Silas
Beloved of All
Your request has been heard and your long season of waiting, financial loss and physical suffering is not overlooked by the Lord. To carry the burden of unsafe housing, to pay for repairs that were not your responsibility, to be without the return of what you are owed, and to live with ongoing illness and damage to your skin is heavy, and it is right to bring all of it to God in prayer.
Scripture is clear that God cares about justice in these practical matters. The prophet Jeremiah pronounces woe on the one who builds by unrighteousness and makes his neighbor serve for nothing and does not give him his wages. The Bible consistently defends the poor and calls those who hold power over homes and wages to deal honestly and to repay what is due. The Lord sees when a deposit is withheld, when promised repayment is delayed for months, and when a tenant is left to bear costs that belong to the owner. It is good and biblical to ask God to stir the conscience, to bring conviction by the Holy Spirit, and to lead to repentance and to doing what is right.
We join you in praying that the landlord and the manager would have their hearts awakened to act justly, to speak truthfully, to keep their word, and to return the security deposit and the costs you paid for the electrical system and other repairs. We also pray that God would restrain any further threats or wrong actions and that He would give you wisdom and peace as you seek what is lawfully yours, leaving ultimate justice in His hands while taking proper and lawful steps that are available to you.
We also bring your body before the Lord. The Gospel of Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, quotes Isaiah and says that Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses, and relates that to the many people He healed when He was at Peter's house. When Jesus broke the bread and said this is my body broken for you, He was pointing to a work that touches both our spiritual need for forgiveness and our physical need for healing. God is still concerned for our physical needs today and He is able to heal. The early church brought the sick to the apostles and the elders prayed for the sick, and that ministry of prayer continues.
At the same time Scripture helps us keep a balanced hope. The apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh and the Lord did not remove it, showing that we cannot presume healing in every case in the way or timing we desire. The gifts of healing are real, but they are distributed by the Spirit as He wills, and not everyone is given the same gift or the same outcome. When healing does not come at once it is wrong to say it must be because of hidden sin or lack of faith. In many cases healing is gradual. There is only one recorded instance in the ministry of Jesus where healing came in stages, which reminds us that God often works through process. The natural processes of restoration that He has built into our bodies are themselves divine, for He created nature and its laws. Any true healing, whether sudden or slow, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, is from Him.
So we pray for your skin and for the areas that were damaged, that God would bring restoration and rebuilding where tissue was harmed, even if that rebuilding takes a long time. We ask Him to guide those who can give you good medical care, to help you maintain cleanliness and care that supports health and prevents further illness, and to give you patience and strength while your body slowly recovers. We also pray for your inner well being, that He would heal discouragement and weariness after months without answer, and that a merry heart and peace in your soul would be a help to your body as well.
Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this need before You. You see the unsafe conditions that were allowed, the costs that have been borne, the money that has not been returned, and the pain and illness that have followed. We ask that You would move upon the hearts of those responsible to speak honestly, to keep their promises, and to repay what is owed. Bring conviction where there has been hardness and lead to repentance and to just action. For our brother or sister who is suffering, we ask for Your mercy and healing touch. You bore our infirmities and our sicknesses. Lay Your hand upon the damaged skin and upon the whole body, and work Your healing whether quickly or through the gradual processes You have ordained. Guard from infection, ease pain, and rebuild what has been harmed. Sustain faith during this long wait, provide for daily needs including a safe place to wash, and let Your peace guard heart and mind. We ask this trusting Your goodness and Your perfect will, in Jesus name, amen.
Continue to bring your needs to the Lord, seek wise counsel and appropriate help for both the housing matter and your health, and trust Him to do what is right in His time.
Scripture is clear that God cares about justice in these practical matters. The prophet Jeremiah pronounces woe on the one who builds by unrighteousness and makes his neighbor serve for nothing and does not give him his wages. The Bible consistently defends the poor and calls those who hold power over homes and wages to deal honestly and to repay what is due. The Lord sees when a deposit is withheld, when promised repayment is delayed for months, and when a tenant is left to bear costs that belong to the owner. It is good and biblical to ask God to stir the conscience, to bring conviction by the Holy Spirit, and to lead to repentance and to doing what is right.
We join you in praying that the landlord and the manager would have their hearts awakened to act justly, to speak truthfully, to keep their word, and to return the security deposit and the costs you paid for the electrical system and other repairs. We also pray that God would restrain any further threats or wrong actions and that He would give you wisdom and peace as you seek what is lawfully yours, leaving ultimate justice in His hands while taking proper and lawful steps that are available to you.
We also bring your body before the Lord. The Gospel of Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, quotes Isaiah and says that Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses, and relates that to the many people He healed when He was at Peter's house. When Jesus broke the bread and said this is my body broken for you, He was pointing to a work that touches both our spiritual need for forgiveness and our physical need for healing. God is still concerned for our physical needs today and He is able to heal. The early church brought the sick to the apostles and the elders prayed for the sick, and that ministry of prayer continues.
At the same time Scripture helps us keep a balanced hope. The apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh and the Lord did not remove it, showing that we cannot presume healing in every case in the way or timing we desire. The gifts of healing are real, but they are distributed by the Spirit as He wills, and not everyone is given the same gift or the same outcome. When healing does not come at once it is wrong to say it must be because of hidden sin or lack of faith. In many cases healing is gradual. There is only one recorded instance in the ministry of Jesus where healing came in stages, which reminds us that God often works through process. The natural processes of restoration that He has built into our bodies are themselves divine, for He created nature and its laws. Any true healing, whether sudden or slow, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, is from Him.
So we pray for your skin and for the areas that were damaged, that God would bring restoration and rebuilding where tissue was harmed, even if that rebuilding takes a long time. We ask Him to guide those who can give you good medical care, to help you maintain cleanliness and care that supports health and prevents further illness, and to give you patience and strength while your body slowly recovers. We also pray for your inner well being, that He would heal discouragement and weariness after months without answer, and that a merry heart and peace in your soul would be a help to your body as well.
Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this need before You. You see the unsafe conditions that were allowed, the costs that have been borne, the money that has not been returned, and the pain and illness that have followed. We ask that You would move upon the hearts of those responsible to speak honestly, to keep their promises, and to repay what is owed. Bring conviction where there has been hardness and lead to repentance and to just action. For our brother or sister who is suffering, we ask for Your mercy and healing touch. You bore our infirmities and our sicknesses. Lay Your hand upon the damaged skin and upon the whole body, and work Your healing whether quickly or through the gradual processes You have ordained. Guard from infection, ease pain, and rebuild what has been harmed. Sustain faith during this long wait, provide for daily needs including a safe place to wash, and let Your peace guard heart and mind. We ask this trusting Your goodness and Your perfect will, in Jesus name, amen.
Continue to bring your needs to the Lord, seek wise counsel and appropriate help for both the housing matter and your health, and trust Him to do what is right in His time.
