Chloe Swart
God heals
Healing isn’t just amazing for the physical transformation it brings. It’s also a powerful missional tool, says Chloe Swart. At Elim’s Evangelism Conference last month, she told how God is reaching people through everyday miracles – and how you can join in
When Chloe Swart sent out questionnaires to collect stories for her PhD, she wasn’t expecting the number of powerful testimonies she received back.
More than 600 people in Wales reported they had experienced physical healing, mostly in the past one to five years.
Her 2019-2020 study led her to conclude that everyday healings are happening today. What’s more, God is using ordinary Christians to reach people through them.
Researching everyday miracles
Chloe, who today is national director of Alpha UK, says her research revealed four common themes:
Everyday people
“Most people described being healed after being prayed for by a friend, colleague or family member,” she says. “It wasn’t a senior church leader, someone with a healing ministry or a visiting speaker. It was just someone who’d turned and said, ‘Hey, can I pray for that backache?’”
Everyday location
“Most people describe being healed outside of a church building,” she says.
“They weren’t necessarily in healing services or ministry time but in the gym, outside M&S, at work or at a friend’s house.”
Everyday ailments
While 40 per cent of people shared incredible stories of healing from life-threatening or life-altering conditions – cancers and terminal illnesses – 60 per cent described being healed of everyday conditions, says Chloe.
“These were things like crippling arthritis, sciatica, tennis elbow, shin splints – things you wouldn’t die from but which leave you in pain every day.”
Everyday language
“People didn’t describe their healing experiences in overly religious language – ‘I was anointed with holy oil while the angels and elders surrounded me.’ Instead, people spoke casually. They told stories like being at a bus stop and a friend saying, ‘Let me pray for that bad shoulder… In Jesus’ name be healed.’”
Healing as a missional tool
Not only did Chloe’s research reveal these everyday miracles, it also demonstrated the power of healing as a missional tool.
“Without even asking, I collected many stories of non-Christians who had been healed and became Christians,” she says.
“Loads of people said things like, ‘My friend/colleague offered to pray for my migraines. I got totally healed and realised there must be a God. I ended up going to church/joining an Alpha course and became a Christian.’
“If we step out and offer to pray for the non-Christians in our lives, it points towards Jesus when they get healed and creates an opportunity to share our faith.”
Chloe’s research in numbers
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605 people in Wales told stories of being healed, mostly in the past 1-5 years
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4 things stood out: everyday people prayed in everyday locations, often for everyday conditions, using everyday language
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40 per cent were healed of life-threatening or life-altering conditions, 60 per cent of common ailments
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78 per cent described their healing experience as an “everyday miracle”
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One-third reported being healed on the spot, another third after a couple of weeks, and the rest after multiple prayers
These opportunities can be a significant step on someone’s journey towards Jesus.
“There was a lady on one of our Alpha courses who had a bad back because she’d fallen off a horse.
“She was off work because she was in so much pain. We said, ‘In our church we pray for people for healing, can we pray for your back?’
“She was totally healed. That really speeded up her journey of discovering Jesus because she realised the reality of him in her life.”
For others, it is their first introduction to faith.
Chloe tells the story of Holly, who was in the gym when a man walked in who had slammed his thumb in his car door.
“She offered to pray for him and he was healed. Another guy saw this, came over to ask what was happening and asked for prayer for his back.
“Then another guy walked over and asked for prayer for an ankle injury.
“Holly had only been a Christian for a year or two, yet she was in the gym praying for people and seeing them get healed.
“Healing points towards Jesus. It shows he is real and leads people on a journey of discovering him.”
It takes courage, Chloe says, but it also just takes ordinary people in everyday situations.
Next time you’re out and a friend mentions their bad back, could you step out and ask God for another everyday miracle?
How to pray for miracles the bus stop
We’re used to altar calls for ministry-based prayer, but how do you pray when an opportunity springs up at the bus stop? Here’s Chloe’s advice:
1. Offer
As Christians we’re the ones who believe in God, and that he’s a God who can heal, so we need to step out and offer. When you’re with a friend and the opportunity arises, say something like, “I go to church and we often pray for people for healing. Can I pray for you?”
2. Pray in Jesus’ name
Jesus has given us authority to pray for the sick; he’s equipped and sent us out with his Holy Spirit to do the things he did. When we pray, we might say, “Shoulder, be healed in the name of Jesus!” to make clear it’s Jesus doing the healing, not us. We should pray with his authority.
3. Pray confidently with your natural personality
You don’t have to shout or act differently. Instead, knowing you have authority to heal the sick, pray with confidence using everyday language – “Jesus, we ask you to heal this back. Pain, go in the name of Jesus.”
4. Check in
Once you’ve finished praying, stop and ask, “How do you feel? How’s the pain?” Ask the person to test it. If they’ve been healed, amazing. If not, thank God for what he’s doing and pray again. We often pray multiple times for things. My research found a third of people were healed within two or three weeks, another third after several prayers.
5. Offer to pray again
If appropriate, say, “I’ll keep praying” or “Can I pray for you again?”, especially if someone is partially healed.
6. Explain about Jesus
After praying it’s a great opportunity to tell people about Jesus. You can say, “What Jesus has done for your legs he wants to do for your whole body. He loves you and has a plan for your life, that’s why he died for us.”
Watch Chloe speak at Elim Leaders Summit 2024
At ELS 2024, Chloe explored how we can grow as faith-filled people and churches which are “naturally supernatural”.
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.
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