Q:
My husband had successful open heart surgery a few months ago. We had lots of people praying for him, but later I discovered his doctor is an atheist and doesn't even believe in God. Who healed my husband: God, or the doctors?
A:
Ultimately it was God who healed your husband, even if He used your husband’s doctors to help bring it about. As the Psalmist prayed, “I trust in you, Lord…. My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14, 15).
Look at it another way: What if people hadn’t prayed, and God hadn’t been at work in your husband’s body during that surgery? What hope would you have had then? The answer is clear: You wouldn’t have had any hope. Yes, you trusted the doctors and their skills (and you should have). But even the most skilled surgeon in the world would have accomplished nothing if God hadn’t been at work in hidden ways to restore your husband to health.
I will never forget my late father-in-law, Dr. L. Nelson Bell. He was a highly skilled surgeon who served in China before World War II as a missionary, and later worked in the United States. Although he helped thousands during his long career, he always knew that only God could bring healing to his patients. He never entered the operating room without praying for God’s help.
Be thankful for those to whom God in His grace has given great skill, no matter what they do or what they believe (or disbelieve). Pray for them also, that they may realize that everything they have and everything they are able to do comes from God’s hands. Above all, pray that you and your husband will use the rest of your lives to help others and point them to Jesus Christ.