May 28
Don’t Expect Someone Else
to Do All The Work
Question: If we have faith in God, do we need medicine when we are sick?
Sri Gurudev: Medicine is also a gift from God. Prayer, medicine and certain dietetic discipline could all be used at the same time. Even food is a kind of medicine for the pain of hunger. Do you say that if you believe in prayer, then you should not feel hunger? No. If you eat to relieve hunger, you can also take advantage of medical science when necessary. We can use all the things God has given us, as long as we use them properly.
Whatever method of healing you use, don’t expect someone else to do all the work for you. A doctor shouldn’t just give a pill and say, “Go ahead—smoke all you want, continue to overeat, drink all the alcohol you want and don’t exercise. This pill will make you better.” No. If necessary, the patient can have some medicine, but he or she should make whatever changes are needed to have good health. When people send prayer requests to us, we ask them to pray also. It isn’t: “You go ahead and do whatever you want. I’ll pray for you and you’ll get well.” That’s not right. That’s interfering with someone’s karma. The people who are affected should practice certain disciplines.