Chester Tolson - The Healing Power of Prayer: The Surprising Connection Between Prayer and Your Health

2003 by Chester L. Tolson and Harold G. Koenig

Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, and recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4410-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture marked NIV is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONALVERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Every day I receive heart-breaking letters and phone calls from people who have lost all hope because they have been diagnosed with cancer. Frightened, helpless and scared, theyand their familiesoften have resigned themselves to a difficult and painful death. They should not! With surrender to God through sincere prayer, I have seen literally thousands of people conquer cancer. That is what this wonderful and inspiring book is all about. The Healing Power of Prayer is more than a book about positive thinking. It is a roadmap to positive living. This work inspires, instructs and gives hope. In that sense, it truly heals. The Healing Power of Prayer should be required reading for anyone interested in health enhancement and life enrichment. I predict this book will become a classic for people going through illness... a true gift with lift to the human spirit.

Greg Anderson, founding chairman,
Cancer Recovery Foundation International;
author of The Cancer Conqueror and Cancer: 50 Essential Things to Do

Many of us have experienced the power of prayer to make a difference in our lives. Nevertheless, our prayers for healing do not seem to be always answered. These two authors have written a most helpful book, offering concrete ways in which Gods healing power can be appropriated. It is sure to increase your faith and strengthen your prayer life.

Dr. Bruce Larson, pastor emeritus,
University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Washington

The Healing Power of Prayer brings together the expertise of two established authorsa clergyman and a physician and leading research scholar. Together they present an informative, readable and practical work on the effects of religion and prayer on stress, health and healing. With a particular focus on the Christian tradition, they have coupled scholarship, experience and personal reflection to produce a work that is unique among its kind. It should find an important place in the library of clinicians, clergy and others who are interested in the efficacy of prayer.

Margaret M. Poloma, Ph.D., University of Akron, author of
(together with George H. Gallup, Jr.) Varieties of Prayer

Chester Tolson and Harold Koenig offer convincing reason and rationale to something we have intuitively known for years, that there is a definite connection between prayer and healing. Their fresh, insightful approach to the subject of prayer also shows the tremendous influence of prayer on a healthy, stress-free lifestyle. Complete with guidance to develop a more effective prayer life, its a book on prayer we have all been waiting for!

Dr. Ray Cotton, senior pastor,
New Hope Community Church, Portland, Oregon

At last! An excellent work that brings faith and science together in a way both compelling and readable. Drs. Tolson and Koenig are men of prayer, and their holistic approach to the unity of body, mind, and spirit encourages us all to believe that prayer can and does, indeed, make us whole and holy. In a day when scientific research into the power of healing prayer is literally exploding, this book gives us all an accessible, friendly, down-to-earth entry into this topic. Chapters on the interweaving of faith, grace, the mind, and serenity are worth reading again and again. With this book, Drs. Tolson and Koenig have given the Christian faith community a gift and a blessing. I will surely recommend it to members of my congregation.

Rev. C. Lou Martin, pastor,
The Catholic Faith Community of St. Anthony of Padua
& Most Precious Blood, Baltimore, Maryland

A truly wonderful book demonstrating the power of prayer in helping us to live more balanced and effective daily lives. The authors personal testimonies to prayers efficacy as well as the powerful stories of others healings have once more convicted me that prayer is not merely a preparation for ministryit is our ministry! Prayer works! It positively changes things because, through it, God changes us!

Rev. Michael Ward, senior pastor,
Central United Church, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

In 1947 Gods Spirit awakened me! Yet in prayer I was frustrated and discouraged, but determined. Slowly they became clearthe dynamics of effective prayer. Now I have discovered them afresh in The Healing Power of Prayer .

Louis H. Evans, pastor emeritus,
National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.

This book could not be more timely. We are becoming increasingly more aware of how the body, mind, and spirit work together in keeping us healthy. Prayer is an important part of the healing process. This book explores how prayer works and you may use it in your own lives. I recommend you read it carefully.

Dr. Robert H. Schuller, founding pastor,
Crystal Cathedral Ministries, Garden Grove, California

With deep knowledge born from study, experience and active prayer, the Rev. Dr. Chet Tolson and Dr. Harold Koenig have combined their extraordinary ability to create an influential and important guide to help us further connect our lives and the spiritual life. Prayer is medicine for the soul! state the authors. It is true! It speeds recovery in illness, it connects our bodies, minds, and psyches to Gods great presence, it brings us into a closer relationship with the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As a parish pastor who has seen the power of prayer at work, The Healing Power of Prayer captures precisely what members of my church can find most beneficial in their daily lives. I look forward to sharing it with my congregation and colleagues.

Steven E. Berry, D.D., D. Min., pastor,
The Meetinghouse, Manchester, Vermont

A rich banquet of clinical, pastoral, and personal experience that highlights the healing power of prayer and nourishes the mind, body, and soul.

Dale A. Matthews, M.D., author of
The Faith Factor: Proof of the Healing Power of Prayer

I am persuaded that the authors of this book, The Healing Power of Prayer, present a positive and constructive view of Gods plan for a balanced view of Christian living. As a Pentecostal pastor for over forty years, I would highly recommend it to the world of full Gospel believers.

Dr. Fulton W. Buntain, senior pastor,
Life Center, Tacoma, Washington

Bringing together a rich assortment of credentials and life experiences, Tolson and Koenig masterfully blend faith and medicine. In an age when there is such a great hunger for the spiritual, it is helpful to see how the spiritual and the physical work together in harmony. This book is a must read for people in the helping professions.