Blog 140
November 18, 2019
MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!
Often, I hear from people who have experienced miracles or divine interventions. I look forward to receiving these accounts as they deepen our understanding of how these experiences occur. Could you be like that? If so, please share your story with me. Drop me a note at revwise@att.net.
HEALING THE MEMORIES
A number of decades ago, a ministry called “Healing of the Memories” swept across America. The mother of this movement was Agnes Sanford who had first discovered that prayer could reach back into a person’s childhood and bring healing to destructive experiences and old memories that had haunted people for years. Unfortunately, the ministry was misused by people who didn’t understand the sophisticated dynamic involved in bringing recovery.
Because I had prayed for inner healing with people across America, I knew the power of such prayer and had seen surprising recovery. For years Judith and Frances MacNutt have used this practice in their Christian Healing Ministries work in Jacksonville, Florida. I have been on their board and know the extraordinary results they had. In their Healing Line newsletter, Judith shared one of these stories.
Judith had been in private practice in Clearwater, Florida when a client came in to see her. A doctor had advised John (the name we’ll use) that if he didn’t go in for counseling he was going to die. John had suffered a serious heart attack that left an ominous cloud hanging over his head. In addition, although he was only in his 40’s, he was also battling arthritis throughout his body. This problem caused such pain in his feet that walking was painful. John really needed Judith’s help.
As they talked, John shared that at age three his father had abandoned the family. The result was that he was raised by his mother in a household with two aunts. All three women were extremely controlling and made his life miserable. Their own pain was visited on John. His problems began in that house.
When Judith prayed for John, she asked the Lord to bring back to John’s mind a memory of where he had suffered. John began to remember a large round dining room table with a tablecloth hanging down the sides. He could hide underneath and play with his toys undisturbed.
As the memory evolved, John realized how broken he had been. He suddenly blurted out, “Why did my daddy leave me?”
Judith’s prayer opened a door in John ‘s childhood past and he prayed for Jesus to join him under the dining room table. In his imagination, John could see Jesus there talking with his childhood self. Jesus said to him, “Would you let me hold you?” John agreed and finally heard the voice of Jesus say, “Will you forgive your daddy for leaving you?”
The adult John began sobbing. With tears running down his cheeks, he cried and cried, but finally reached the place where he could genuinely forgive his father. He released his anger and hurt. When he left Judith’s office that day, the arthritis was gone and his physical heart healed.
Does prayer still heal the past? John would certainly tell you that it does.
You might find my collection of Holy Land experiences to be helpful.
BIBLE LANDS: An illustrated Guide to Scriptural Places
Barbpir books Publishers