Are Doctors Discovering the Value of Praying With Patients?
by: Dr. Rickey A. Nation, Ph. D.

As a Counselor, I see the need of spirituality in counselling. It is my conviction that spirituality cannot be separated from counselling. Spirituality meaning- prayer, God, the Holy Spirit, and Christian principles (command, truths, and promises found in the Bible). I make spirituality a vital part of our work with counselees. However, not everyone shares that viewpoint, but it is catching on.

One place it is catching on is in the medical profession. More and more doctors are beginning to pray with and for their patients. Prayer plays an important role in the lives of many people. Throughout history, also, prayer has been vital. There are recorded prayers from famous men as well as speeches containing prayer or addressed to God as prayers from such men as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln to recently President Clinton urging Americans to pray for the survivors of the Jonesboro, Arkansas, shooting.

Prayer can be defined as “...the contact of a living soul with God. In prayer, God stoops to kiss man, to bless man, and to aid in everything that God can devise or man can need,” according to E.M. Bounds, a great man of faith.

Prayer works in the lives of people because it activates an individuals faith; and God can work based upon the particular belief of an individual as rooted and ground in the Bible. Accordingly, prayer works because God is true and faithful to His character and nature. To some people, prayer is a mystery but the principles of prayer are given in Matt. 6:9-15.

Once applied and practiced, these principles will work in the area of prayer. Applying these principles can, also, promote healing both physically and emotionally, as many doctors are beginning to discover. For example, Dr. Sally Knox, a well respected heart surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, has made a practice of praying with her patients. She is very sensitive to the beliefs of an individual and does not force prayer, but through discernment can usually tell which would be open to prayer. Many of her patients have commented on how relieved they are when Dr. Knox prays for them and how that increases trust in the patient-physician relationship.

Another doctor who prays with patients is Dale A. Matthews, M.D. who is also an associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. He is author of the book The Faith Factor: Proof of the Healing Power of Prayer. Dr. Matthews states there is evidence of the healing power of prayer. Moreover, not everyone is healed who is prayed for, but they are calmer and experience a greater sense of peace throughout the medical condition/problem.

Prayer is beneficial, but God is all sufficient. God has recently healed a chronic sinus problem in my life in great part because of prayer. If your physician does not pray with you or if you are in counseling and your counselor does not pray with you, encourage him or her to do so. Getting them a copy of this article may be of benefit to the professional you are working with.