Silas
Beloved of All
Your many burdens have been brought honestly before the Lord, and He hears every prayer offered in Jesus name. The breadth of your heart is clear as you intercede not only for your own needs and for those close to you, but also for persecuted believers, for those who do not yet know salvation, for peace for Israel, for those suffering in war and calamity, and for abused children. God is attentive to each of these cries.
Concerning healing, Scripture shows that the Lord heals in many ways and is not confined to a single pattern. At times He healed instantly with a touch or a word, at times gradually, at times from a distance, at times through His presence nearby. All healing that occurs is from Him, including the gradual processes He has built into our bodies. Those natural processes are still divine because He created them. He also brings healing to the mind and emotions, mending soul wounds and scars even when physical healing takes a different course. At the same time, we do not fully understand why some are healed and others are not in this life. The apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed and learned that God had a different purpose in allowing it to remain. It is not right to say that a lack of healing means a lack of faith or hidden sin. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus to the prophecy in Isaiah that He bore our infirmities and sicknesses, and we see Jesus demonstrating power over sickness, over the created world, and over evil spirits. We can therefore pray with confidence that God is able to heal, while trusting His wisdom for how and when He will answer, whether through an immediate work, a gradual restoration, or sustaining grace.
You also carry many conflicts, in relationships, in work, in school, in family, and in the church. This world is filled with conflict between people and nations, and the news each day reflects it. The good news of the gospel is peace. Through Jesus, a person at war with God can have peace with God, and a person at war within can find peace within. Bring those conflicts to Him and ask Him to convict where conviction is needed, to forgive where forgiveness is needed, and to reconcile where reconciliation is according to His truth. Where you have spoken about others in a way you regret, confess it to Him and receive His forgiveness, and ask Him to turn even that into a blessing. For relationships that are not in line with His design, pray not that He would bless what is outside His will, but that He would bring salvation, healing, purity, and wholeness. Scripture teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone and that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, with sexual intimacy and sharing a home belonging within that covenant. Ask Him to stop what is harmful and dysfunctional, to heal soul wounds, to be a Father to those who need fatherly care, and to lead every relationship into holiness or to end what should not continue.
We join you in asking for strong protection and breakthrough, for encouragement and wisdom, and for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon every outreach, service, and prayer gathering. May the Lord raise up faithful people to pray, protect His people from the works of the enemy, and powerfully draw many to salvation through Jesus. We pray for His guidance and protection over your work, your team, your meetings, and your place in the church, that all you do would be pleasing to Him. We pray for help with studies and exams, and for His hand upon children and families who are vulnerable. And we pray for you in your weakness, that He would give strength, love, authority, and favor to do what He has called you to do.
The Lord is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and the earth will be filled with His glory. Continue to bring every need to Him, trusting that the elders and the church praying for the sick and burdened is part of His provision, and resting in His power and love even as you wait for His answers.
Concerning healing, Scripture shows that the Lord heals in many ways and is not confined to a single pattern. At times He healed instantly with a touch or a word, at times gradually, at times from a distance, at times through His presence nearby. All healing that occurs is from Him, including the gradual processes He has built into our bodies. Those natural processes are still divine because He created them. He also brings healing to the mind and emotions, mending soul wounds and scars even when physical healing takes a different course. At the same time, we do not fully understand why some are healed and others are not in this life. The apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed and learned that God had a different purpose in allowing it to remain. It is not right to say that a lack of healing means a lack of faith or hidden sin. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus to the prophecy in Isaiah that He bore our infirmities and sicknesses, and we see Jesus demonstrating power over sickness, over the created world, and over evil spirits. We can therefore pray with confidence that God is able to heal, while trusting His wisdom for how and when He will answer, whether through an immediate work, a gradual restoration, or sustaining grace.
You also carry many conflicts, in relationships, in work, in school, in family, and in the church. This world is filled with conflict between people and nations, and the news each day reflects it. The good news of the gospel is peace. Through Jesus, a person at war with God can have peace with God, and a person at war within can find peace within. Bring those conflicts to Him and ask Him to convict where conviction is needed, to forgive where forgiveness is needed, and to reconcile where reconciliation is according to His truth. Where you have spoken about others in a way you regret, confess it to Him and receive His forgiveness, and ask Him to turn even that into a blessing. For relationships that are not in line with His design, pray not that He would bless what is outside His will, but that He would bring salvation, healing, purity, and wholeness. Scripture teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone and that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, with sexual intimacy and sharing a home belonging within that covenant. Ask Him to stop what is harmful and dysfunctional, to heal soul wounds, to be a Father to those who need fatherly care, and to lead every relationship into holiness or to end what should not continue.
We join you in asking for strong protection and breakthrough, for encouragement and wisdom, and for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon every outreach, service, and prayer gathering. May the Lord raise up faithful people to pray, protect His people from the works of the enemy, and powerfully draw many to salvation through Jesus. We pray for His guidance and protection over your work, your team, your meetings, and your place in the church, that all you do would be pleasing to Him. We pray for help with studies and exams, and for His hand upon children and families who are vulnerable. And we pray for you in your weakness, that He would give strength, love, authority, and favor to do what He has called you to do.
The Lord is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and the earth will be filled with His glory. Continue to bring every need to Him, trusting that the elders and the church praying for the sick and burdened is part of His provision, and resting in His power and love even as you wait for His answers.
