Chapter 26—Prayer for Healing a Solemn Act

BIBLE GEM

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”—James 5:14, 15CWG 65.1

QUESTION

Why do we not see more demonstrations of the gift of healing?CWG 65.2

ANSWER

Prayer for healing is a solemn act: “In the Word of God we have instruction relative to special prayer for the recovery of the sick. But the offering of such prayer is a most solemn act, and should not be entered upon without careful consideration. In many cases of prayer for the healing of the sick, that which is called faith, is nothing less than presumption.”—The Ministry of Healing, 227CWG 65.3

Beware of fanaticism and false miracle workers: “ ‘Why,’ asks one and another, ‘is not prayer offered for the miraculous healing of the sick, instead of so many sanitariums being established?’ Should this be done, great fanaticism would arise in our ranks.”—Evangelism, 594CWG 65.4

“ ‘Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity’ (Matthew 7:21-23). These may profess to be followers of Christ, but they have lost sight of their Leader. They may say, ‘Lord, Lord;’ they may point to the sick who are healed through them, and to other marvelous works, and claim that they have more of the Spirit and power of God than is manifested by those who keep His law. But their works are done under the supervision of the enemy of righteousness, whose aim it is to deceive souls, and are designed to lead away from obedience, truth, and duty. In the near future there will be still more marked manifestations of this miracle-working power.”—Ellen G. White Comments, The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:975, 976CWG 65.5

Must not demand healing, but be submissive to God's will: “We have united in earnest prayer around the sickbed of men, women, and children, and have felt that they were given back to us from the dead in answer to our earnest prayers. In these prayers we thought we must be positive, and if we exercised faith, that we must ask for nothing less than life. We dared not say, ‘If it will glorify God,’ fearing it would admit a semblance of doubt. We have anxiously watched those who have been given back, as it were, from the dead. We have seen some of these, especially youth, raised to health, and they have forgotten God, become dissolute in life, causing sorrow and anguish to parents and friends, and have become a shame to those who feared to pray. They lived not to honor and glorify God, but to curse Him with their lives of vice.CWG 66.1

“We no longer mark out a way, nor seek to bring the Lord to our wishes. If the life of the sick can glorify Him, we pray that they may live, nevertheless, not as we will but as He will.”—Counsels on Health, 379CWG 66.2

SUMMARY AND PRAYER THOUGHT

I was invited by the General Conference Ministerial Department to go to Utrecht, Holland, to counsel and pray with people that came to the special prayer room. We have seen many miracles in answer to earnest prayer. One minister came from New Guinea. The day after he left for meetings in Australia, and then went to Utrecht, Holland, his little baby became desperately ill. Wouldn't eat, barely drank, given the best medication and care, yet the baby did not respond. The father was expecting the baby to die. He wanted to go home, but he couldn't change the date of his ticket. He felt impressed to come to the special prayer room. He believed that all of the gospel commission was still in force today. A few of us knelt to pray and asked in Jesus’ name that the baby would be healed. We phoned the next day and we were informed that in the same hour we prayed in Holland the baby rallied for the first time in New Guinea and asked for food to eat. Praise God that he is a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering and miracle-working God.CWG 66.3