Can God Cure PTSD?

     I recently read about a young army medic who had served in Iraq.   After his discharge, he moved to San Francisco “To make a fresh start,” as he called it.   But what he didn’t realize was that he had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

     He finally realized that he had PTSD when a stranger touched his shoulder one night in a subway station and he threw the man to the pavement.   Later, he was on a bus and saw a tin can roll under the bus.  Thinking the tin can was a bomb, he tried to take cover in the aisle – to the shocked stares of the other passengers.

     At last he ended up hiding at home to escape his panic attacks.   The young medic eventually got help from the Veteran’s Administration.  But the article said that 70 percent of all people (not just soldiers!) have had severe trauma, and that 20 percent of that group has PTSD.

     Thus, PTSD isn’t limited to soldiers who’ve been in combat.   Civilians can have it, too.  And so can Christians.  Thus, the question becomes:  Can God cure PTSD?   The early Christians taught that the Holy Spirit can express the gifts of healings through all Christians as He wishes (note both words are plural).

     So the Holy Spirit can perform many kinds of healings.   In the First Century, the Spirit healed:  seizures, paralysis, leprosy, fevers, bleeding, blindness, deafness, lameness, and birth defects, to name just a few.  And all the patients were healed when the Spirit acted.

     Now – since nothing has changed about God over the centuries, the Holy Spirit is able to heal the illness that we call “PTSD” today.   And I’m wondering if any of our readers have been healed of PTSD by the Holy Spirit.   If the Holy Spirit has healed you of PTSD, please comment on this post and let us know.