Editorial June 18, 1966 Issue

How Prayer Heals

William Milford Correll

The question is often asked, "How can prayer, which is a purely spiritual function, affect the human body which seems so physical?" It is an honest question, and it deserves a straightforward answer. The answer includes some basic points of theology, but the facts involved and the connection between cause and effect are not complicated.

The importance of one's thinking in relation to his bodily health is becoming widely recognized in almost all circles dealing with pathology. The development of psychiatry indicates the general direction of thought toward this recognition. Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, makes this striking statement in Science and Health: "Mortal mind and body are one."^{Science and Health, p. 177;}

This idea is not exactly new, for as far back as when the Proverbs were written it was said of the individual, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."^{Prov. 23:7;} It was very apparent in Jesus' teaching, and he was the most effective healer the world has ever known. Instead of thinking that the body was primary and causative in relation to health, Jesus told us to take no thought for the body. However, he laid great stress on the type of thinking that is essential to good health and good living. All through his Sermon on the Mount, which includes some of his basic teaching, he was directing attention to the purification of the individual's thinking and motives and the consequent regeneration of his life. He evidently considered this fundamental in his healing and saving ministry.