Gloria Giffords, the mom of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, said she remembered a verse from Psalms when she learned of the assassination attempt on her daughter in Arizona. "Be still, and know that I am God." "This thing came over me, like a wash of warmth, like a blanket, and I wasn't afraid," said Gloria Giffords in an interview with the Arizona Star "I thought, wherever she is, she's intact, she's perfect, she's whole, and whether on this plane of reality or somewhere else, she's God's perfect child."

A chaplain suggested Andy and Donna Copeland pray for the recovery of their daughter following an injury she received in a zip-lining accident. Bacteria had entered the girl's bloodstream, and she was on the edge of death. Our blogger suggests that this prayer – and many subsequent prayers – give the Copeland's a great deal of comfort, and is credited for a turnaround in the girl's condition. Though she's still in intensive care, her prognosis is good.

Writes Nelson: "According to Dr. Harold Koening, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health, of the more than 2000 studies conducted over the last 10 years in this area, the clear majority point to a positive relationship between the spiritually uplifted mind and body. Although the research is relatively new, the link between prayer and health can be traced all the way back to the Bible."

What do you think? Is there a tangible, or intangible connection between healing and prayer? Have you ever experienced an occasion where prayer was ultimately the best antidote for a cure? Or is healing best left to medical professionals, whether Western or Eastern in their philosophy?