Do You Believe in the Healing Power of Prayer?

Ever since biblical times, people have believed in the healing power of prayer. However, in more recent times skeptics have set out to disprove the theory. A 10-year study reported in the New York Times in 2006 went even further. It claimed that cardiac patients who knew they were being prayed for had even more serious complications than those who didn’t know or were not receiving targeted prayers.

But tell that to the family and friends of , Ga. or In both cases, Internet technology enabled the families to solicit prayers from all over the globe. And in both cases, the patients have shown recoveries described as “miraculous.”

In the case of student injured in a spring break car accident, his progress went from critical on April 8, 2012, to the following report on his Facebook update page just one month later.

"5/8/12 12:50 pm - Great news from Aaron's mother, "Aaron is doing good!! He's going to be released from the hospital the 15, next Tuesday. Praise to God!!!!".

The high school senior, who almost died on April 8, will likely be able to walk in his graduation next weekend.

Aimee Copeland’s condition is still critical. The 24-year-old West Georgia student developed a rare, flesh-eating bacteria following a zipline accident on May 1. By May 9, she had lost her leg and was looking at losing her other foot and hands as her organs were shutting down. Her father wrote that the doctors had put his daughter’s survival chances at “slim to none.” However, he asked that everyone continue to pray for her. Here is his report May 12 on the South Gwinnett Rotary Facebook page.

"The miracle continues.
The words I hear from the medical professionals to describe Aimee's continued recovery are "astonishing", "incredible", "confounding", "mind boggling" and "unbelievable." All those are fitting words. My favorite word is "miracle." I thank you all for honoring my daughter with your prayers and blood. In like fashion, I pray that my words and actions will honor my Father in Heaven."

So what do you believe? Coincidence - or divine intervention through the healing power of prayer?