Prayer and Healing

I clearly remember going to Crusaders’ Classes as a teenager, I guess I was around 15. I still have the Bible which I earned for attending 100 classes. It is still in quite good condition but that probably reflects how little it has been used. I went on two summer camps, one on the Isle of Wight, the other on the Norfolk Broads.

But the one memory that stands out more than any of those was during a meeting one Sunday afternoon when we boys (no girls) were together in the house of our leader. One of our members was in hospital undergoing heart surgery and we prayed for him. And, we learned later, his condition improved greatly at that very same moment. In those days, we were taught that a prayer, for healing for example went up to a kind of telephone exchange in the sky and a reply came back either yes or no. But I felt very much that we sent healing directly to our friend. Obviously it is a long time ago but I still feel that we sent healing directly to him. Sometimes I am corrected by my Christian friends to add, “.. with the healing power of God.”

Many years have passed, well 65 to be exact. During that time, in a conventional Christian environment, I thought deeply about how God answers prayer. How does God allow so much suffering in the world if he has the power to heal sickness. Why does God answer some prayers and not others? Sometimes the answer is, “It is his will, maybe he sees a better way”. You mean, to let someone die? Giving a thumbs up or thumbs down like a Roman emperor. “How can all this be?” I asked myself.

I’ve written elsewhere that I believe that we are all connected. And I believe the medium that connects us is no less than God. Einstein talked about the “Ether”, these days we talk about “Dark matter”. But of course, like many pages on this website, we don’t know. All I can say is that, every day, I am aware of it.

But, getting back to healing. I believe that healing is peer to peer, directly to the other person, using the healing (and connecting) power of God. That neatly resolves the problem of the Roman Emperor – God doesn’t decide. People pray, “If it be your will..” I disagree strongly with that premise. I don’t believe that God controls our lives – we do, for better or worse. But are our lives pre-determined? I cover that in the Block Universe.

I believe that, in order to pray, one must be in a calm state such as one seeks in meditation (haha, but then I contradict myself later!) I believe that we can heal another person either by touch or at a distance (It is called “prayer”. In a secular context, because it also works there – it is called “absent healing”). For me, it is like a switch – I can feel when the power of healing is with me and there is no point in attempting healing if it is not there.

I think it is futile to be in a non-meditative state, praying for world leaders for example as though it is some kind of news bulletin. And most conventional prayers are sent as a supplication to God “up there”, looking for an answer or a yes-no response.

Where I live in Arrecife, Lanzarote, there are several Pentecostal or Evangelical churches, usually run by Latin American Christians (there are many Colombians here). Sometimes I join part of their services (they go on for a long time!) They sing, the pastor preaches passionately and they pray. To me, as rather a traditional Anglican, the praying can be quite a shock. There is shouting, moaning almost.. “en el nombre de Jésus…” for example, hands outstretched. But isn’t this what prayer should be like? Connecting with God, basically. I love traditional Anglican worship (I have chosen words from the Book of Common Prayer for my funeral), I love Evensong in English Cathedrals. And yet, these lovely people really know what it is to reach out to God.

I have attended workshops with Matthew Manning and we were taught how to feel the aura around a person and how to send healing. Sometimes, when I think of a friend who needs my help, my fingers start to tingle. I used to play around with my hands separated by a few inches, I would feel as though a balloon was pushing my hand closer and further apart. Most people can try this.