Mark 9:29 “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” KJV
Matt 6:7-8 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” NIV
Our prayers cannot heal us. The amount of prayers we say cannot heal us. Fasting cannot heal us either. Only Jesus can! However, we can pray and fast to be in communication with God and know how to proceed, to know His will. Without His guidance, we cannot do anything!
However Jesus’ disciples were unable to rebuke the evil spirit who was in that young man. Jesus attributed this because “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” Too often we rely on magic formulas for healing. This will never work! Only total dependence and seeking guidance from God’s will.