Home Listening-Prayer.com > Prayers for healing > prayer for cancer
How to pray for cancer © 2009 by George Hartwell M.Sc.
George Hartwell M.Sc. is a Christian counselor with a masters degree from the University of Calgary, 40 years experience and who integrates prayer therapy into his professional counseling practice. To learn all About George or his professional practice see: George's Professional web site, Christian marriage counselling, Christian phone therapy, and Christian Marriage Retreats. To e-mail George click on: . Contact us
How does one pray for cancer with a Listening prayer attitude? For without listening prayer we can pray out of presumption. Without listening for God's voice, vision or guidance we can do more harm than good. To know how to pray we need to listen. There needs to be times of stillness, waiting on God, seeking an answer to "How do we pray in line with your will for this person?"
Cancer is almost alien to the body. Cancer does not get "healed." Medically cancer gets cut out of the body, radiated so that it dies or the body is fed toxic chemicals in the hope that this growth will die. This is not normal healing prayer.
The words and imagery that some have used is more aggressive than healing prayer. I might use the image of Jesus cursing the fig tree and it withered from it's root. This is an aggressive image directed against the cancer.
Based on past experience in healing prayer for cancer, you might want to use the language and imagery of radiation. For example, call for (invoke) God's radiation focussed on the deadly cancer cell so that they die. This is not 'healing light' it is a death ray. It might even by helpful to imagine cancer cells being hit by God's radiation and dying of it. This can be done while you are receiving radiation (if you choose that route.)
So be alert. Do not pray for cancer to be 'healed,' but that the cells either die or revert back to normal cells. The body need to get rid of these cells, of this growth. Use aggressive imagery such as your immune system like an intelligent army destroying the cancer cells.
There is need for discernment because many report that a large majority of cancer patients have a strong (but hidden) death wish. They may have given up hope on life. This set of the inner person against life will not be healed by prayers for the healing of the cancer. Even if the cancer is healed, the patient may die. The real problem may not be the cancer (symptom) it may by the patient (unconscious choice to die.)
This is why it is important to seek God's wisdom in listening prayer - Step One: listen to God (above). Watch closely and ask some questions to discern the heartiness of the person's commitment to live, reasons to live. Were they closely bonded to one person who became their life and this person died in the last five years or so?
One of the profiles of the cancer patient is a life where only one parent was the source of love and where only one other person was allowed into their heart. When that one person dies then they quietly let go of life. (Even if you are married to such a person you may not be the one person that they bonded to. It might be another love, or a child.)
If you have cancer repent of any possible wish to die and choose life daily. Ask God to strengthen your will toward life. Affirm out loud: "I chose love, life and God." Live your commitment to life by praying for, blessing and loving others without judgement or evaluation.
Pursue Inner and Emotional Healing and Wholeness. Check out
some inner healing prayers on www.HealMyLife.com.
Under "How to do Listening Prayer" you will find some background on the pioneers of inner healing, Significant prayer formats such as: 1 Put it on the Altar, 2 Grief and Comfort, 3 Anger, Hate, Forgiveness, Love, 4 Letter to God, 5 Burden Exchange, 6 Identity Consolidation, 7 Cleanse the Temple, 8 Peace with Heaven, 9 Healing of Trauma, 10 Listening Prayer for Dreams, 11 The Children's Garden, 12 Listening Prayer Journal, 13 TheoPhostic Prayer for inner healing breakthroughs - (Theophostics).
Response from a reader: "I think it was a God thing that I came across your website about praying for cancer...seeing it as being destroyed instead of praying for it to be healed.
I have learned two things from your website so far.
1. I have a hidden death wish from the 22 years that I had anxiety. I even felt that way several days ago when I realized that once again I was losing something--my breast or worse...kind of like, "How can I go on and why?" However, I am not suicidal. I do not have a plan.
2. "Honor your father and your mother that it may go well with you." I have resentment towards my father who is in his own comfy world. He didn't even call me when I had my manic episode 8 years ago. I call him names in my head. I struggle between honoring him or disliking him. I am also hurt with his disinterest in me. I oftentimes feel that my Heavenly Father also is distant.
Tonight,I repented of these things and put my longing for my father's love on the altar, with my other losses as well."