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One windy, snow-strewn evening last March, a handful of close spiritual companions gathered to pray for the healing of my husband of 15 years and our family. It was a miraculous and terrifying experience. Terrifying because, although we are quick to tell other Christians who are struggling in whatever way that we will pray for them, and to request that others pray for us, asking people to step from demanding schedules and pray over us is a completely different level of vulnerability. Terrifying also because we were praying for a specific and immediate outcome—the healing of my spouse’s depression, one of many complex, widespread and little-understood illnesses of the mind. All conventional stops, accompanied by prayer, had been tried and had failed. What if this focused prayer likewise failed? The prayer service was a last resort. Of course we had prayed — constantly. But the prayer and deep spiritual work was accompanied by years in therapy and careful work with medication. He’d tried alternative health supports, many kinds of therapeutic approaches, retreat, meditation and a range of medicines. Still, the specter of depression stalked our house and shadowed his brilliant mind. Does the prayer service help Dee Dee’s husband? What does our faith tell us or suggest about healing and prayer? Delve deeper into this challenging topic in the May/June 2006 issue of Horizons. Call 800/524-2612 Dee Dee Risher is a writer and poet who lives in Philadelphia. She is a member of Cookman Church, a church community that believes in miraculous healing and works for social transformation and economic justice. |
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