There has been a long struggle over this issue for a while now. Every month there is either a prayer service or healing service. During these services, at the end of the regular service, there is a separate session where one is invited to walk up to the front for Pastor’s wife to pray for him or her, either for specific needs or for healing.
Coming as we do from a Methodist background, these practices are not our staple diet. While they are not alien (I first went for such a service maybe 25 years ago!) such practices never became part of us. We have always remained on the fringe, just either silently observing or in my case, often just sitting down and praying on my own.
I am not sure how I feel. On the one hand there are skepticisms galore in my head. Why for example, are temporary losses of consciousness an invariable occurrence? Some who administer the prayer even appear to take such a loss as indicative of the adequacy of prayer. They stop and move on to the next person when it happens and kept on praying for that person until it occurs. Sometimes it is a self-fulfilling thing. Lose consciousness and you’re with it. Don’t and somehow doubt and resistance are implied.
On the other hand, I know God works in all sorts of ways and we shouldn’t restrict His ministry to just the traditional way. Why for example shouldn’t we be prayed for with a hand on our heads and someone standing behind us to catch us when we fall? Why should He speak to us only through the Bible? Can He not minister to us through such “anointing”? By the same token, why do these practitioners limit God’s working to such laying on of hands? If God wishes to minister to us (and it is His sole will, not for us to trigger by adopting some practices) why must it take man to do it in any given way at all? I could for example, pray early in the morning next to my study desk/table at home and He can speak to me then?
Last Sunday an unscheduled prayer session took place. A guest speaker was there and he had this session at the end of the service. As usual I felt no prompting, urge or any “voice” for me to step forward so I sat next to my Theresa and just prayed on my own. As the session wears on and people started to move outside for their coffee, I too stepped out to lend a hand with the table setting.
I came back into the hall to take the car keys and 2 leaders were standing at the back of the hall. As usual they urged me to go forward. I politely declined but 1 of them prodded me a bit more and suggested he would come up with me. I felt trapped in a way but I didn’t mind very much. After all, I think I am mostly ready to respond if there was a clear and unequivocal signal from God that it was what He wanted me to do. So I went, and that speaker prayed for me. What was his special word for me? “Believe and you shall receive”.
As we were driving around that afternoon I told Theresa I didn’t like going out precisely because of what I actually experienced. I have always believed God will heal if it was His will. I know He can. I also believe He has His own reason and timing. While faith is a prerequisite it cannot be used to force God’s hand. Or can it? Anyway, it messed with my head and I wasn’t sure after that whether I was right in my approach. Was something amiss with my belief? Do I harbour any sins in me which blocked my receipt of such healing?
Ante 