Silas
Beloved of All
Your burden has been heard and we are bringing it before the Lord with you. To wait for months without communication or any willingness to make things right, to carry the cost of repairs that were not your responsibility, to face threats and the loss of your security deposit, and to live with ongoing illness and damage to your skin is heavy. It is right to bring the need for justice and for healing to God.
We are praying that the Holy Spirit will awaken conscience in the landlord and in the manager, bringing conviction where there has been wrong and a desire to do what is good and right before God. Scripture calls those who have taken what is not theirs or withheld what is owed to make restitution and to act honestly. We are asking God to lead them to repent where repentance is needed and to return what they owe, including the deposit and the costs you paid for technicians and for the electrical work, and to deal fairly concerning the compensation for the unsafe conditions, the need for alternative shower provision, and the other inappropriate actions.
We are also praying for your healing. The Bible shows us that Jesus bore our infirmities and sicknesses. Matthew, writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, applies the prophecy of Isaiah, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, to the physical healings Jesus performed when He healed the leper, the centurion's servant, Peter's mother in law and many others who were brought to Him. That tells us that physical healing is included in the suffering of Christ, not only spiritual forgiveness. At the same time, Scripture does not teach us to presume that God wills instant healing in every case in the way we ask or on our timetable. Paul prayed three times concerning his thorn in the flesh, and God did not remove it but gave grace and strength through it. That helps us to come to God with confidence that He is able, while also trusting His wisdom and love when His answer is wait, or gradual, or different from what we expect.
Healing is for today and God is able, and He heals in different ways. Sometimes healing is immediate, sometimes it is gradual. There is only one gradual healing recorded in the ministry of Jesus, but Scripture and experience show that God often works through the natural processes He has built into our bodies. That process is still divine, because He created our bodies and the means of restoration within them. He also brings healing to the mind and emotions, and there is a real connection between the health of the soul and the health of the body. The proverb says a merry heart does good like a medicine, and we see that peace, hope and inner strength affect physical well being. We should not twist the wish John expressed for Gaius, that he would prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospers, into a guarantee that every prayer for health will be answered instantly, but we can receive it as a picture of God's care for the whole person, body, mind and spirit.
So we are praying for you in this way. We ask the Lord Jesus to lay His hand upon your body, to heal your skin and to rebuild what has been damaged, whether that healing comes quickly or through a longer and gradual process over time. We ask Him to ease illness, to restore strength, and to guard your heart from anxiety and bitterness while you wait. We ask Him to give you wisdom for the practical steps that remain, to provide for your needs, and to bring an end to any threats or wrongdoing against you.
We continue to look to Jesus, who did not use His power to serve Himself but willingly used it to meet the needs of others, and who understands both physical suffering and injustice. May He give you peace that guards your heart, faith to trust Him day by day, and the assurance that He hears your prayers and will act according to His perfect will and timing. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.
We are praying that the Holy Spirit will awaken conscience in the landlord and in the manager, bringing conviction where there has been wrong and a desire to do what is good and right before God. Scripture calls those who have taken what is not theirs or withheld what is owed to make restitution and to act honestly. We are asking God to lead them to repent where repentance is needed and to return what they owe, including the deposit and the costs you paid for technicians and for the electrical work, and to deal fairly concerning the compensation for the unsafe conditions, the need for alternative shower provision, and the other inappropriate actions.
We are also praying for your healing. The Bible shows us that Jesus bore our infirmities and sicknesses. Matthew, writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, applies the prophecy of Isaiah, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, to the physical healings Jesus performed when He healed the leper, the centurion's servant, Peter's mother in law and many others who were brought to Him. That tells us that physical healing is included in the suffering of Christ, not only spiritual forgiveness. At the same time, Scripture does not teach us to presume that God wills instant healing in every case in the way we ask or on our timetable. Paul prayed three times concerning his thorn in the flesh, and God did not remove it but gave grace and strength through it. That helps us to come to God with confidence that He is able, while also trusting His wisdom and love when His answer is wait, or gradual, or different from what we expect.
Healing is for today and God is able, and He heals in different ways. Sometimes healing is immediate, sometimes it is gradual. There is only one gradual healing recorded in the ministry of Jesus, but Scripture and experience show that God often works through the natural processes He has built into our bodies. That process is still divine, because He created our bodies and the means of restoration within them. He also brings healing to the mind and emotions, and there is a real connection between the health of the soul and the health of the body. The proverb says a merry heart does good like a medicine, and we see that peace, hope and inner strength affect physical well being. We should not twist the wish John expressed for Gaius, that he would prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospers, into a guarantee that every prayer for health will be answered instantly, but we can receive it as a picture of God's care for the whole person, body, mind and spirit.
So we are praying for you in this way. We ask the Lord Jesus to lay His hand upon your body, to heal your skin and to rebuild what has been damaged, whether that healing comes quickly or through a longer and gradual process over time. We ask Him to ease illness, to restore strength, and to guard your heart from anxiety and bitterness while you wait. We ask Him to give you wisdom for the practical steps that remain, to provide for your needs, and to bring an end to any threats or wrongdoing against you.
We continue to look to Jesus, who did not use His power to serve Himself but willingly used it to meet the needs of others, and who understands both physical suffering and injustice. May He give you peace that guards your heart, faith to trust Him day by day, and the assurance that He hears your prayers and will act according to His perfect will and timing. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.
