An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

psychological effect of knowing her baby was now growing normally and the stuntedgrowth in her uterus had been reversed must have appeared miraculous to someone whobelieves in prayer for healing. The apparent intercessory prayer and discerning spirit ofthe visiting minister may have strengthened her faith in the fact that God works throughappointed and anointed people. Moreover, it must have appeared miraculous to her thatthe minister could discern her needs although she was not overtly presenting her ownneeds but was presenting her sister‟s needs. Maybe she thought her own needs were lessimportant than her sister‟s as her sister‟s needs were in an emergency critical situation.7.4 Prayer for Healing for Specific IllnessesDuring intercessory prayer, which is a core part of the order of service in URC the healermay pray for healing of a specific condition, as illustrated in the extract from Respondent3 in the previous section.Sometimes prayers are said for specific conditions and other times prayers are said forthe healing of the whole person. It may be the healer who asks the person for specificswhen they request prayer or it may be the person requesting the prayer that offers to tellthe healer what they would like him to pray about. In the URC the healer often asks forthis information. The COGIC members are more reluctant to offer information to thehealer and appear to prefer it when the healer tells them what he thinks the problem is.Respondent 6, (URC) makes reference to prayer for healing of specific conditions.246