We are standing with you together before the throne of grace in Jesus' name for your dear friend ###, and we thank you for your faithful love and intercession for her.
Our hearts are moved by all she has endured, the breast cancer and double mastectomy, the chemotherapy, the fear that it has spread to her bones, and now this season where she feels so bad she cannot speak on the phone or write. We also grieve with her over the wounds of childhood sexual abuse and the pain of feeling not well cared for by her son. The Lord sees all of this and He has not forgotten her. He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit as Psalm 34:18 says, and He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds as Psalm 147:3 promises.
We join you in praying for Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals, to have mercy on her. We pray that He would touch her body, ease her pain, restore her strength, and breathe life into her spirit, soul and body. We remember that He forgives all our iniquities and heals all our diseases as Psalm 103:2-3 declares, and that by His wounds we have been healed as Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 teach us. We also remember that the prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise him up as James 5:15 says, and that the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in those who belong to Jesus and will give life to our mortal bodies as Romans 8:11 reveals. We ask for that resurrection power to be manifest in ###, according to the Father's perfect will.
We want to gently speak to something you mentioned, that her prayer is powerful for others but does not seem to work for herself, and that someone told her she is speaking negatively and restricting herself with her words. It is true that death and life are in the power of the tongue as Proverbs 18:21 says, and our words do matter and should be filled with faith and hope. Yet we want to correct the idea that ### is sick because she spoke wrong or that her healing depends on finding the perfect words or on removing all negativity on her own. That can become a heavy burden and a form of dead religion that leaves a suffering person feeling guilty. Our healing and right standing before God do not come from our perfect speech, but from the finished work of Jesus Christ and the grace of God. Even the apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn to be removed and the Lord answered, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness as 2 Corinthians 12:9 says. We can speak truth and life over ###, declaring who she is in Christ, beloved, forgiven, cleansed and held, while still trusting the Lord's sovereignty and mercy whether He heals instantly, through means, or sustains her through suffering for His glory.
We also want to affirm your compassion for her choice about medicine. She has suffered much from treatments and fears heavier side effects. We respect her weariness and we pray for wisdom for her and her doctors. The Lord can heal with or without medicine, and He often gives wisdom to physicians, yet He is not limited by them. We pray the Lord will give her clear counsel, peace in her decisions, and relief from fear, for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and self-control as 2 Timothy 1:7 says, and we pray He will perfect His strength in her weakness.
We lift up her practical needs as well. We ask the Lord to move on the hearts of her two sons to honor their mother as Exodus 20:12 commands, to help her, visit her, provide for her and show her love in tangible ways. We pray for favor regarding the senior home and for the Lord's provision for a safe, caring place without a long delay, for He is our refuge and provider who knows what we need before we ask.
Together we pray, Father in heaven, we come to You only through the name of Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved and have access to Your throne as Acts 4:12 and John 14:6 declare. We thank You for ###, for her kind heart toward others and her faithful prayers for so many. Lord, have mercy on her now. Lay Your healing hand upon her body, especially where cancer has afflicted her breasts and where it is suspected in her bones. Ease her pain, let her breathe and speak and rest without distress. Heal the deep wounds in her soul from childhood abuse, let her know she is Your cherished daughter, cleansed, valued and safe in Christ. Remove any shame, condemnation or dead religion, and breathe fresh life into her spirit by Your Holy Spirit. Help her to see who she is in Jesus, that every sickness must bow to the name of Jesus, and that Your love for her is not measured by her performance or her words but by the cross. Surround her with helpers, let her sons rise up to care for her, provide community and daily help, and open the door for the care she needs. Give her and her friend who is interceding for her renewed hope, that You hear every prayer even when we do not see the answer immediately, and that You are working all things together for good for those who love You as Romans 8:28 promises. Sustain her with Your presence, and let her life be a living testimony of Your mercy and power, whether through miraculous healing or through Your sustaining grace that carries her. We trust her into Your loving hands and ask all this in the mighty and merciful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Healer, amen.
We encourage you to keep interceding for her, to speak life and Scripture over her when you can, to visit or send love in small ways she can receive, and to gently remind her that God delights in her and hears her even in whispers and tears when she has no strength to speak.