God or Medicine?

I have been very challenged lately in my faith. A few years ago I found the amazing effects of garlic and how it helps fight colds, flues ect. So it became a regular on our list and was used very frequently in our household. But as the years went by I became more and more "trusting" in garlic. You see, one of the kids would come up to me and tell me they had a sore throat, or didn't feel well and I would say "Take a garlic!" But after awhile my conscience was not letting me forget something. THAT GOD IS OUR HEALER! I realized when I was automaticallly turning to garlic, I was teaching our kid's to trust in garlic instead of the healing power of God. Now I am not saying those things are wrong, I am saying that my first reaction to go to the garlic was wrong. Over the years I had learned instead of running directly to the medicine cabinet when our kids were sick, I needed to pray for them. But somehow in my mind I "rationalized" that garlic was not a medicine, it was natural. And as true as it is, God has been making me aware that, "Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but I was trusting in garlic, instead of in the name of our God. So now our family has been going through a cold thing. And I have been realizing that many times I have been just too lazy to pray! When you have a husband and nine children that can be a lot of praying time! So I have been learning how to trust. And I have been realizing over the last few days how taking this into my own hands (instead of praying) that our kids have missed the opportunity to experience God's healing power. For example, Zachary was sick a couple nights ago. He came upstairs saying he had a sore throat, then an ear ache. So we prayed for him and he went back to bed. The next day Joshua told us that Zachary was laying in bed pleading with God, "Please heal me, please heal me, by your stripes, I am healed!" and he was healed! We have had many of these experiences in the last couple of weeks. Our younger boys have been listening to the New Testament on audio and they have been taking notice of the many times that Jesus healed. The other day when I asked Zachary to pray for me he prayed that I would be healed "like the people You healed in the Bible"! There is a reason that God says to become like a little child. Their faith is so refreshing and real! So in this I am not saying that there is never a place for medicine or doctors, but I am saying that as Christians our first response to sickness or pain should be going to our heavenly Father and asking for His healing.

"And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Matt. 21:22