Here are a couple of interesting situations involving prayer which I thought I'd share with you: I know of a young girl who was afflicted with warts. I mean really afflicted. They were all over her body, from head to toe. People were repulsed at the sight of her. Many in her family were Catholic, including her mother. Just before the young girl was to receive her "First Holy Communion" her mother rounded up a number of relatives for an all-night prayer vigil. I understand that a number of people spent the entire evening praying softly and quietly over the young girl as she slept, asking God to take the warts away. There was not a sign of wart "one" when she awoke in the morning. She was wart-free on her communion day. I knew her with warts and I knew her after they were gone. Later in life, I found out what had happened. A couple of years ago, my husband came home from work and doubled over in pain. He ended up having to be transported to the hospital. A lot transpired over the next ten days but, to make a long story short, the doctors ended up removing a cancerous tumor from his intestine along with part of his intestine. This was a big surprise because he leads a very healthy lifestyle... He exercises regularly, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't do drugs, eats well-balanced meals, gets plenty of rest... the whole bit. Anyway, one of his older sisters was "extremely" distraught when she heard the news. She told me that she didn't think it was fair because he was the baby of the family, because he had so much life ahead of him, because she was older and had experienced more of life... she told me that she was praying that God take the cancer away from her brother (my husband) and give it to her! Lo' and behold, although she had just gotten a clean bill of health the month before, including cancer screening, within a month of my husband's surgery, his sister was in the hospital with ADVANCED stage cancer!!! She underwent a long, horrible, mutilating surgery, during which, the doctors were unable to remove all of the cancer. That was a little more than two years ago. My husband is on "the five year plan" and goes for his screening every three months. So far, he remains cancer free. His sister, on the other hand, has been fighting with all of her strength to survive and is in her second series of intense chemotherapy treatments which, in addition to all the regular horrible side effects, has caused extensive nerve damage which she will have to live with for the rest of her life... IF she lives. I thank God for my husband's health! And, I pray for my sister-in-law, that God do whatever is best for her. I am not as brave as she is, however. I have seen the power of serious prayer at work and I would not pray for God to give me her illness... What are your thoughts or experiences with respect to the power of prayer? [This message has been edited by truestory (edited December 17, 1999).]
truestory, You've read one of my experiences. I do trust that God can and does heal according to His good will. I'm not certain of Him transferring a burden in that manner. No Biblical standing for it comes to mind. Yet, I do know first hand that God will use even disease to our benefit. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. Perhaps I'll go into detail some time in the future. To make a long story short, God has taught me many wonderful things through this normally bad situation. Chief of all is that I need to focus on Him more and more (keep growing in Him) to maintain my good health. About six months after being stricken with this, I went out on a limb and trusted that God would take care of my health completely. Don't get me wrong. God provides great miracles in the form of little pills. He leads man to things of benefit to his life. I don't advocate that anyone just ignore your doctor's advise. That could be the advisor that God wants you to follow from now on. In my situation, I have had a relationship with God, regarding my health, that has been relational to our relationship. Truthfully, He did need to get my attention off of some very powerful lures and onto Him. My sugar levels, averaged in the 260's and would regularly spike to over 400 when performing certain activities like working out in the gym. After many changes in my prescriptions, the doctors were ready to place me on insulin. I, conversely, went the other direction. I graduated my medication down to zero. I continued to work out heavily. I suffered through the onslaught of terrible sickness after each workout. Most of all, I kept trusting that God would take care of me even though my glucose meter was not backing me up on that. Eventually, the levels started to slide and my excitement started to climb. Today, I will not claim to be cured, but rescued daily. God maintains the sugar levels of a normal human in me. I eat like everyone does (should be better) and am physically near where I was previous to this encounter. There's the occasional reminder. I sometimes feel weaker that my usual self. My vision is now only 20/20 on the traditional scale. It's strange not being able to always read small signs farther away than everyone around me. It's funny. I complained about my sight to my doctor at a time when it was blurry because of my sugar. It turned out that He, with his glasses on, couldn't even see what I could. I've learned many valuable limits through this encounter. I've also learned that medicine is quite limited in comparison to grand supplier. He supplied me with pills when He wanted me to have them. Yet, He supplied me with faith to trust Him more. I'm ashamed to say that I still struggle in areas trusting God with the tiniest little things. Daily, He teaches me to look upon Him with the eyes He has given me,... to serve Him with the body that He has preserved,... to trust Him with the life He has claimed as His own prize. I thank God for this forum and the opportunity He gives me to recount His greatness and remember His goodness. I could not ask Him for a better gift than that which brings me closer to Him. Jesus Can Change Any Life, ISDAMan P.S.- I'll be praying for your husband and his sister. [This message has been edited by ISDAMan (edited December 17, 1999).]
True'- Short on time, but got to say - I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that we can change the forces around us. I think the healing comes from within, however, and not from God. Mind over matter, that kind of thing. Witches spells are based on that premise.
ISDMan, Yes, I did read about your miraculous "ankle" experience! Thank you for sharing your experience with diabetes and your faith in God and thank you for your prayers. Mine are with you, also. I thank God for your having joined us (again) in this forum. It has been quite refreshing! SkyeBlue, Thanks for responding... Yes, I have just been looking over your recent discussions with the Lady O' the Green... She seems to be quite a novel character and seems to have made a great impression on you and motivated you to move along quite rapidly in your new-found religion...
True - Wow, we must be a bored bunch, look at all the posts in just a couple of minutes! Yah, that Lady is something, isn't she? I wish she'd get a computer and post more often. It's strange, she's like my inner voice, she's just repeating things to me that I feel like I've known for ages. I was digging out Christmas decorations (I suppose I should call them Yule decorations now!) just the other day, and I found a box that had my old sketchbooks from about age 11 through high school. I started to leaf through them, and I was surprised to see how many symbols I placed in my own drawings that relate directly to the faith I am now following!! I'm not much of an artist, so I've never shown most of my work to anyone before, so I always just drew straight from my heart as a kid. I found one that knocked my socks off, it's a woman's face in the moon, and she's gazing down on this great big stag with love in her eyes. (I literally wrote the word "love" in each of her eyes!). Now, when I look at that drawing, I can see it's the face of the Goddess, looking at a favorite symbol of her lover, the God. I don't even really remember making that drawing, it's not very good or pretty, and the date on it says I was about 13 when I drew it. It just kind of affirms to me that this path is mine, and it really always has been. I'm going to paraphase something I wrote in my notebook - the notebook I'm using to record my magickal studies. I don't have it in front of me, so the words aren't going to be exactly the same, but the words just flowed when I wrote it originally; It's like I started off in a clearing, with all my friends and family and lots more people I dont' know, and there are big paths leading out of the clearing. Most of these people are choosing a path, and they want me to go along with them. But not one of those paths looked right, so I chose to try to make my own path. I began to struggle through the woods, trying to beat my own path. Finally, I look up, and notice I'm not alone after all. There are lots and lots of others forging through the woods in the same direction as I'm going, they have just been so silent and I have been so wrapped up in thinking I have to make my own path that I never noticed them. These other people are the pagans, the witches, the shamens. These other people are my soul-brothers and soul-sisters. We are all walking the same direction, but quietly, and each is making their own way through the forest. That's the most accurate way I can describe what I'm feeling. It's like a veil has been lifted and all the "random" thoughts I've been having all these years fit together all of a sudden. That's what made me realize I can't really criticize anyone for following their own faith, whatever that may be, as long as they treat others with respect. I wouldn't deny anyone the feeling I have right now. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Although I have very strong faith in the power of prayer, we also must realize the power of illusion. A lot of these afflictions were probably pychosomatic, or at least pychosomatically cured, with no help from god. The mind has a lot of power too...I am currently afflicted with a strange reaction to the uriticating hairs of a tarantula. And you know why? Because I believe I am afflicted.
Not to be a naysayer, but I agree with Corp. There are two camps in the power of healing. There's the power of prayer side and the mystic "mind over matter" people. They both seem to work or at least have some effect, wether that is only in the minds of the individual or not. The ability to of the mind to alter the physical body's health is under study, but there are some links to mental states and the strength of the nervous system.
Good point, JMitch. There are also studies underway concerning the health of believers vs non-believers (believe it or not!). Corp. Hudson, What does "iriticating" mean? and, do you live with/near tarantulas???
Corp. & JMitch, Sugar does not fade away with happy thoughts. Ask any doctor. There is no cure. Also, my thoughts weren't all that motivational when my sugar levels drove me to physical sickness. On top of that, high shugar levels zap the energy out of you and cause you to be far less chearie. Godd thoughts can help you keep warm when it's cold out. They don't cure medically diagnosed diabetes. Know the Father through the Son, ISDAMan
ISDAMan, My mother was also diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago. She was able to control her's with diet, but it was still there. Then she heard about Chromium Picolinate (it helps to regulate blood sugar), so she started using it regularly. The last time she went to the doctor, she had absolutely no sign of diabetes. Of course, her symptoms weren't as bad as yours, but have you tried this yet? ------------------ www.indigenousrocks.com
Truestory, I also remember a rather interesting event involving something that was much like a prayer (whether it was intended to be or not!). Do you remember the Playoffs a few years ago (in '96, I believe) between the Sacramento Kings and the Seattle Supersonics? Do you remember the slogan chanted by Kings' fans? It was "Rattle Seattle" - and that's literally what happened! There was an earthquake in Seattle that registered something like 5.2 on the Richter scale during the time the Sonics were in Sacramento playing against the Kings at Arco Arena! Does anyone else remember that? It seems the Universe takes things quite literally sometimes - so be careful what you pray for! ------------------ www.indigenousrocks.com
Searcher, Thanks-a-bunch! That is new to me. I've been trying to find out more about Neem as of late. It has so many claims from natural insect repellent to medical aid. I'd like to know how true they all are. However, in this part of the world, it's mostly unknown to doctors. Child of Christ on board, ISDAMan
You know, with all this talk about diabetes I thought I would mention a positive aspect of my husband's continuous cancer screening is that the doctor's were able to pick up the onset of his diabetes... For him, though, exercise helps to keep the numbers down. He must be very fortunate... If he watches his diet and walks for an hour or so a day, he doesn't even have to take the pills (which he says make him feel BAD!!!)
Yes, JMitch does have a good point. I know the mind can certainly help the body to recover from illness. My brother had cancer many years ago. Today he is cancer free. His weapon was his mind.
I'm doing great! Jesus is comforting me more than ever. How are you doing? I just needed some time to take care of many pressing matters. It's great to be back. Jesus Loves the little children, All the children of the world,... ISDAMan
I know this may seem arrogant, but I don't care if I die because I'm written in the Lamb's book of life. I'd be glad to shed this dirt body of mine for my brand new body that never grows old, never gets sick, and never dies. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! By the way, our minds do have a direct impact on our physical bodies. Prayer works even more effectively when two or more agree to anything. If any of you want to agree on anything, I'll be glad to pray with you. Just give me an email and we can discuss it, then, when you're ready, we'll agree to it in Jesus name. It's always worked every dang time I've done it (3 times). It's not a coincidence, because God's law of compensation works too. He gives a hundred fold return to anyone who gives their firstfruits to Him. That's happened to me twice, soon to be thrice. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! God bless all who are on this message board and heal them of all sickness and disease!!! In Jesus name I pray! Amen. ------------------ There is no such thing as subjective truth.
