I know many people who have been healed by prayer, both physically and emotionally. I have seen those I love come through the impossible; seen them be comforted, strengthened and changed through prayer. I have prayed with people who have received the healing power of prayer and known that God has worked through my hands. Yet I have never believed it could or would happen to me. In fact I would go so far as to say that despite evidence to the contrary I didn't fully believe in the power of prayer for healing.
I do now.
I now believe that prayer can heal.
I believe it because I have felt it myself.
I experienced emotional healing last Easter.
And this last week alone I have received pain relief through prayer.
I now know that God heals us when we need it and uses prayer to do that.
I have had complete pain relief for an hour after 5 minutes of laying on of hands by one very special lady at church. I have had a massive reduction in pain for a couple of hours after the leadership team prayed with me. I have felt calmer and more able to cope with my fear after prayer at a distance by two people who were praying for me, when I didn't know it.
Prayer can and does heal.
God heals through prayer.
I believe.
This is always such a difficult subject. I'm a christian from a scientific background, and while I do think that God heals, the idea of prayer being the cause of any healing is not backed up by the evidence of medical trials.
ReplyDeleteThose that have been done on the efficacy of intercessory prayer have failed to show any effect that is more than than would be predicted at random.
What's more, those that do believe fervently that their prayers have a direct effect on someone else's wellbeing can find their faith and confidence crushed when those prayers are not answered.
Yet prayer is more than intercession for healing. Recently, some friends of mine had to take their 1 week old baby to hospital after he had breathing difficulties. He stayed in hospital, and several stages of invasive surgery on his heart and lungs. The whole church was praying night and day. Some were openly declaring that "Jesus will heal him."
The boy died when he was a month old. I didn't pray because I was 100% sure that he would be healed. I prayed because at that time it was the most intensely human thing I could do.