Jesus did not pray for any of the people to whom He ministered.

I mentioned this in a previous article, but it is worth repeating. Jesus prayed when He was alone with His Father. However, when He was ministering to people, He did not pray. He identified their need, often made physical contact with them, and then either proclaimed them healed, or instructed them to do something which indicated their restored condition. I believe that the reason Jesus didn’t pray for the sick was simply because He knew the will of His Father and realised that He already carried the anointing to minister healing.

Prayer is a form of communication, not an agency for spiritual ministry. When we pray, we talk to God. We might ask for anointing, or we may inquire if something is according to divine will. Prayer therefore precedes spiritual ministry yet we habitually pray for the sick when we minister to them, instead of simply ‘healing’ them. We don’t seem to know the will of the Father. We are unsure whether it is His will that we heal the sick, so we lay hands on the infirm, interceded for them by praying to God for mercy, and then add “if it be thy will”. Jesus, on the other hand, knew His father’s will, and so He had no need to pray when ministering; He simply went ahead and healed.

But how did He do this? He often healed by laying His hands on the afflicted people but in most cases He spoke authoritatively; He proclaimed healing.

I am not suggesting that words contain power. An essential tenet of magic is that certain words have the power to control nature, to transform physical elements, and to evoke spiritual beings. I do not believe this. However, words do play an important role in the process of transferring power.   The Roman Centurion of Luke 7:7 understood the power of authoritative proclamation because he said to Jesus, “say the word, and my servant will be healed.” His servant was in another town some distance away, yet the soldier knew that Jesus was capable of healing with a word.

Luke adds the insight that Jesus ‘gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.’ (Luke 9:1) To the seventy-two other disciples Jesus simply said, “Heal the sick who are there…” (Luke 10:9) He did not say “pray for the sick”, nor did He instruct them to ask God to heal. He gave them both power and authority, and then told them to get on and DO it!

Having said all this, it would be unwise for me to end this short article without a caution. There is a difference between proclamation and presumption. I really don’t think that we should pronounce people healed (past tense) unless we have received a genuine gift of faith to do so. This would be presumptuous. However, I do believe that we should proclaim healing (present tense) when we minister to the infirm. Suitable proclamations would be “receive healing in Jesus name” or “be healed in Jesus name.”

So, to put it all together, what I am proposing is that we first pray for both power and direction, and then in faith receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. After that we should minister to those in need by humbly yet boldly proclaiming in Jesus name. Prayer – Power – Proclamation. If you would like to read this, and my other books, please visit www.truthistheword.com or click HERE.