I pray for a number of people. My main prayer time is early in the morning during my prayer and meditation hour, but I may stop occasionally during the day and silently or out loud pray for someone. I have a mental list of people I pray for that numbers around 30 or so, and I go through this list methodically, visualizing the person and asking not for their healing, but for forgiveness of sins (it’s Biblical). I include myself.

Recently, I came to the realization that a majority of the people I pray for are healed, and I could take them off the list. That’s nice to know. I don’t take credit for their healing because I know it is Jesus Christ working through me. I quickly added more people to the declining list.

I have found that as I pray for other people, I too am healed. My cancer is in remission, but I suffer miserably from the side effects of treatment. I want to be feeling well and I want it right now! It was through one of the people I pray for, who also has cancer, that I learned that I must be patient. Stop fighting. I needed to hear that, and the message was delivered to me, loud and clear. Praise God!

Something happened that has never happened before. A friend of mine was ill and I told him I would pray for him. He asked me NOT to pray for him, that he only wanted “knowledge of His will and the power to carry it out.” I was a little taken aback. No one has ever asked me not to pray for them. But I had to honor his request. However, things changed, what I’m not sure. I think his diagnosis was worse than he originally thought. He reversed himself and asked me to pray for him. Hallelujah! I did and his diagnosis was once again changed to something relatively minor. God is so good.

Then there was the time I was so miserable from the side effects of treatment that I was just about at my wits end. I didn’t want to call someone and ask them to pray for me because I felt like I was becoming a pest. I was almost to the point of, like Job, asking God, “Why me?” But I knew better. I did ask God to help me, I was so sick. My phone buzzed. It was a text from a woman I pray for. She needed money. I agreed to give it to her. I immediately felt better. It was a miracle. In helping someone else, I helped myself. Once again, praise God!

From my morning meditation book I learned that whenever I’m critical of someone, which is way too often, it is a sign that I need to stop and pray for them. I have been practicing that lately. Whenever I catch myself being critical, I stop and pray for their forgiveness of sins. This has really curtailed my criticism.

Another friend of mine was in the hospital. Ginnie and I went to see him. He was in really bad shape and it made me thankful for the health that I do have. He was supposed to have heart surgery the next day. I waited a day or so, and tried calling him. He didn’t answer and his voice-mail box was full. I tried several more times. The same thing. In my morning prayers, when I prayed for his forgiveness of sins, I also asked to be told how he was, or if he’d passed away. I didn’t know anyone who knew him.

On the day that I asked to be told how he was, I received a long text from him saying he was in Hospice and was being transferred to a nursing home. Thank you, God. Ginnie and I will go see him when he is so situated.

If you need prayers, or know someone who does, lemme know. I enjoy my time of prayer and meditation. I can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, answering prayers and healing.

“Your sins are forgiven.” “Stand up and walk.”

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Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com. Curt is available for public speaking.