Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Healing the Sick

This was a great talk for Melchizedek Priesthood holders (or those who will eventually hold that priesthood.) Elder Oaks starts the talk by reinforcing that the Latter-day Saints believe in using modern-day medicine as well as faith and priesthood power. This is good to note in Oregon where there has been a lot of press given to a local Christian congregation who let children die by eschewing (my big word) medical attention and relying on faith-healing.  He then talked about the importance of the "prayer of faith" in healing the sick. He then said:

We have this priesthood power, and we should all be prepared to use it properly. Current increases in natural disasters and financial challenges show that we will need this power even more in the future than in the past.  That is quite a statement!

Elder Oaks then provides some excellent instruction in how to properly use priesthood power in this regard:

There are five parts to the use of priesthood authority to bless the sick: (1) the anointing, (2) the sealing of the anointing, (3) faith, (4) the words of the blessing, and (5) the will of the Lord.


Anointing- Elder Oaks mentions the use of oil as part of the blessing and for sanctification. He cites examples from the Old and New Testaments.

Sealing the Anointing- To seal something means to affirm it, to make it binding for its intended purpose. When elders anoint a sick person and seal the anointing, they open the windows of heaven for the Lord to pour forth the blessing He wills for the person afflicted.  Elder Oaks then quotes Brigham Young on how the process works. I found this very instructive as one who gives blessings: "When I lay hands on the sick, I expect the healing power and influence of God to pass through me to the patient, and the disease to give way . . . When we are prepared, when we are holy vessels before the Lord, a stream of power form the Almighty can pass through the tabernacle of the administrator to the system of the patient, and the sick are made whole." Elder Oaks cautions us to rarely refer to healings in public settings lest it seem that we are "boasting of ourselves."

Faith- Faith is essential for healing by the powers of heaven.  Elder Oaks quotes President Spencer W. Kimball about the role of faith in the blessing and healing process. I thought this was very instructive also: "The need of faith is often underestimated. The ill one and the family often seem to depend wholly on the power of the priesthood and the gift of healing that they hope the administering brethren may have, whereas the greater responsibility is with him who is blessed . . . The major element is the faith of the individual when that person is conscious and accountable. 'Thy faith made thee whole' [Matthew 9:22] was repeated so often by the Master that it almost became a chorus."


Words of Blessing- In some priesthood blessings - like a partriachal blessing - the words spoken are the essence of the blessing. But in a healing blessing it is the other parts of the blessing - the anointing, the sealing, faith, and the will of the Lord - that are the essential elements.  Fortunately, the words spoken in a healing blessing are not essential to its healing effect. If faith is sufficient and if the Lord wills it, the afflicted person will be healed or blessed whether the officiator speaks those words or not. Consequently, brethren, no elder should ever hesitate to participate in a healing blessing because of fear that he will not know what to say. The words spoken in a healing blessing can edify and energize the faith of those who hear them, but the effect of the blessing is dependent upon faith and the Lord's will, not upon the words spoken by the elder who officiated. This is important information to share in a priesthood lesson.


Will of the Lord- This caught my attention: Young men and older men, please take special note of what I will say now. As we exercise the undoubted power of the priesthood of God and as we treasure His promise that He will hear and answer the prayer of faith, we must always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is.  From all of this we learn that even the servants of the Lord, exercising His divine power in a circumstance where there is sufficient faith to be healed, cannot give a priesthood blessing that will cause a person to be healed if that healing is not the will of the Lord.