My first encounter with healing prayer was in 2008. I hadn’t asked to receive it, but healing prayer was offered. Here’s the excerpt from my book, CHASING MY FATHER about the event. I had been undergoing lymphedema treatments after breast cancer surgery and my arm was bandaged from my shoulder to my fingers. My divorce had become final just weeks before and I was visiting at a new church:
“My arm was throbbing and it was hard to concentrate on the sermon. Maybe I should have stayed home and stayed in bed. But the service was coming to a close, and I approached the communion rail. I didn’t feel very grateful for my life at that moment, but the Eucharist had always been my sanctuary. The bread and wine had calmed my soul on more than one occasion, and I knew that I would be nourished by it again today.
As the priest made his way down the communion rail, I placed my right hand squarely over my left to receive the communion bread, and hoping to cover up the bandages. I recognized the Rector of St. George’s, Reverend Leigh Spruill, as I’d been introduced to him after worship service a couple of weeks before. Instead of placing a communion wafer in my hands, he stopped before me and gently placed his hand on my left shoulder. He bowed his head and began to pray. “Dear Lord, please comfort your faithful servant and heal her of the afflictions in her left hand. We ask that you give her strength and courage during this difficult time and heal her completely in the days to come. We ask this in your name, Amen.”
I was stunned and almost forgot to wait for the wine. I couldn’t believe that he had stopped in the middle of communion to pray for me, a visitor to his church. Tears welled up in my eyes as I was overcome with gratitude. Another human being had taken the time to call upon the power of his relationship with the Lord to ask for me to be healed. It was an incredibly powerful emotion as I felt heat rising throughout my body. I was sure that I was experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the saving grace of healing prayer.
I stood up from the communion rail and realized that nothing had changed physically. My hand and arm still hurt, but I’d been healed emotionally and spiritually. Was it possible for me to have a close friendship with God and then call upon him to help others through healing prayer?
I went home and prayed in earnest all afternoon. Although my left arm was throbbing from the bandages, I knew that something important had just happened. I wasn’t sure exactly what it all meant, but I knew that this was the church where I belonged.”
It was a powerful event in my life and that Fall I joined our healing prayer ministry team. I’m still a fervent believer in healing prayer and have had additional physical and emotional healings since this first time in 2008.
Will you join us for a HEALING PRAYER WORKSHOP on October 16 and 17, 2015 at St. George’s in Nashville?
Judith MacNutt of Christian Healing Ministries is our speaker for the entire conference. We start with our keynote address and buffet dinner at 5:45pm Friday, followed by a Healing Prayer Service with Judith as our guest preacher. Saturday we’ll have a continental breakfast and two workshops from 8:30am until 12:30pm.
Registration for the entire conference is $30 and includes Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast.
Please register early, as we are limited to 140 registrants. More detailed information about the conference is on the attached brochure. To register for the conference, go to this link: www.stgeorgesnashville.org/ministries/healingprayerworkshop.
Won’t you join me?
Blessings,
Agatha