Prayer For Healing

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Prayer For Healing

• Presented By
• David Kueker (keyker)
• Caseyville United Methodist Church

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Pastor David Kueker

• I am not a doctor.
• If anything you hear today disagrees with what
  your doctors say, believe your doctors.
• If anything you hear today disagrees with your
  understanding of God, or with your heart, go with
  God and your heart.

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Dr. Herbert Benson

• Herbert Benson, M.D. is a cardiologist,
  researcher and an Associate Professor of
  Medicine, Harvard Medical School since 1970.
• Dr. Benson is the author or co-author of more
  than 175 scientific publications and 11 books.
• More than four million copies of his books are in
  print.

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Timeless Healing The Power and Biology of Belief

• Herbert Benson, M.D.
• with Marg Stark
• Simon Schuster, 1996.
• (referenced page numbers will appear in
  parentheses)

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• Henry Ford
• Whether you think you can or think you cant,
  youre right.
• Therefore
• Whether you think God can or think God cant,
  youre right.

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• Mat 927-30 And as Jesus passed on from there,
  two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have
  mercy on us, Son of David."
• When he entered the house, the blind men came to
  him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that
  I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes,
  Lord.

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• Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to
  your faith be it done to you.
• And their eyes were opened.
• Eugene Peterson, The Message Become what you
  believe.

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• Whether you think youre well or think youre
  sick, youre right.
  
• Remembered Wellness a.k.a. the Placebo Effect
  1955 testing standard is 30 effective (28).

Placebo Nocebo -
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Three conditions raise the placebo effect to
70-90 effectiveness (32)

• 1. Patients belief and expectancy
• 2. Caregivers belief and expectancy
  (professional clinician)
• 3. Belief and expectancies generated by the
  relationship between patient and caregiver.

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• ... patients who consistently followed doctors
  orders, believing that doing so would make them
  well, were twice as likely to live ... (45)
• In every instance of remembered wellness, the
  catalyst is belief. (38)
• Faith and the relaxation response yield
  remembered wellness.

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Remembered Wellness A.K.A. the Placebo Effect

• The ability of our bodies to heal themselves,
• is built in at the time of creation,
• it is no less a miracle because the potential has
  always been there.

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FAITH Expectancy

• Hebrews 111 Now faith is the assurance of
  things hoped for, the conviction of things not
  seen.
• How sure is your hope?
• How clear is your sight?
• Is your faith in focus?

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FAITH Expectancy

• Mark 1122 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith
  in God. 23 Truly, I
  say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be
  taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not
  doubt in his heart, but believes that what he
  says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

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FAITH Expectancy

• 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in
  prayer, believe that you have received it, and it
  will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand
  praying, forgive, if you have anything against
  any one so that your Father also who is in
  heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

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FAITH Expectancy

• My review of the research reveals that
  regardless of how traditional ones practice of
  religious beliefs, whenever faith is present,
  remembered wellness is triggered and health can
  be improved.- Herbert Benson (173)

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• Faith and the relaxation response yield
  REMEMBERED WELLNESS
• The Relaxation Response
• Contemplative Prayer
• Basil Pennington
• Thomas Keating
• in the zone (167)
• flow

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FLOW

• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• (CHIK-seh-mee-HIGH)
• deep peace, calm, relaxation absence of fear,
  stress, worry
• high awareness, excitement, enthusiasm,
  exhilaration
• totally absorbed with loss of sense of time
  passing

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RELAXATION RESPONSE

• Two basic steps (134)
• Repeat a word, sound, prayer, phrase, or muscular
  activity.
• Passively disregard everyday thoughts that come
  to mind, and return to your repetition.
• when the mind quiets down, the body follows
  suit. (127)

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RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS

• 1. Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer
  that is firmly rooted in your belief system, such
  as "one," "peace," "The Lord is my shepherd,"
  "Hail Mary full of grace," or "shalom."

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RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS

• 2. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
• 3. Close your eyes.
• 4. Relax your muscles, progressing from your
  feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders,
  head, and neck.

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RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS

• 5. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do,
  say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer
  silently to yourself as you exhale.
• 6. Assume a passive attitude. Don't worry about
  how well you're doing. When other thoughts come
  to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well," and
  gently return to your repetition.

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RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS

• 7. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes
• 8. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting
  quietly for a minute or so, allowing other
  thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit
  for another minute before rising.

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RELAXATION RESPONSE STEPS

• 9. Practice the technique once or twice daily.
  Good times to do so are before breakfast and
  before dinner
• but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and
  on his law he meditates day and night.
  Psalm 12

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FAITH

• Whos in charge here?
• Who is able?
• Who is Lord?
• Whether you believe Jesus can or believe Jesus
  cant, youre right.

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FAITH

• Whos in charge here?
• Mat 82 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt
  before him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can
  make me clean. 3 And he stretched out his hand
  and touched him, saying, I will be clean. And
  immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

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FAITH

• Whos in charge here?
• Mat 85 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion
  came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying,
  Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in
  terrible distress. 7 And he said to him, I
  will come and heal him.

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• 8 But the centurion answered him, Lord, I am not
  worthy to have you come under my roof but only
  say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9
  For I am a man under authority, with soldiers
  under me and I say to one, Go, and he goes,
  and to another, Come, and he comes and to my
  slave, Do this, and he does it.

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FAITH

• Whos in charge here?
• 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to
  those who followed him, Truly, I say to you, not
  even in Israel have I found such faith.
• Faith is knowing whos in charge.

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FAITH

• Whos in charge here?
• Mat 813 And to the centurion Jesus said, Go be
  it done for you as you have believed. And the
  servant was healed at that very moment.
• Faith is knowing whos in charge.

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FAITH Your Decision

• Who is able?
• Who is Lord?
• Whos in charge here?
• Jesus is Lord over my_____________.
• Faith is knowing whos in charge.

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The Centering Prayer

• Lord Jesus, today I am far less than the person I
  want to be or can be with your help. I ask today
  that you would be more and more the center of my
  life. Guide me to all that is good, cleanse me
  from all that is not. Teach me Your ways and
  form me in Your nature. Work through me to
  redeem my neighborhood. I am a sinner please
  be my Shepherd, my Savior and my Lord. Amen.

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FAITH Surprise

• Mark 524 - 34 And he went with him. And a
  great crowd followed him and thronged about him.
  25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of
  blood for twelve years, 26 and who suffered much
  under many physicians, and had spent all that she
  had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

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• 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and
  came up behind him in the crowd and touched his
  garment. 28 For she said, If I touch even his
  garments, I shall be made well. 29 And
  immediately the hemorrhage ceased and she felt
  in her body that she was healed of her disease.

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• 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power
  had gone forth from him, immediately turned about
  in the crowd, and said, Who touched my
  garments? 31 And his disciples said to him,
  You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet
  you say, Who touched me? 32 And he looked
  around to see who had done it.

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• 33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to
  her, came in fear and trembling and fell down
  before him, and told him the whole truth.
• 34 And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has
  made you well go in peace, and be healed of your
  disease.

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FAITH Surprise

• Mark 656 And wherever he came, in villages,
  cities, or country, they laid the sick in the
  market places, and besought him that they might
  touch even the fringe of his garment and as many
  as touched it were made well.

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FAITH Action

• Mark 24 And when they could not get near him
  because of the crowd, they removed the roof above
  him and when they had made an opening, they let
  down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. 5
  And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
  paralytic, My son, your sins are forgiven.

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FAITH Action

• Mark 211 I say to you, rise, take up your
  pallet and go home. 12 And he rose, and
  immediately took up the pallet and went out
  before them all so that they were all amazed and
  glorified God, saying, We never saw anything
  like this!

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FAITH Action

• Luke 1714 When he saw them he said to them, Go
  and show yourselves to the priests. And as they
  went they were cleansed.

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FAITH Action

• John 58 Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your
  pallet, and walk. 9 And at once the man was
  healed, and he took up his pallet and walked.

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FAITH Action

• John 97 saying to him, Go, wash in the pool of
  Siloam (which means Sent). So he went and
  washed and came back seeing.

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Three conditions raise the placebo effect to
70-90 effectiveness (32)

• 1. Patients belief and expectancy
• 2. Caregivers belief and expectancy
  (professional clinician)
• 3. Belief and expectancies generated by the
  relationship between patient and caregiver.

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Three conditions raise the placebo effect to
70-90 effectiveness (32)

• 1. Patients belief and expectancy
• 2. Caregivers belief and expectancy (Lord and
  Savior)
• 3. Belief and expectancies generated by the
  relationship between patient and caregiver.