Richard Foster, in his book Prayer, writes, “God, I have a thousand arguments against healing prayer. You are the one argument for it. . . .you win!” He then explains his approach to praying for healing. He says this is not a “how to” guide for healing prayer, but a template to build on. His ideas are useful as a guide to aid in all communications with God, not just specific to healing. He describes four steps to healing prayer: listening, asking, knowing, and thanking.
Listening is vital to effective communication with God or anyone else. One of the monumental apprehensions people have about prayer is “doing it right.” They are afraid that they will not say the right thing or even know what to say. You cannot pray wrong! Just the act of praying makes it right. You don’t have to say anything! Just be quiet and listen. This may be more difficult for some than speaking.
Being quiet does not come naturally for many people, but listening can be a learned behavior. Listen to people and they will tell you their prayer needs. First year medical students are told that simply listening to patients will provide the diagnosis of their problem the vast majority of times. Practice being still in prayer. It will take the pressure off, and you may be surprised at what you hear. In his book, Richard Foster talks about his own intercessory prayer experience. He says, “After prayer for my immediate family, I wait quietly until individuals or situations spontaneously rise to my awareness. I then offer these to God, listening to see if any special discernment comes to guide the content of the prayer.”
Ask God for healing for yourself and others. God knows your needs, so this is not attempting to relay new information. Rather, asking is both an act of faith and a reminder of the needs of others. By asking, you crystallize your thoughts and focus on what is important. When we become clear on the needs, asking invites healing to emerge. It opens our hearts and minds to the healing love that is always right there. It is okay to ask.
Msgr. Arthur Tonne relates the story of a mother who told her young son to go to bed and be sure to say his prayers and ask God to make him a good boy. The boy’s father, passing by the bedroom, overheard his son praying: “And God make me a good boy if You can; and if You can’t, don’t worry about it, ‘cause I’m having fun the way I am.”
God wants us to ask. Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.” …Matt 7:7–8…
A well-known motivational speaker’s favorite phrase is “Know your outcome.” Here “know” is much more than a belief. It is that feeling that starts in the bottom of your toes and slowly fills every molecule of your being. We know with our whole person: body, mind, and spirit. This is a step of assurance. In this sense it is almost analogous to faith. “What is faith? It is the confident assurance …knowing… that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see” …Heb. 11:1…. And Peter writes, “Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness” …2 Pet. 1:6….
The final step is thanks, the attitude of gratitude. Giving thanks for what we know is to be. Praise and prayer are like peanut butter and jelly; they just go together! Gratitude humbles us and reminds us whose we are.
