Editorial November 18, 1991 Issue

Prayer that heals—getting it right

Elaine Natale

It's certainly a natural thing to turn to God in prayer—the most natural instinct we could have. It's also natural for prayer to heal. But what is the prayer that heals? Are there "right" and "wrong" ways to pray?

Christ Jesus taught his listeners many specific things about how to pray. For instance, he said that we pray amiss if our motive is to get something for our own selfish indulgence. Hypocrisy in the guise of prayer is self-deception, he pointed out, and it doesn't work. Yet he also reassuringly said: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" and "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

Reading through the Gospels—hearing all Jesus' words and seeing all his healing works in their full context—one begins to realize that Jesus was most interested in what was in people's hearts, rather than in how studied or articulate their words were. The purity and honesty of our hearts, he was saying, are what matters most. The desires of the heart form our prayers—and determine the results.

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