have been on an industrial strike action.

A Particular important equipment might have broken down suddenly. Don’t you see that God was totally in control?’ Reason replies, ‘Yeah! Yeah!’

Reason sees only then obvious, the technicalities, ­ the facts; doctors, nurses, drugs, medical facilities, etc. but Faith sees the meaning, the sublime, the truth; God and Him only.
“For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What Can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18.).

*Keep living the faith…*