HEALING PRAYER

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

ARE YOU SEEKING?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Over the course of the last six or so weeks, our little church family here in Xenia have been called to rally in prayer around a dear sweet little guy Judah James Robinson. And the response has been no less than astounding.

A FACEBOOK page with over 3000 “friends”has been raised up. “Team Judah”T-Shirts and bracelets have been printed and forged. There was even a fundraiser at the Chick-Fil-A in Beavercreek last night that before 2 o clock had exceeded all current records for participation at that franchise.

It has been amazing.

Thousands of folks praying for healing.

Yet today, I am asking you, those along this DISPATCH channel, to engage that same zeal in prayer for one of my “family”,Dawn Farley.

There isn’t enough memory on my laptop or bandwidth in Microsoft Word to adequately describe the love me and especially my wife have for Dawn, her husband Chris and our “other kids”, Kyle, Lauren and Caroline. It would be a feeble exercise to try.

But later today Dawn is scheduled for surgery to remove a cancerous kidney.

So will you join me in healing prayer for her?

I pulled a little thought from one of my favorites, Max Lucado today on this topic of healing prayer. Be it for Judah James or for Dawn or for someone dear to you this morning, it is a comforting and powerful perspective.

Healing Prayer

Max on Life #67

The following is a one of 172 questions and answers from the new book, Max on Life.

QUESTION #67:

In my med-school class we discussed the place of prayer in the hospital. As you can imagine, we heard strong opinions on both sides. What are your thoughts? What is the purpose of healing prayer?

We tend toward one of two extremes on this subject: fanaticism or cynicism. Fanatics see the healing of the body as the aim of God and the measure of faith. Cynics consider any connection between prayer and healing as coincidental at best and misleading at worst. A fanatic might seek prayer at the exclusion of medicine; a cynic might seek medicine at the exclusion of prayer.

A healthy balance can be found.

I LOVE THIS LINE FROM MAX:

The physician is the friend of God. Prayer is the friend of the physician.

The example of Jesus is important.

Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, those who could not speak, and many others. They put them at Jesus’ feet, and he healed them. The crowd was amazed when they saw that people who could not speak before were now able to speak. The crippled were made strong. The lame could walk, and the blind could see. And they praised the God of Israel for this. (Matt. 15:30–31 NCV)

What did the people do with the sick? They put them at Jesus’ feet. This is the purpose of praying for the ill. We place the sick at the feet of the Physician and request his touch. This passage also gives us the result of healing prayer. “They praised the God of Israel for this.” The ultimate aim of healing is not just a healthy body but a greater kingdom. If God’s aim is to grant perfect health to all his children, he has failed, because no one enjoys perfect health, and everyone dies. But if God’s aim is to expand the boundaries of his kingdom, then he has succeeded. For every time he heals, a thousand sermons are preached.

Speaking of sermons, did you notice what is missing from this text?

Preaching. Jesus stayed with these four thousand people for three days and, as far as we know, never preached a sermon. Not one time did he say, “May I have your attention?” But thousands of times he asked, “May I help you?”

What compassion he had for them. Can you imagine the line of people? On crutches, wearing blindfolds, carried by friends, cradled by parents. For seventy-two hours Jesus stared into face after hurting face, and then he said, “I feel sorry for these people” (v. 32 NCV). The inexhaustible compassion of Jesus. Mark it down. Pain on earth causes pain in heaven. And he will stand and receive the ill as long as the ill come in faith to him.

And he will do what is right every time. “God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them” (Luke 18:7 NCV).

Healing prayer begs God to do what is right. My friend Dennis, a chaplain, offers this prayer over patients: “God, would you put on the surgical gloves first?”

I like that.

And so do I.

“God today, put on the surgical gloves first as those operate and care for Dawn, Judah, and the countless others who you have placed in our lives to love and care for. We know you will do what is right”

In Jesus name.

I love you all.

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney