How to pray for healing.
June 20, 1986
God is indeed a very great part of your lives, much more so in fact than you presently know.
Much of what we have been empowered to transmit to you is done with the intention that it is particularly important at this moment. You remarked about the timing of some of these messages as they relate to events in the world at large and within the more intimate dimension of family and friends. The timing is indeed fortuitous and is intentional.
We wish many times it were possible for all of you to see life as we see it, to sense God's presence as we sense it, to recognize what love really is and to realize its potential, for if you had our perspective, your lives would be vastly different. But you must recognize that the differences in perspective are appropriate and necessary. We cannot impart to you all that we know and see, for if you had such knowledge and vision, the real purpose of your human journey would be greatly diminished. It is not to say we want to keep you in the dark, so to speak, for there is much light to share. It is, however, God's intention that the difficulties that you have in life dealing with matters of war and peace, suffering and health, evil and goodness, are matters that are particularly important for you to cope with at whatever level of development you may currently be on.
Over the years much has been said by us concerning prayer. It is impossible to provide total understanding at one sitting. What we can do is to help you to understand various aspects of prayer. By combining or putting together what has been said over the years, you may draw a more complete view of what can be done with prayer.
Of greatest importance must be your recognition that prayer is powerful. Prayer is influential beyond the activities of human beings. There is a power, a conscience extending beyond the collective power and conscience of humankind. If you did not believe so, you would not be here. You would spend your time exchanging ideas among yourselves without turning inward to listen to God. Prayer, you might say, has the power to heal, but you must not make the leap of logic which asserts that if you pray for healing, healing automatically takes place. That is very difficult for humans to handle, for you tend to pray to right what you feel to be wrong, whether it is matters of health, personal relationships, global relationships, or whatever.
The purpose of prayer is to increase the sensitivity of another or others to God`s presence. When one feels an intense closeness with God, one can achieve true peace, can experience unconditional love, and one is more receptive to the healing powers of God. But when God heals, the healing takes many forms. One can be full of anger and say, "Why that person?" One can also be consumed by the unanswerable question, "Why me?" That agony, that bitterness, colors how one perceives life. The difficulties that result from such anger are in themselves illnesses.
Healing takes many forms. It can be a physical healing or an emotional healing. The emotional healing may manifest by a disappearance of bitterness. The severity of an illness can frequently be reduced when bitterness and anger and resentment are eliminated, for then it is often possible for the body to focus its energies on the process of physical healing. The extent and nature of that healing differs of course, from person to person, but the entire chain of events can be set into action starting with prayer.
It is not essential that you think or verbalize a prayer for healing. What is important is to surround the individual or situation with an intense desire for peace and love, because such an approach opens the channel allowing it to be receptive of God's presence.
Prayer is indeed useful. It is useful in both directions. When you pray for the benefit of another, benefit is gained, but those who pray also benefit because they are exercising love and concern within the framework of faith. For love to grow, love must be exercised; for faith to grow, faith must be exercised. You do not grow in faith by talking or thinking or reading about it. You grow in faith by exercising it, by doing something which demands a level of faith beyond what you feel to be your capacity.
You know the expression that love grows when you give it away. Love expands when it is given. You are more loving when you exercise love; you are more faithful as you are drawn to the exercise of that faith. Your prayers, therefore, in whatever form they are offered, are always beneficial because they are generated first out of love.
As you know, God does not suddenly leap into action as the result of a prayer for someone. God's wishes, one could say, or desires for the growth of all souls remains constant. It is the receptivity to that power which can be increased. God's love is not diminished when you do not pray; it is not increased when you do pray. It simply is. But when you do not pray, you are less receptive; when you do pray, you are more receptive. That is the relationship between prayer and God's actions.
To a degree, all receive the benefit of God's presence, whether there is prayer or no prayer, whether there is recognition of the existence of God or denial of it, for no soul is totally separated from contact with God. It is only that some souls have a freer conduit than others, less cluttered by roots and debris, and it is therefore easier to be the recipient of God's influence. There is nothing that humans can do to totally block out God, either from their own lives or from a society or nation. God's light is always shining. Even when it is dimmed by the resistance by humans, the light does come through, and this you must believe.
With prayer, those for whom you pray will receive God's healing in a way which is best for them, and that healing will be stronger because of prayer. We urge you to always be conscious of signs of that healing without expectations predetermined or preselected as to the nature of such healing. Healing will take place. God's influence will be increased manifold. Pray? By all means! Can it help? Absolutely. It always helps.
There is much more that can be said about prayer, and we shall attempt to explain more dimensions of that power when you meet in the future. You will all be reunited again so that you may continue to search and grow and learn and eventually disseminate part of what you have learned to others.
We pray that each of you may receive greater peace within. You all seek it from time to time. The intensity of the peace that you experience varies constantly, but our prayer, yes our prayer, is that God will continue to provide you with a greater sense of healing peace and faith and confidence in your actions.
We bless you now with God’s constant love and support and care and healing of all kinds.
Amen.