Healing by Prayer: What is it and What are it ramifications?
Healing, that is the process of restoring health to an organism, literally to make whole again. This is a process that has been performed for many years, by many different means. Since before time was recorded people have been finding new ways to heal each other. A person gets sick or broken, and they want to be healed. That is the way of human nature. Healing can happen in almost every tissue of the body, and is a vital part of life. So why is it such a huge conflict? Because of the means by which people choose to provide healing. Some may choose to seek medical attention and guidance for every minute problem, others, however see it fit that they only seek medical help when absolutely necessary. This is where the conflict lies. In the choices made about seeking medical attention. This conflict is old, but to be specific, this conflict between people of faith and the scientific community, is centered on prayer, and the use of prayer as a supplement to, or as a replacement for, medical treatment. Should prayer be used as the only means of healing? Should people that keep their children from medical assistance, resulting in the worsening of their condition, be punished? Are parents that do the things mentioned above, in fact, making martyrs for faith out of their children? As research on this topic is done and new facts are found eyes are opened to things such as these, and the conflict is becoming more and more prevalent and urgent. This is something that doesn't seem like it should matter, but it does, it matters a whole lot to a whole bunch of people.
To a believing person prayer is powerful, it is a means of communication between a person of faith and God. Prayer is...
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...Bushwick). With statistics such as these it wouldn't seem that anyone would have any doubt that prayer should be used to supplement health care, however some still choose to deny that it could have a positive effect on health. These nay-sayers of this conflict stick with rebuttals like this to disprove and discredit their counterparts supporting prayer healing,
“Had prayers for the sick any notable effect, it is incredible but that the doctors, who are always on the watch for such things, should have observed it, and added their influence to that of the priests towards obtaining them for every sick man. If they abstain from doing so, it is not because their attention has never been awakened to the possible efficacy of prayer, but, on the contrary, that although they have heard it insisted on from childhood upwards, they are unable to detect its influence. (Galton)”
but this was the best they could do. The search for effective treatments was hindered by the church as they believed that religion was the cure for the sick. The believe that Saints could cure by touch
Book Review of The Path of Prayer: Four Sermons on Prayer by St. Theophan the Recluse
It is estimated that around a dozen U.S. children will die in faith-healing cases each year. Typically associated with Christianity, Faith healing is founded on the belief that certain people or places have the ability to cure and heal sickness, disease, or injuries. Typically this “healing” is associated by a close connection to a higher power through prayer, divine intervention, or the ministration of an individual who claims himself as a healer. Faith has been scientifically proven in the field psychology to yield benefits to health. Although faith has promised a greater wellbeing for many individual’s lives, it has yet to be a significant replacement for medication many people but relaying on faith as a means for medication.
Throughout time, mankind has persistently been seeking ways to maintain their health and to cure those that had not been so fortunate in that task. Just about everything has been experimented with as a cure for some type of illness; whether physical, spiritual or mental. There has always been evidence of spiritual healing and it will continue to be an important part of any healing process, large or small.
This paper will discuss three different religions that a health care provider may care for in the nursing field. It will discuss the spiritual perspective, as well as the critical components of healing, such as through prayer and meditation. The writer will give a brief summary of each religions belief. The three religions that will be discussed in this paper are Native American, Hinduism, and Buddhism. This paper will discuss what is important to people who are cared for of a particular faith by the health care provider who may have an entirely different belief system. The writer will discuss how a patient may view a health care provider who puts aside his or her own beliefs in the interest of the beliefs and practices of the patient that is being cared for. The writer of this paper is of Christian belief and will compare her beliefs of faith and healing with the three previously mentioned religions.
E.M. Bounds wrote a wonderful book devoted to prayer entitled Power Through Prayer. This book encourages the preacher to become a true prayer warrior. E.M. Bounds has written many books on prayer, encouraging Christians to devote their life to prayer. Since the writer is coming from a preacher background himself, one can clearly see the passion he has for prayer in his life. Fellow preachers will hopefully be encouraged by this and want to devote their life to prayer, so that they will better their preaching. Bounds exemplifies through his work that preaching has no power without prayer. He also sets forth the idea that prayer is the life-giving force behind our work for God. In reading this book, it inspires one to pray more and be able to be more effective in their ministry.
Mitchell, Curtis C. 1984. "The case for persistence in prayer." Journal Of The Evangelical Theological Society 27, no. 2: 161-168. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 16, 2014).
“A healing hospital is built on the ancient tradition that love is at the center of healing. Within that framework, the Golden Thread – a symbol of our faith in God – requires that we strike a balance between the latest scientific advancements and the demands of the human spirit. As healthcare providers, we are called upon to tend to our patient’s heart and head. For a hospital to truly be healing, the Golden Thread must be continuous. As both healers and patients, it is the Golden Thread that connects us all” (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, n.d.).
Prayer is so powerful that we don’t even realise what it can do for others and our own lives. The physical world is always effected by what’s happening in the spiritual world first so prayer is the place to go!
Also, prayer can be a powerful thing. “Grant us the victory, O Lord our God! That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary.
Prayer as defined by Houghton Mifflin (2009) is a reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship. However, when we make an appeal how do we capture His attention? It is through prayer that we are able to petition God and ultimately develop a consistent prayer life that pleases Him. Reading the word of God and prayer draws us closer to Christ. We begin to have His mind and His spirit living in us because of this Holy communication. Most Christians pray all the time. Our Prayers are usually self-serving. God help me with this problem, God these people are hurting me, God I need a miracle for my child, and in these prayers we are the beneficiaries. Although God does want us to pray and communicate our needs to Him, as stated in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15(KJV), we are also called to be an intercessor. Ezekiel 22:30(KJV) says God is looking for intercessors, “Someone to make up the hedge and stand in the gap for the land before Him but He found none”. In order to intercede for others we need to know what it means to be an intercessor and embody the character of Jesus.
Doctors, nurses and other providers are challenged on a daily basis in an attempt to consider and assimilate their patient’s different religious backgrounds and beliefs. The recent trends and strong indications of religious vitality and diversity present a pressing need to recognize various faith traditions in healthcare ethics (Reimer-Kirkham, Grypma, & Terblanche, 2013). Christianity and Buddhism, two of the most widely practiced religions today, bring their own viewpoints concerning healthcare. These religious beliefs may have similar ideas with regards to illness and healing. However, the differences in health practices and the approach to achieving optimal
5. Vivian Nutton, "Murders and Miracles: Lay Attitudes Towards Medicine in Classical Antiquity." In Roy Porter (ed), Patients and Practitioners: Lay Perceptions of Medicine in Pre-Industrial Society (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1985), pp. 23-53.
Persistent prayer develops patience and an earnest spirit. It humbles us so that God alone gets the glory. Don’t come to God only in the midnight emergencies. The more time we spend with God, the more we will learn to trust God and to ask for the things that are consistent with His
...st always pray to God with such great and deep belief that everything we ask for, He will give to us and we will receive, of course if it is reasonable. Putting every single ounce of faith and belief that we have installed in our mind, body, and soul into God is the state we should always pray in. Making your requests to God specific and making them known to Him is absolutely crucial.