Big Healing Book - Controlled Medical Studies Demonstrate No Consistent Healing

Objection: Controlled Medical Studies Demonstrate No Consistent Healing Effect from Prayer Alone

For starters, this objection is factually false because some studies have been done that indicated a statistically significant advantage when people were prayed for. Some secular studies concluded that it was a “placebo effect,” but if the results were good, why not encourage it for everyone?

Someone was cherry picking studies and ignoring ones that found an advantage to prayer. Having said that, I will agree part of the way with the author that at least SOME studies have showed no advantage to prayer whatsoever.

Given the way that some of the studies were conducted, I am not surprised. I don’t think I would have much effect either if I had to do things their way. Consider that some of these were “blind” studies where people didn’t even know they were being prayed for. In other words, there was NO opportunity to plant the seed of the Word into those people’s hearts. The sick person’s greatest need is the Word, not prayer. I would not waste my time being a “prayer person” in such a study. It is no more sensible to expect a sick person to get faith to be healed without preaching healing than to expect a sinner to get faith to be born again without preaching the new birth. It is just as improper to intercede for someone to be healed without sharing the Word with him than to intercede for someone to be saved without sharing the Word with him. As I like to say, God sent His WORD and healed them (Psalm 107:20); He didn’t send an army of intercessors.

Thus, these studies make the false assumption that it is all up to the people praying to make something happen and the sick person has no responsibility. Again, that is as foolish as assuming it is all up to people praying for a sinner to get saved and the sinner has no responsibility.

One study got the majority of “prayer people” from a certain denomination (which I’ll be nice and not name) that is mostly ignorant in matters of divine healing. It doesn’t matter how many people you have begging God to heal someone; it’s an exercise in futility. You can’t lay hands on a sick person whose identity and location you’re not even allowed to know, yet laying on of hands is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christ (Hebrews 6:1-2).

The only correct biblical action for a person laid up in the hospital is to call for the elders of the church to pray the prayer of faith in person (James 5:14-15). The method used by these studies is incorrect, so it is no wonder that the sick people demonstrated no advantage in some cases.