Magdy Samuel

Serialized Articles From:
"Whom shall I fear"

Last Published Devotions

Chapter 4: 7

Studies and statistics

A study was conducted at Georgetown University in Washington, in the United States, of more than a thousand patients (1028). Half of these were Christian believers and the other half were non-believers. Some of these patients suffered from depression and others were suffering from coronary heart disease. It was noted that in the cases of depression, the believers’ improvement was 6 times greater than the non-believers, and the heart patients improved by 35% of believers over non-believers.

The scientists attributed this to four main reasons:
1 - Christian faith:  the faith of the believer in the existence of God and His accompaniment, and His authority over circumstances, and the expectation to go to Him or the second coming of the Lord, provide mental strategies and internal convictions that support the believer in the time of distress and pain and help him with stamina and patience.

2 - Christian practices:  such as prayer, meditation, praise, communion of the Lord's Table, Bible study, service, etc, give the opportunity for the believer to unload his burdens and nourish his spirit and himself, and invest his time and energies, and make it possible for him to be free from fear and sadness and depression and to experience joy and peace.

3 - Christian fellowship:  fellowship is experienced in meetings, reciprocated visits, pastoral care, conferences, and collective fellowship. The Church is a therapeutic community, composed of people who encourage and interact, which gives greater strength to face their fears and pressures.

4 - Christian behavior: a Christian is not addicted to alcohol, drugs and smoking, is not suffering from hatred and rage, spite and jealousy, and learns self-restraint, tolerance, forgiveness, love, contentment and satisfaction. Furthermore, he is faithful to his partner, loyal to his family. He also stays away from bickering and marital separation and divorce, etc.  These behaviors are his protection from the struggles and dangers of anxiety and depression.

In another study published in the: "Journal of Chronic Diseases," it was found that the rate of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, lung and liver cirrhosis and some types of cancer, was less in the regular-church attending believers than of the non-believers.

The scientists attributed this to three possibilities:
The first possibility: that the believers are not addicted to alcohol or smoking or have sex outside of marriage.

The second possibility: that the spiritual life leads to a state of psychological peace and the alleviation of tension; which prevents high blood pressure.

The third possibility: that social support which is provided by the church can lessen the impact of psychological pressure.


The Lord is not a psychiatrist who listens to you, but He is the Great God who hears and takes care of you and saves you. 

 

Magdy Samuel