I saw an article in the paper (Assoc Press article in the Columbus Dispatch) about Dale and Leilani Neumann who were convicted of reckless homicide for "praying" their child to death.
Let me say from the get-go that I fervently believe in miraculous healings and curings. They happen. But, they are EXACTLY that ... miraculous. If I (or you) could call down a miracle at our whim, then they would NOT be miracles. We call that a skill, not a miracle. If a plumber can fix a leaky pipe, that's not a miracle, that's a skill. If a carpenter can saw a straight line (while that may be a miracle for ME), that's not a miracle, that's a skill.
Miracles happen OUTSIDE the control of humans and OUTSIDE the normal processes of our planet. Miracles are ... MIRACLES!!
We are blessed by God to have amazing medical facilities and equipment and knowledgeable medical personnel to use them. That is a gift from God!! We have medicines and therapies that can literally heal and cure people. Those are gifts from God!!
While I believe that God does the healing, God might choose to heal my flu through medicines and medical intervention ... or through a slow healing process ... or by a whiz-bang miracle. But, all of those are God's intervention, just via different avenues.
I have consistently been amazed over the years of reading the Bible, that it seems that Jesus NEVER healed this person like any other person he healed. They were ALL different. Amazing!! God loves diversity and abhors boredom!
So, why do we (and I'll count myself in with these whack-jobs!) try to FORCE God to do stuff OUR way and OUR way only? Why? Hubris, I believe. We want to show the world ... show ourselves? ... show God? ... that we can control God. We want "God In A Box!" Hubris, that's what that is.
Neumanns (joel harbarger) ... shame on you and, indeed, your child's death IS on your hands. You claim to trust God, but only if God will work YOUR way in YOUR timing and for YOUR consequences. Who do you/we think you/we are, anyway??
We need to learn the deep lessons of letting God be God and knowing our place. And our place is lower than the angels and a little higher than cocker spaniels (but not every day, I suspect!!).
For God's sake, let's take the blinders off and let God be sovereign over the cosmos and let's stop trying to muck it all up!!!
harbarger theory: God is not limited by our ignorance