"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,"  James 5:16

Paul continues to make very good progress in his recovery from surgery.  In fact, he plans on resuming his regular schedule and commitments as of March 1st.  We contribute his strong recovery to the prayers of so many people who have been faithfully praying.  Everywhere we go people mention that they have been daily praying for his recovery. 

Recently Paul's brother and sister-in-law gave him the book, When God Winks At You, by Squire Rushnell.  The book deals with how God speaks directly to us through the power of Divine coincidence.  In the chapter on prayer, the author shares about the evidence of the importance of prayer.  We would like  to share part of that section.

"Scientific studies to clinically confirm the efficacy of prayer have doubled in the past decade-encouraging new for those of us who have always known the power of prayer.

Dr. Mitchell Krucoff, a cardiologist at Duke University, randomly selected 150 heart patients and placed them into five groups for a pilot research project.  One group received standard cardiac care.  Three others received treatments from a bedside therapist described as imaginary, stress relaxation and touch therapy.  A final group received distant 'off-site' intercessory prayer.'

Those in the prayer therapy group improved by more than 50 percent.  'There may be a benefit to these therapies,' said Dr. Krucoff, cautiously optimistic.  He has subsequently expanded the study to 1500 patients. 

At St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, cardiac researcher, William Harris, PhD, also found positive results from a study of intercessory or distant prayer on 1000 heart patients with prior cardiac conditions of serious nature.  They were randomly assigned to two groups:  Without knowing it, half received daily prayer for two weeks, half had no prayer.  Those who received prayer fared 11 percent better. 

In a similar study, at San Francisco General Hospital in 1988, patients who received prayer were able to leave the hospital sooner.  Dr. Harold Koenig, Duke's associate professor of medicine and psychiatry, was quoted in USA Today as saying, 'Healthy senior citizens who said they rarely or never prayed ran about a 50 percent greater risk of dying from their cardiac condition.'"

According to these studies and many others, the efficacy of prayer is a fact.  This has also been proven in Paul's life because of the many answered prayers.  This truly proves the importance of prayer.

"Let me burn out for God.  After all, whatever God may appoint, prayer is the great thing.  Oh, that I may be a man of prayer."   Henry Martyn

Blessings and encouragement,

Paul and Gail