Article July 26, 1993 Issue

The "expected end"

Prayer is reliable, effective. Prayer takes its certainty from the unchanging relationship of God and man.

Robert A. Johnson

What should we do when we are faced with a sudden illness or accident: panic, just ignore it, or pray? Anyone who has panicked knows that doesn't help. Panic intensifies the problem and robs us of the good sense needed to deal with it. Just ignoring something isn't the right answer either.

Prayer is the choice taught and practiced by Christ Jesus and his followers. Whether they were faced with a serious illness, an accident, or stones hurled by an angry mob, their choice was the same. Still, today, there are many who instinctively make this decision with the same certain results. They find prayer is the only dependable choice.

To be effective, though, prayer needs to be more than just repeating someone else's words or just asking for healing or relief. Neither is faith alone sufficient. Prayer needs a faith that is based on a deep and heartfelt conviction of God's love and purpose for the man of His creating. It requires a spiritual understanding that we are God's children, made in His likeness— the likeness of Spirit, not matter—and that His will for us is for good, not evil. With this kind of prayer, it is right and reasonable to expect healing. Without this expectancy, prayer lacks one of its most important ingredients.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

The "expected end"

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access