The Power of Prayer in Healing
by Dary Northrop - Senior Pastor, Timberline Church
Her six-year-old son snuggles in under the sheet, closes his eyes and squeezes his mom’s hand and begins to pray. “God, please help my mommy not to die. Please help her not to have cancer any more.”
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The impact on his mom is significant. She believes, wipes a small tear from her eye, and kisses her son on the cheek. “I’m going to be fine honey, God cares about us very much!”
This story is one that has taken place in one form or another hundreds of times over these recent years. There seems to be something unique that happens deep inside us when we face obstacles that we know we cannot conquer alone. What is faith? What is prayer? Is it merely man’s way of creating God or is it God’s method of communicating with man?
These questions are real and challenging. As the Senior Pastor of Timberline Church for the past 23 years, I have watched with my own eyes the power of prayer. I have seen healing occur that is unexplainable in human terms.
I seek to bring the spiritual world and the medical world together wherever possible. Is there a connection between faith, prayer, and healing? Can we partner with people to seek proper treatment and keep our faith in God as well? Of course we can!
The extremists on both sides of this issue destroy the powerful dynamic of how they could work together. The side that denounces God, faith, and prayer has missed the spiritual side of man that goes beyond the physical realm. The side that denounces modern medicine and refuses treatment has missed the power of God-given knowledge and truth discovered by man. God is both the truth giver and the one who touches the spirit and soul of mankind.
Prayer is simply a biblical way of connecting with God. Prayer can be meditation on God, speaking verbally to God, journaling, or even being still and listening for the voice of God in your spirit.
Prayer nurtures and massages the inner person in ways that physical treatment cannot touch. Faith and hope can be key ingredients releasing your body to respond to physical treatment.
“Prayer can be helpful for people who are facing serious illness,” says Dr. Renee Woodall, licensed psychologist. “A faith life can offer a source of strength and hope when a person is struggling. Prayer can provide a way for people to connect with God and find peace within their challenging circumstances.”
I have buried people who died of cancer even though they prayed, had faith, and believed in healing. I have also rejoiced with cancer survivors who had no faith in God whatsoever. The point this makes so clear to me is that we cannot and must not try to create our own magical formula to ensure that we are doing it right and therefore will experience healing from cancer or other illnesses.
It remains essential for communities of faith and health providers to bring their worlds together to encourage, strengthen, and offer hope to people who are suffering. When we recognize that we are all made up of body, mind, and spirit it opens up many more avenues in which to bring hope and life. Have you ever been around someone who is dying physically, but their spirit is filled with faith and hope and it creates such optimism that it is contagious to others?
Finally, I want to finish with a personal story. I grew up in Grand Junction, CO on the Western Slope. It was a great place to develop from elementary school through high school. I have four sisters, two older than me and two younger. My mom and dad were very much in love and had a deep faith in God. I experienced firsthand growing up in a home where faith, hope, and prayer were lived out in daily practical ways.
My dad died of cancer when he was 41 years old and I was 14. My sisters were 18, 16, 12, and 9. On the evening Dad died, my mom gathered us all around the living room in a circle. It was kind of like a big hug moment. We were emotional and many tears were falling. We had questions, many questions. We had prayed, believed, hoped, and yet... Death!
The wisdom of my mom was stunning. She spread her arms out over us like an eagle and prayed. She prayed to a God who had not given her what she had wanted or prayed for, but she would maintain faith and hope to walk us through the next few challenging years.
Many people grow embittered and faithless when God does not give them what they want or ask for. But not my Mom, and not me! Even though you may not be healed or restored to perfect health, keep the faith, choose to love, and never, ever stop praying! I’ll never be able to figure out exactly how prayer changes God. But I am positive prayer changes me!