Why Pray for Others, When I Need the Help?

Thought for the day:

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."—James 5:16

Though I'm definitely New Thought, I'm comfortable listening to just about any Christian or Catholic minister/priest/pastor/teacher when they give a sermon, as long as they stick to Biblical principles and avoid straying off into denominational differences (such as is it or is it not a sin to dance, have long hair, and so on). Sometimes I watch Richard Roberts, other times Joel Osteen. I've found Father John Corapi is quite an inspiring speaker as well.

Last night, I was listening to Lindsay Roberts and she mentioned the verse above. She said she'd always misinterpreted it to mean, pray for others so that they would be healed; but that the true interpretation is pray for others so that YOU can be healed.

She related the story of a woman who was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of praying for herself, she immediately went round to all the hospitals, finding cancer patients, laying hands on them, and praying for THEIR healing. Not long afterward, the woman's cancer was declared gone.

Skeptics may scoff at this, but Law of Attractionists and spiritualists alike understand what happened here. It makes sense to me.

Like energy attracts like energy. Put out into the world the kind of energy you wish to attract back to you. Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

If you had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, what would you want others to do? Pray for you. Envision you in good health. Support you. Show love for you, from which you could gain strength. For starters.

Put out that energy... receive that energy. Pray for someone else who has the same affliction as you... attract back the kind of energy YOU need to solve your problems.

What if this was applied to, say, someone in a poverty situation? Or who is seeking employment? Or needs help with their relationship? Instead of criticizing, complaining and giving up on people, perhaps we would better serve them and ourselves by praying FOR them. Pray that everyone who needs a job finds a good one, soon. Pray that those in poverty experience the financial miracles they need to lift them out. And so on.

Do we need to go TO them to do this? I don't think so. I think it would be just as effective if the world's hungry and poor were included in our daily prayers; though it might have more of an impact to go directly TO people in situations like our own. We do not need to admit we share the affliction or condition. But we must be sure to treat them with respect and dignity—never as if we are somehow "better". Any one of us could find ourselves in a difficult position in a heartbeat. We must treat others currently having that experience as we would want to be treated.

Thoughts for the day.