This was written for the prayer team at New Hope Anglican Church, Lacey, WA, by Fr. Joel Graves, the founding Rector. At Christ the King, Yelm, WA and New Hope we stand in faith with people who are suffering and in need of healing. We place our trust in God. In encourage you to take the time to read this summary and the accompanying verses. Blessings, David+
HOW HEALING PRAYER WORKS
God provides healing to people as a sign of his love (Psalms 30:2, Isaiah 53:5) and the existence of the Kingdom of God on earth (Matthew 12:28, Luke 10:9, 17:21), and his will for us impacts every prayer for healing (Matthew 6:10). We might see and feel the immediate need, but God sees the bigger picture and plan for all people and individual lives. We may or may not know his will, yet we are called to pray and lift up our needs. At times we can absolutely know that healing is required and will be effective; but at other times, we pray by faith knowing that it has a positive effect, whether complete healing takes place or not.
Prayer teams pray to God interceding for the needs of others. By the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9, 28), anointing with oil (James 5:14), by two or more coming together (Matthew 18:19-20), by the laying on of hands (Matthew 19:13, Mark 6:5, 8:23, Luke 4:40, Acts 9:12, 17, 28:8) and by praying with the authority of Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:1, John 14:13-14, 16:23, Colossians 2:10), lives are changed.
Healing might take place immediately, but it is rare and considered to be a miracle when it does. Instead most healing takes longer but is just as effective (Mark 8:23-25). Severe illness and needs often respond to continuous and soaking prayer. Whether the person returns to the prayer team each week or finds other opportunities for prayer during the week, the healing continues and is effective. And complete healing can take place this way.
Even when healing is not God’s will, prayer gives many a sense of relief and less pain.
When we pray for healing, why doesn’t God heal completely or even miraculously? Why does God’s will seem elusive and unknowable sometimes? Why are some healed and not others?
Most of the time, we just can’t know. Is it something about us, personally, that hinders the healing – sin (Jeremiah 8:22, 30:12, John 5:14)? Are we meant to carry a “thorn in the flesh” because of God’s overall plan for our life – like with Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7)? Is Satan interfering with the process somehow – like the epileptic boy thrown into the fire by the demon (Matthew 17:8)? Is the person being prayed for skeptical and lack faith (Matthew 9:29, 13:58, 15:28, Mark 2:5, 5:34, 6:6)? Or the people praying doubt and lack faith (Matthew 17:16-20, 21:21-22)? Could it be that the person to be healed doesn’t really care about getting healed (John 5:6)? Or, are we meant to be healed at a later, specific time – like the man born blind (John 9:1-3)?
Sometimes a person with the gift of knowledge, also called the word of knowledge (1 Corinthians 14:6), or the gift of prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:5, 31, 39) or the gift of seeing (1 Chronicles 29:29) receives more detail through a word or message or picture from the Holy Spirit on what is going on. This information can be used to determine what is hindering healing or deliverance, or allow us to know whether the illness or problem is part of God’s will for that person and further prayer is meant for comfort and pain relief. In the absence of these revelatory gifts, we continue to pray by faith expecting results.