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Perhaps a better title for this post might be: “So what if it doesn’t work?” This is the vexing question that paralyzes well-intentioned Christians the world over. What if I pray and nothing happens? Ecclesiastes 11:4 states;
Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
If we struggle with that thought, we will never be free to pray in faith. In the natural, we don’t want to make a fool of ourselves. We dread the thought of our prayer resulting in…absolutely nothing. We are frequently afraid of those who would pounce on us for giving the sick “false hope”, and we would rather not be classed with those who are labeled the “name-it-and-claim-it people”. This leads to paralysis and hesitation.
I was helped by realizing that God is the Healer, not me. All I’m required to do is my part, namely to nurture my faith and minister healing to the supplicant. Oh yes, there’s also consecration, and training to make me more effective.
However, let’s just follow that hypothetical, shall we? If “nothing happens”, then as long as I have fulfilled my part, the responsibility for healing lies with God. He is the Healer. I am neither embarrassed nor mortified if there is no immediate discernible change in the situation. Why would I be? I am only ever embarrassed if I am not prepared or hearing clearly or consecrated. Besides, something always happens after faith-filled prayer- in the spirit if not in the physical.
Second, we think healing is easy. Well, it is not, sorry. Eating bon bons is easy, healing is hard. Please read “Healing is Hard”. A nation of instant gratification gets upset at temporary failures without realizing there is a price to be paid. An unfocused church gets so demoralized that many pastors now avoid the topic entirely. Read John Wimber’s Power Healing about paying the price for success in the healing ministry.
Jesus, as it happens, was in the habit of waking up very early to pray. In Mark 1:35, we read,
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Did He have to get up early in the morning to pray? Not really, but to be as effective as He was, definitely yes. We know that Jesus did not minister as the Son of God, He ministered as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, He never would have said we’d do the same and even greater works than He did.
So here’s the sequence. We don’t pay the price, we don’t get results, and then we back off because we don’t get results. Even worse – and this is the most distressing – there are some believers who once believed in Jesus the Healer, who have now joined the chorus of naysayers.
I like to look at it this way: naysayers will never receive healing other than through natural means. Deliverance will always be out of reach. What have we got to lose by getting trained and going for broke in healing and the supernatural? Embarrassment? If so, read Hebrews 11 and realize how good we have it today in the West. If you call this embarrassment, consider what your brethren are going through in South Sudan, Eritrea, China, Egypt, and parts of India. That is beyond embarrassment unto death.
Let’s put it all together then. Never consider what people may think or the “what if it doesn’t work?” question. Do your best to get trained by one of the very few remaining teachers that teach authoritatively on Christian healing (books, tapes, actual meetings and the Internet are all good). Join a Healing Room or other band of believers, where you can develop your gifts and exercise your faith. Pray and meditate on the scriptures that relate to healing . Then pray some more. It may take time as you pay the price, but your faith will grow, as will your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and ultimately, your effectiveness. Then you will eventually, like Elijah, begin to seek out and challenge naysayers and see God’s power demonstrated through you.
I view this as a testimony. Keep on testmonying as to this great and wonderful gift. Keep on.
Brother Marty
Thank you for the encouragement, Brother Marty. I appreciate it very much.
Father’s Blessings….
I notice that you encourage joining a Healing Room for practicing prayer. If someone hasn’t gone to their nearest Healing Room yet, they can find one near them by using the map at http://healingrooms.com/index.php?src=location
Maybe ask someone there when the next training seminar is going to be, or ask if you can watch a 7 DVD recording of the training. But like you say, put it into practice.
Thank you for the information. I may use this as a launching point for my own healing needs. My wife’s brain’s been damaged by a severe coronary episode and her neurologist says she’ll never wake up. I’m working on getting a second opinion, but I believe that if I want my wife back, and if it is indeed in God’s will for her to come back to me, and in full health, not just the reviving of her brain (she’s diabetic with all sorts of tissue damage from that) then it’s going to require Supernatural aid. I’m going to investigate this further. Thanks.
Dear Keith,
Thank you for writing. I have prayed the prayer of agreement with another tonight for healing for your wife. The things that are impossible with men are possible with God. So I encourage you to stand your ground and trust God for your wife and yourself.
I also recommend your local healing rooms, to be found at http://www.healingrooms.com. Prayerfully select one and you will be able to find other trained believers to pray with you and stand with you.
I will keep you in my prayers. May God bless you richly…
Thank you very much. I’m in touch right now with someone who’s dealt with the occult and spiritual warfare, and she believes the devil deliberately targeted my wife because she opened herself up to such an attack by going to a palm reader about 20+ years ago. But, she said, the devil was not permitted to kill her. She’ll be gathering a bunch of prayer warriors together to pray over her soon.
Discouraging prognosis. Received word today that they’re concerned about brain hemoraging. They’re going to examine her today to determine if any brain swelling’s gotten worse or better. If it’s gotten worse, then they’ll tell me to anticipate her “legal” death (i.e., brain death, since her brain stem’s the only thing keeping her alive right now). After that, the “progressive” dystopia that is California takes it out of my hands and will not allow her to be put on life support. She will be dead.
At this point I don’t know what to say or pray or what.
Dear Keith,
Yes, this is discouraging news to receive. I will the only thing I know how to do – spend time on my knees tonight praying for her and for you – in His presence. God is faithful and He is good – still able to do more than we can ask or imagine. I do hope you have Christian brothers close by you to lean on as well. May the Holy Spirit strengthen and encourage you, In Jesus Name. Please keep me informed.
Blessings, strength and comfort to you…
Thank you. I have people all over southern California praying for her, incl people whom God has used to raise the dead. I can’t do anymore, except perhaps fast. I am considering that as well.
Okay… the situation’s stable. THANK GOD. She’s technically in a coma, there is brain swelling, but it has not gotten worse. So for right now at least, she’s not in danger of imminent death. I am encouraged to pray some more.
Hi Keith
I praise God for this. I will continue to lift her up in prayer. Blessings and please keep me informed….
Well, I have been both encouraged and discouraged over the past two days. a) I had a spiritual-warrior friend of a friend tell me that when she prayed over her this past week, she felt God talking to her. (When I asked her what He was saying to her, she said “some things ain’t our business”. b) That brain swelling has not reduced. They have *some* hope if it reduces within 7 days. It’s almost that now and there has been no reduction in it. Hence, even this less pessimistic doctor I spoke with this morning seemed to be a little less than encouraging.
Dear Keith,
This must be a difficult time. Please keep your hope up. There is a list of Healing Scriptures on this site. May I suggest meditating on them, reading them out loud to yourself and your wife as often as you can. I’ve always found this a tremendous source of encouragement. Nothing like reminding ourselves of Gods’ will/promises. God bless you both. Remember – Psalm 107:20 “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered from their destructions.” God bless.
She left us this past Friday night, the 3rd. It’s over now.
My Baby’s gone. She was declared legally brain dead last Friday, April 3rd, and that evening they pulled the respirator from her and her breathing stopped. Her heart stopped maybe 10 or 15 mins later.
I have some reasons to believe she went to the right place, that she was right with God, but that’s only so much consolation when so much of my life was associated with her and tied to her one way or the other. A piece of me has been ripped out.
I beg God every day for a vision of her in Heaven, but of course that ain’t happening. I need closure, and talking to her for a few brief moments I believe would do that. But God for some reason wants all of us who loved her — and there are many — to suffer the loss in its totality.
Dear Keith
Allow me to extend my deepest condolences. No words are sufficient here, other than to say that I pray the Holy Spirit grant you and those who knew and loved her the strength and comfort to bear her loss. I’m praying for you. Blessings.
Just found your blog. Enjoyed what I’ve read so far.
On this question, I always believe that ‘something’ has to happen because the bible says, ‘Nothing’ is impossible with God. So if we involve God something has to happen! 😉
Re: Keith’s comment above, lost my son when he was 3 years old but it wasn’t God that did it (John 10:10) I don’t believe he wants you (or me) “to suffer the loss in its totality.”
God can heal the broken hearted. keep praying and it will come.
Hi Don
Thanks for the encouraging words. In healing ministry for many years, I have gotten used to people blaming God for tragedy, with nary a reference to the enemy who actually did it. Many of us have experienced tragedy and loss, but the wise Christian knows that God is not their author.
Also, yes, something always happens when believing prayer is offered. The major problem for those who minister healing is not faith – it is persistence and perseverance. We must have these to see things through, as you note.
Many Blessings…
A lady died at my old church this morning in front of all the little kids who were doing a childrens program. she was around 40. she just collapsed and died. the entire conragation was praying obviously and she didnt make it. Can someone tell me why prayer didnt work there, please dont say it was Gods will because then its always Gods will and prayer would not ever be needed…Thanks
Sorry to hear this. Whenever somebody is not healed they always try to explain it in some way, something is wrong with your faith, other powers hindering etc, etc. If healing was something supernatural we would not need hospitals or doctors or medicine. Healing a pain is not healing. There are a lot of situations that relate to the mind. If you can give someone with a deadly sickness another view of life he or she can combat the sickness with your mind. I know because my father died last fall. It was nothing fatal but he was tired and really did not want to live anymore. I have been through all kinds of healing ministries and have traveled to see “famous healers” but I never saw anyone healed of fatal sicknesses like cancer, amputees, broken bones etc. If you are honest you have to admit that what they call “healing” is nothing but a psychic change. It always falls back. No one that is lame can walk again, no one that is blind can see again. If this was true it would be in the news. Ask for evidence and they always tell you “we don’t need evidence, we just know it is true”.
I believe in God and there is of course power in prayer no matter what the person who prays believes in. It is all in the mind. But my conclusion is that God does not really have any power in this world, I don’t know why but you can’t explain why people aren’t healed. Admitting these facts will make it much easier to have a faith. Then you don’t have to explain that something is wrong with your faith. Just accept that this is the real world. Prayer I think helps in many ways but don’t expect miracles. The Bible says God wants us to be well and that is good but be very critical to what people claim are miracles. Check it out, find out for yourself. They want your money at least.
Hi there, I’m very sorry to hear about the untimely death of the woman at your church. It must be a blow to her family and the church family and I express my condolences.
I’m glad you recognize that untimely death is not God’s fault, it is always the fault of the enemy of our souls. The devil is the cause of untimely death, directly or indirectly. God is always present to protect, heal, encourage, and comfort.
I don’t know why the corporate prayer did not result in her resuscitation and healing, I don’t know the specifics of this situation. I could take out the book of “good practices” -the stuff I write about here- and ask if each one checks out e.g., about what congregation believes, what the church teaches, and what the woman’s story was.
However, that is unnecessary here. She has gone on to be with the Lord, which is better by far. We mourn with those who mourn and pray for her family’s comfort and heart healing. I pray that we redouble our vigilance, our intercession and our fervor and faith in praying for the sick.
I am sorry for the loss of the bereaved.
To understand what causes healing to not occur, read “When Healing Prayers Aren’t Working – Spiritual Warfare for Real”
Yeah, there is always a good explanation. That healing does not work is a “no-issue”.
Jesus answer to these questions is the same he gave to his disciples in Matt 17:20. unbelief.
ow…Sherry, sorry to hear your situation,you are so unulkcy. I and an entrecard member too. I wish i won’t face this problem and wish you good luck too!Hope your problem will be solved as soon as possible.Have a nice day !