AND IT WORKS:
The most intriguing experiment involves 60 patients at the Arthritis
Treatment Center in Clearwater, Fla. Because rheumatoid arthritis has clear
manifestations - including swollen joints and crippling pain - relief of these
symptoms can be easily measured. The study is under the general direction of Dr.
Dale Matthews, an associate of medicine at the Georgetown University School of
Medicine in Washington, DC Matthews is also a Presbyterian who has been praying
for and with patients for years and now wants to find out if science can confirm
that prayer really has healing effects.
He has divided the participants into
2 general groups. All patients will receive 4 days of healing prayer through the
traditional Christian practice of laying on of hands by the Christian Healing
Ministry. In addition, half the patients will receive 6 months of long distance
intercessory prayer. Both groups will be examined by the same clinician before
the experiment, immediately afterward and again at one, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Throughout, Matthews is using strict scientific protocols and standards set by
the American College of Rheumatology. by the end of this year, after an outside
physician has scrutinized the data, Matthews and his team hope to show what
difference, if any, prayer has made.
Already, a videotape of the early phase of the study shows that some
individual patients have experienced extraordinary short term results from
prayer. "There’s something weird going on here, and I love it," says one
patient. At the beginning of the experiment, he had 49 tender joints. After 4
sessions with a hands on praying minister, he had only 8. Six months later, he
says he has no pain at all and no need of medication. (Newsweek, March 31, 1997
p. 62)
BUT (in a way) prayer doesn’t work. At the first
church I served, a sporadic attender was suffering from a life threatening
disease & asked for the elders to come and lay hands on him. He was healed…
and he NEVER CAME BACK TO CHURCH after that.
At the last congregation I served a young girl was
living with her boyfriend and bore a baby that
(for a while) looked like it
would die. There were many prayers, laying of hands - and the child was
miraculously healed… But the family NEVER CAME TO CHURCH. Prayer changed their
circumstances… but it didn’t change them.
Prayer is an awesome tool. It allows us to unleash
the might power of God AND brings healing for the sick, a mending of
relationships, a change in our circumstances. GOD MAY NOT always answer our
prayers WHEN we’d like, in THE WAY we’d like. BUT God does answer
prayer.
However, if prayer ONLY changes our circumstances,
and it doesn’t change us, IT ACCOMPLISHES LITTLE OF LASTING VALUE,
BUT PRAYER – when you pray the way ought to pray –
WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. So, how do I pray in such a way as to change
me???
FIRST: I Timothy
2:1 gives us these words: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone"
“First of all?" Why first of all?
BECAUSE, our tendency is to say: “I can’t do anything else about this, so… (I’ll
pray). You know what that should tell us??? When we pray that way (as a last
resort) we are saying we are still in control of our lives. God is an
afterthought. Thus prayer doesn’t come "first of all" for many of us. It comes
last, if at all.
That type of thinking is what’s reflected but the
saying: “God helps those who help themselves." Many people believe that’s a
direct quote out of Scripture (BUT IT’S NOT). In fact, the Bible’s stories defy
that kind of theology. If "God helps those who help themselves" then Samson
shouldn’t have been a failure. Saul would have been the greatest king of the Old
Testament, and Jezebel would have been a role model for all women. But God
DOESN’T help those who help themselves. God helps those who look to Him in
obedience and prayer.
On person once said: "Winners devote everything to
prayer... Losers use prayer as a last resort."
SECOND: How do I
pray in such a way as to change me?
I Timothy 2:8 says: "I want men everywhere to lift
up holy hands in prayer…"
ILLUS: A 24 yr. old Prostitute I read about was
quoted as saying: "I don’t talk about my feelings a lot. Instead I lie on my bed
and think unto Him. I meditate because sometimes my words don’t come out right.
But He can find me. He can find what’s inside me just by listening to my
thoughts. I ask Him to help me and keep me going. A lot of people this working
girls don’t have any morals, any religion. But I do. I don’t steal. I don’t lie.
The way I look at it, I’m not sinning. He’s not going to judge me. I don’t think
God judges anybody."
Correct me if I’m wrong (though I’m not). Does it
seem she’s missed something here? It’s fairly obvious, this woman is NOT lifting
holy hands to God. But we’d never live a life like hers so we shouldn’t have any
problems lifting up “holy hands”… should we? Well, we might.
If you take a closer look at vs. 8, you’ll find
that Paul defines what he means by what makes for "holy hands" in prayer:
"without anger or disputing." In other words, it is anger and disputing that can
make our hands unclean in prayer.
When Jesus talked about the one thing that would
cause God not to forgive us, He didn’t say it was prostitution or murder - it
was an unforgiving heart in our lives. "But if you do not forgive men their
sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:15).
If we want to have prayer change us, we need to
lift up holy hands, hands unstained by a hardened attitude
and anger.
THIRD Lastly, I Timothy 2:1-4
says: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we
may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good,
and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth."
Why are we to pray for authorities, etc. (verse 3)? Why?
Because, if I’m going to pray a life changing kind of prayer I need to ask
myself: why should God answer my prayer?
Life changing prayer doesn’t ask "what is my will? BUT RATHER
– it prays like Jesus did: "Not my will, but thy will be done."
When a people pray that way – they take themselves off center
stage
What type of prayer pleases God? vs. 2, 3 tell us: "requests,
prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all
those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness
and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be
saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
CLOSE: Murphy Belding, small group minister at SE
Christian Church had visited a large congregation in Korea some time back. It
had 650,000 members – 64,000 per service. They also had a place they called
“prayer mountain” where up to 22,000 people could pray. There were slots cut
into the mountain side where people could go and kneel and pray. Because of the
nature of their culture, when they prayed they literally shouted to God,
interceding for their church, their nation, their family, etc.
Murphy, and few American Christians boarded the bus for the
mountain and were typical Christians from the US – talking, laughing, joking.
But as the Korean Christians came on board, they quietly took their seats and
folded their hands, praying to God quietly in soft sing song
voices.
More and more Koreans boarded the bus and more and more of
them folded their hands and prayed. For the whole one hour bus ride to the
mountain, the Koreans prayed on in this way, while initially, the Americans
continued in their boisterous talk. But eventually, the prayers of the Koreans
began to change the new comers, until – at last – even they quieted down into
their prayers on the ride as well.
Rod Farthing, ARM
National Development Director
rodfar@arm.org
3127 Hwy I, Salem, MO 65560
Remain faithful unto
death .." Rev. 2:10B
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