Prayer For Healing

1. Prayer For Healing Presented By: David Kueker (key’ker) Caseyville United Methodist Church

2. Pastor David Kueker • I am not a doctor. • If anything you hear today disagrees with what your doctors say, believe your doctors. • If anything you hear today disagrees with your understanding of God, or with your heart, go with God and your heart.

3. Dr. Herbert Benson • Herbert Benson, M.D. is a cardiologist, researcher and an Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School since 1970. • Dr. Benson is the author or co-author of more than 175 scientific publications and 11 books. • More than four million copies of his books are in print.

4. Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief • Herbert Benson, M.D. with Marg Stark • Simon & Schuster, 1996. • (referenced page numbers will appear in parentheses)

5. Henry Ford • Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. • Therefore: • Whether you think God can or think God can’t, you’re right.

6. Mat 9:27-30 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." • When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord.”

7. Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you.” • And their eyes were opened. • Eugene Peterson, The Message: Become what you believe.

8. + Placebo Nocebo - • Whether you think you’re well or think you’re sick, you’re right. • “Remembered Wellness” a.k.a. the Placebo Effect: 1955 testing standard is 30% effective (28).

9. Three conditions raise the placebo effect to 70-90% effectiveness: (32) • 1. Patient’s belief and expectancy • 2. Caregiver’s belief and expectancy (professional clinician) • 3. Belief and expectancies generated by the relationship between patient and caregiver.

10. “... patients who consistently followed doctor’s orders, believing that doing so would make them well, were twice as likely to live ...” (45) • “In every instance of remembered wellness, the catalyst is belief.” (38) • Faith and the relaxation response yield remembered wellness.

11. Remembered Wellness A.K.A. the Placebo Effect • The ability of our bodies to heal themselves, • is built in at the time of creation, • it is no less a miracle because the potential has always been there.

12. FAITH: Expectancy • Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. • How sure is your hope? • How clear is your sight? • Is your faith in focus?

13. FAITH: Expectancy • Mark 11:22 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

14. FAITH: Expectancy • 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

15. FAITH: Expectancy • “My review of the research reveals that regardless of how traditional one’s practice of religious beliefs, whenever faith is present, remembered wellness is triggered and health can be improved.”- Herbert Benson (173)

16. Faith and the relaxation response yieldREMEMBERED WELLNESS • The “Relaxation Response” • Contemplative Prayer • Basil Pennington • Thomas Keating • “in the zone” (167) • “flow”

17. “FLOW” • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi • (CHIK-seh-mee-HIGH) • deep peace, calm, relaxation; absence of fear, stress, worry • high awareness, excitement, enthusiasm, exhilaration • totally absorbed with loss of sense of time passing

18. RELAXATION RESPONSE • Two basic steps: (134) • Repeat a word, sound, prayer, phrase, or muscular activity. • Passively disregard everyday thoughts that come to mind, and return to your repetition. • “when the mind quiets down, the body follows suit.” (127)

19. RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS • 1. Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system, such as "one," "peace," "The Lord is my shepherd," "Hail Mary full of grace," or "shalom."

20. RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS • 2. Sit quietly in a comfortable position. • 3. Close your eyes. • 4. Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck.

21. RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS • 5. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale. • 6. Assume a passive attitude. Don't worry about how well you're doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well," and gently return to your repetition.

22. RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS • 7. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes • 8. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising.

23. RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS • 9. Practice the technique once or twice daily. Good times to do so are before breakfast and before dinner • …but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2

24. FAITH • Who’s in charge here? • Who is able? • Who is Lord? • Whether you believe Jesus can or believe Jesus can’t, you’re right.

25. FAITH • Who’s in charge here? • Mat 8:2 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

26. FAITH • Who’s in charge here? • Mat 8:5 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

27. 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

28. FAITH • Who’s in charge here? • 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. • Faith is knowing who’s in charge.

29. FAITH • Who’s in charge here? • Mat 8:13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. • Faith is knowing who’s in charge.

30. FAITH: Your Decision • Who is able? • Who is Lord? • Who’s in charge here? • Jesus is Lord over my_____________. • Faith is knowing who’s in charge.

31. The Centering Prayer: • Lord Jesus, today I am far less than the person I want to be or can be with your help. I ask today that you would be more and more the center of my life. Guide me to all that is good, cleanse me from all that is not. Teach me Your ways and form me in Your nature. Work through me to redeem my neighborhood. I am a sinner; please be my Shepherd, my Savior and my Lord. Amen.

32. FAITH: Surprise • Mark 5:24 - 34 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and who suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

33. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well.” 29 And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

34. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it.

35. 33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. • 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

36. FAITH: Surprise • Mark 6:56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

37. FAITH: Action • Mark 2:4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

38. FAITH: Action • Mark 2:11 “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

39. FAITH: Action • Luke 17:14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

40. FAITH: Action • John 5:8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked.

41. FAITH: Action • John 9:7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

42. Three conditions raise the placebo effect to 70-90% effectiveness: (32) • 1. Patient’s belief and expectancy • 2. Caregiver’s belief and expectancy (professional clinician) • 3. Belief and expectancies generated by the relationship between patient and caregiver.

43. Three conditions raise the placebo effect to 70-90% effectiveness: (32) • 1. Patient’s belief and expectancy • 2. Caregiver’s belief and expectancy (Lord and Savior) • 3. Belief and expectancies generated by the relationship between patient and caregiver.