Many readers might dismiss the recent concerns about the ASA as a charismatic issue. The issue is much broader than that, as the following testimony demonstrates. The author takes up the story after a failed attempt at prayer for healing, and in the process most definitely does not become a charismatic as the full article explains. If you are a Brit and want to protect our right to continue to say such things why not sign the new epetition.
Here is what I have not told you: About three weeks after this attempted healing, I saw the same guy at Credo studying. He is a regular. As I was walking back to my office, he stood up and asked how my back was. I told him that it was terrible, but thanks for asking. In fact, that morning was particularly bad. The pain in my leg was so terrible I could hardly think straight. I did not expect anything more than an “I am sorry. I will continue to pray for you” from this guy. After all, the attempt failed last time and my present state was just further confirmation of its ineffectiveness.
But, this guy is a trooper. He said the unexpected: “Can I pray for your back again?” My answer was a pastoral “Of course” as I wanted him to keep his spirits up (even if that meant a continued hope in these naive charismatic ideas). Like the time before, he laid his hands on me. Like the time before, he prayed specifically for the miraculous healing power of God to come over me and heal my back. But this time was not like the last. As I stood under his hand, just wanting to get the token prayer of concern (as I saw it) over with, something happened. From the place where his hand was laid on me to the tip of my toe, I felt a warm, burning sensation. It was only in the places where my back often hurt. The burning sensation replaced and overwhelmed the nerve pain. It was definite and unexpected. The warmth was then replaced with relief. My back pain had completely disappeared while he prayed.
Once he was done praying, I held a poker face. I did not say, “I am healed!” I did not even say, “It feels better.” I just said “thank you” and went back to my office. In truth, I simply anticipated the pain to return and that its cessation would be short lived. As I thought about it in my office, I wondered “what if?” After all, my “healing,” were it real, could not have been psychologically induced. I was not expecting to be healed, have been somewhat critical of those who do expect such things, and was not really even listening to the prayer. I was just anticipating getting back to my office so that I could sit down and get a tiny bit of relief. However, I sat in my office pain free for the first time in I don’t know how long . . . READ THE REST.
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