(2) Dave is in our small prayer group, He suffered from a massive blood clot that extended from his ankle to his groin. Doctors expressed the hope that this clot would eventually calcify, removing the risk to his heart. But Dave was advised to limit his movements due to the danger of a piece of clot breaking off and going to his heart or brain. Despite the fact the he was in great pain, he generally ignored this medical advice. Dave and his wife Patty's prayers did nothing to change his condition.

Then one day they ate at Mavericks, a restaurant I can see from my residence. An unknown young couple approached their table, asking, "I hope you don't mind my asking, but do you have a serious physical condition that needs prayer?" Dave was initially taken aback at this intrusion, especially with other customers overhearing the question. Though a tad embarrassed, he told them about the massive clot. They nodded relief, and felt that the "word of knowledge" they had clairvoyantly received was confirmed. Then the couple asked if Dave wanted prayer for his condition. He consented, but was again taken aback, when they prayed loudly for his healing. It turns out the couple were young missionaries about to leave for some African country.

Subsequent X-rays confirmed that Dave was completely healed. Dave realizes he would never have been healed unless God brought the right prayer partners. Nor would he have been healed if his pride prompted him to decline their request to pray for him. So this healing provides a great parallel to Agnes's dilemma at the presumptuous Bible school student's request. Had her pride prompted her to decline the eager young man's offer of prayer, her grandson would in my view never have been healed.

The Bible teaches that there are right and wrong ways to pray, i. e. prayer principles that facilitate a favorable divine intervention and attitudes that inhibit the power of prayer. So here is the giant pink elephant in the church, the question that would be insensitive and inappropriate to ask a seriously ill person: Are some people dead who would be alive if they had either prayed in faith or received prayer from "the right" prayer partners?

Other faith lessons from such testimonies? (1) As in Agnes's case, true humility is a great asset to effective faith. (2) Real faith takes risks, risks I would typically lack the confidence to take. I would have been more polite and prayed quietly--and my prayer would have had no effect. I would have been hedging my bets to prevent myself from looking really bad! I later learned that gifted faith healers do not pray softly in situations like that, because they want the healings to serve as a witness to God's power. (3) The younger generation is jumping out of the windows of mainline churches, because these churches are "holding to the outward form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid them (2 Timothy 3:5)!" Thus, Paul says of his rivals: "I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people, but their power. For the kingdom of God depends not on talk, but on power. (1 Corinthians 4:19-20)."

  Note that Yeshua didn't heal everyone with an illness he came into contact with.

  Sometimes people are learning valuable things, or balancing karma, by going through an illness.  Or sometimes their condition is providing value or lessons to others around them. 

  For my part time job, I work with a young man with CP.  Intellectually, he is very limited and he is semi-medically fragile. I've often got the sense that his Soul is rather mature.  Moreover, I got the sense that he volunteered to come into such a body for the benefit of some of his family members. By taking care of him, focusing on another in need, they were learning valuable lessons and growing more, on a spiritual level. At the end, Consciousness cares far more about spiritual growth than anything else.

  If I or anyone tried to heal him and make him "normal", that would be taking away the spiritual service and value that he agreed to pre this life.  That would be counter productive in a spiritual sense.

   Sometimes you have to look deeper than the physical. 

  I had a dream about this issue while hiking the CT over this last summer.  One night, I strongly wondered why I was here.  I asked God and Expanded Guidance right before going to bed, if it was spiritually helpful and part of their will, could I be shown more specifically why I came here. 

   I remembered a dream where I was viewing my grandfather, whom was aged, fragile, and close to death in the dream, and whom is also in real life.  He wanted to feel better, to not be ill and decrepit.  His situation tugged on my heart, and so I went deep within myself, opened up to the Creative Force/Consciousness (a combo of Source and PUL), let it flow through me into him. 

  The transformation was remarkable--he looked like he was some few decades younger and in glowing health.  But, later on, he decided or realized that he was just tired of this world and wanted to leave anyways, though he was appreciative of what was facilitated for him.  In other words, he wanted to die and go into the nonphysical. It wasn't just about his body. 

   I didn't know how to reverse it, or if it could be.  That's all I remember.  The dream had multiple messages for me.  One was that before partaking in trying to facilitate healing, best be sure that is what is actually most spiritually helpful for that individual.  Another message was that my grandfather is going to die soon, which is something I've sensed here and there.  Another was about self's potential, and part of what my later path will involve. 

   If we truly pray, and then listen after, "Not my will be done, but the will of the purely Creative Forces will be done (Source and those fully intune with same).  Please show the will of the latter so I am conscious of same."  we will gain the necessary discernment and wisdom to know what is best or not for a situation. 

  It was the constant practice of him, who came into the flesh, from the very core of Source.  But he was humble and aware enough to know, that while he was connected to a dense, human animal body, that he needed help and guidance to choose the right paths.  He had "body ego" to some extent like other humans.  He needed help and methods to get beyond himself.  Hence the specific prayers and meditation. 

Sometimes I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer!  I just noticed this duplicate of my thread in "Religions and Their Beliefs" section.  Because I try (and often fail) to avoid repeating myself, I'd just ask you guys to follow my other incarnation of this thread in the other section.