Book Review: Testing Prayer by Candy Gunther Brown and a testimony too

Book Review:  Testing Prayer:  Science and Healing by Candy Gunther Brown

Review by Sandra Crosnoe via Finding Gems & Sharing Them (Nov 30, 2018)

Having had polio at age 2 (now 66), health and healing has been a lifelong priority as you can well imagine.  My personal experiences will probably color my review of the book, Testing Prayer by Candy Gunther Brown, so you should be aware of that.  A short version of my journey would be that around the age of 12, I met the Lord and had a physical touch from Him that resulted in my being able to stop wearing a Milwaukee brace early following a spinal fusion.

On the next visit to the doctor, he confirmed that I could indeed stop wearing the brace.  It was not a complete healing, because there was still deformity to my body, but there was definite improvement not only in my spine, but I went from being sickly all the time to not so much.  Through the years,  I sought the Lord off and on regarding the matter, sometimes more intensely than others.

In more recent years, my breathing has been an issue.  Around the year 2000, I had a sleep study done, which resulted in me using a bi-pap machine to sleep at night.  At that time I had an arterial blood gas done that has remained in my files;  I just found it again the other day when filing a new one.  But I will come back to that.

In 2017 my cat, Ivory, was diagnosed with early stage kidney disease and I had stem cell therapy done on her.  I would lay hands on her and pray for her kidneys at night repetitively — often feeling a heat transfer.  Somewhere in that time frame, I began to lay hands on her and pray; then lay hands on my chest and pray for my lungs and my heart.  The scripture the Lord gave me was “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  I told Him I was not righteous; His answer to me was that He was my righteousness.  So I kept on praying.

The arterial blood gas done recently that I compared with the one back in 2000 showed improvement (not the decline you would expect to see in an aging person having had polio).

Link to Amazon for book purchase options

I tell you all this personal background to give you some perspective to how I saw the book Testing Prayer.  Surprisingly to me the book started out with a trip through healing ministries history from the Toronto Blessing forward and backward mentioning many names I was familiar with through the years and a few new ones.

The author then discussed the difficulties of collecting data surrounding prayer and measuring results.  There were so many factors involved.  Some people were willing to share; some ministries objected to the intrusion.  Sometimes there were medical follow-ups but more often than not if there were, the results were not common knowledge.  Nevertheless, the author managed to report rather extensively on cases and shared many stunning stories, some with medical data, a few less credible and one apparent falsification.

One of the powerful takeaways for me was that some who ultimately got healing sought prayer many, many, even hundreds of times. Most of the body of the book was from an eight-year study and incredibly well sourced.  Approximately one sixth of the hardcover book is references and footnotes.

Another thing I believe she helped me with was something I have sensed but became clearer with this book.  I don’t think it was something specific she said, but some of the ministries taught and she conveyed that when we pray for someone who needs healing, we do not need to lay the responsibility of having faith on them.  We share and pray in faith for people and have the faith for them reaching out on their behalf.  We trust the Lord for the results, which may be slow and through the years or mighty instantaneous miracles.  In any event, keep praying!

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”    James 5:15-16 KJV

[Special thanks to Cindy Cain for helping me edit this review prior to release.  It reads much better now!]

Rod MacIlvaine, pastor of Grace Community Church in Bartlesville, wrote a review of the book Testing Prayer here.  It was his mention of this book in a podcast that I listened to that made me aware of the book.

Finding Gems & Sharing Them – Book Review: Testing Prayer by Candy Gunther Brown and a testimony too

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Rod MacIlvaine as part of ‘Ten Questions’ Series
Grace Community Church in Bartlesville Oklahoma

How Should Christians Feel About Same-Sex Marriage?
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UPDATE: The Obama administration has set up rainbow-colored lights to illuminate the real-life White House. (Twitter @whitehouse)

 

Franklin Graham’s response on white house rainbow colors

The President had the White House lit up in rainbow colors to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. This is outrageous—a real slap in the face to the millions of Americans who do not support same-sex marriage and whose voice is being ignored. God is the one who gave the rainbow, and it was associated with His judgment. God sent a flood to wipe out the entire world because mankind had become so wicked and violent. One man, Noah, was found righteous and escaped God’s judgment with his family. The rainbow was a sign to Noah that God would not use the flood again to judge the world. But one day God is going to judge sin—all sin. Only those who are found righteous will be able to escape His judgment. That righteousness comes through faith, believing on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who took our sins and shed His blood on the cross for each and every one. So, when we see the gay pride rainbow splashed on business advertisements and many people’s Facebook pages, may it remind all of us of God’s judgment to come. Are you ready? Are your sins forgiven?

Source Post on Finding Gems & Sharing Them

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

He whom the son of Man sets free is free indeed.

Freedom from sin and death — that is real Liberty.

Sandra Crosnoe said: “The state cannot make something right or wrong — that is a function of the Creator. The state can however make your life miserable for not doing what it wants you to do in certain blocks of time. That is the function of power. How long does the state’s power last? Well now we are back to the Creator’s determination. When He says ‘game over’ that will be the end of that. Who is really in control? That would be the Creator. Seek Him while you may…”