Looking for a place to feel inspired and challenged? Like to share a smile or a laugh? Interested in becoming more familiar with Canadian writers who have a Christian worldview? We are writers who live in different parts of Canada, see life from a variety of perspectives, and write in a number of genres. We share the goal of wanting to entertain and inspire you to be all you can be with God's help.
Many churches regularly pray for those who are sick. At St. Simon’s NV, we often give thanks for answered prayer, particularly in the area of healing in body, mind or spirit. Healing prayer is mysterious in its effect. In recent years, there have been a number of studies on the effects of healing prayer. Dr. Candy Brown wrote a ground-breaking book entitled “Testing Prayer” which gave preliminary indications that there is a measurable impact in healing prayer. Her research involved the ethnographic approaches of participant-observation, written surveys and oral interviews, clinical measurements and statistical tests, and narrative analysis and archival research. Dr. Brown’s team of researchers used audiometers and vision charts to test hearing and vision before and after times of healing prayer. Many but not all participants in healing prayer showed significant improved function in the post-prayer diagnostic tests. Dr. Brown suggested that the empirically observable effect deserves more research and followup, involving larger-scale more-refined clinical trials of the effects of healing prayer.
Science cannot prove why healing prayer works, but it can measure its effects in helpful ways. The founder of Christianity, Jesus, was consistently involved in teaching, preaching and healing the sick. His early followers regularly participated in healing prayer. For over two thousand years, healing prayers have been offered up for those in need. It is encouraging that careful research is being done, indicating that healing prayer makes an empirical difference. My expectation over the next number of years is that many more scientific tests will be done, that will teach us a lot more about the empirical nature of healing prayer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
by the Rev. Ed Hird One year ago, on May 1st, I sensed that I was to once again visit every home in Maplewood and Deep Cove in North Vanco... -
Maria Woodworth-Etter: Under the Power -an article for the Light Magazine ‘Healing Pioneers’ series By Rev. Dr Ed & Janice Hird ... -
How do daffodils and tulips know when it’s time to reveal their beautiful heads? How does the forsythia bush know when it's springtim... -
Fall display at the Farmers' Mar ket in St. Jacob's The poem I memorized in school, when we did memory work, comes... -
For the last month, I've been so busy just "doing" that I've had virtually no time for reflecting, thinking, or, alas, wri... -
In the introduction to Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer , which will be released later this month, I make this statement, ... -
Writers—especially those who aspire to write books—are currently being told that the publishing industry is undergoing a massive change. Th... -
I sometimes think of myself as a writing chameleon because I write for two very distinct audiences. My first writing love is romantic suspe... -
Anticipation—a new year—standing on the tip of your toes, leaning forward to peer into the future to see what will happen—does that sound l... -
I read a lot of poetry. I dive in revelling in the imagery, the metaphors, the music — delighting in the lyricism, the voice, the possibil...
1 comment:
Thanks for this piece, Ed. Only yesterday I met a couple with whom I had a conversation in which they shared with me a story of the wife's healing, and the role prayer played in it. That occurred some years ago, and she is now senior and is very well. ~~+~~
Post a Comment