Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for trusting us with this honest and humble request for you and your sister. To struggle with ongoing pain and discomfort in the body is wearying, and it is right to bring it to the Lord together.
We want to pray for you both and to encourage you with what Scripture shows us about healing. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that in the evening at Peter's house many sick people were brought to Jesus and He healed them, and Matthew says this happened to fulfill what Isaiah had spoken, that He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. Isaiah chapter 53 speaks first of our sin and grief, but Matthew by the Holy Spirit applies it also to physical sickness. That is why when Jesus took bread and said this is my body which is broken for you, we remember that His suffering was for the whole person, not only for forgiveness of sin but also for the healing of the body. To limit that work only to the spirit does not have a strong biblical basis.
At the same time Scripture keeps us from presuming that God will grant immediate physical healing in every case. Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh, which he described as a messenger of Satan buffeting him, and the Lord did not remove it. We do not always understand why some are healed quickly and others are not. There is much about healing we do not fully understand. What we can hold with confidence is that God does heal, that healing is for today, and that He is able and compassionate. Jesus never used His miraculous power to meet His own physical needs, but He was always willing to use it to meet the needs of others.
The Bible also shows that healing comes in different ways. There is one account where healing came gradually, and that reminds us that gradual healing is still healing. Any true healing process is divine, because God Himself established the processes of healing within our bodies. It is no less from Him when He works through natural means that He created than when He works in an instant. He heals the body, and He also heals the emotions and the spirit.
Scripture also teaches the connection between the soul and the body. John wrote to Gaius that he wished he would prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospered. That is not a formal promise that every believer will be perfectly healthy, it was John's prayer and wish for his friend, but it does point to a real relationship between inner well being and physical health. Proverbs says a joyful heart does good like a medicine, and we now know how true that is in the body. Worry, fear and heaviness can affect the body, while peace and joy in the Lord support health.
We also believe God calls us to care for our bodies with wisdom. The law taught principles of cleanliness, and while that is not the same as holiness, it shows God's concern for our physical well being and for preventing disease. For a condition like severe constipation, it is wise to seek good medical counsel as well as prayer, to attend to water, diet, movement and cleanliness, and to do so while trusting the Lord.
We want to avoid anything that is hype or pretense. There is much phoniness done in the name of healing that whips people into a frenzy or exploits them, and that is not the way of Jesus. He often healed quietly and even told people not to broadcast it, and He looked for simple faith to be released, sometimes with a touch, sometimes with a word. The gifts of healing are real, but Scripture asks, do all have gifts of healing, and the answer is no, for the body has many members with different gifts.
So we will pray for you both with simple faith, asking for the Lord's mercy, and trusting His wisdom and love whether He brings instant relief or gradual restoration through the means He has provided.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring these two sisters before You. You know their discomfort and pain and how long they have carried it. We thank You that Jesus bore our infirmities and our sicknesses and that You are compassionate toward our physical needs. We ask You to bring healing and relief to each of them. Touch their bodies, restore normal function, remove what causes distress, and grant ease and comfort. Work whether by Your direct touch or through the healing processes You have placed in the body and through wise care, for all healing is from You. Give them peace in heart and mind, a merry heart that brings strength to the body, and help them to prosper in soul as they walk with You. Give wisdom to any doctors or helpers they consult. We trust Your will and Your goodness, and we ask this in Jesus name, amen.
Please continue to seek medical help if the problem persists, and keep letting us know how you are doing so we can keep praying with you.
We want to pray for you both and to encourage you with what Scripture shows us about healing. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that in the evening at Peter's house many sick people were brought to Jesus and He healed them, and Matthew says this happened to fulfill what Isaiah had spoken, that He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. Isaiah chapter 53 speaks first of our sin and grief, but Matthew by the Holy Spirit applies it also to physical sickness. That is why when Jesus took bread and said this is my body which is broken for you, we remember that His suffering was for the whole person, not only for forgiveness of sin but also for the healing of the body. To limit that work only to the spirit does not have a strong biblical basis.
At the same time Scripture keeps us from presuming that God will grant immediate physical healing in every case. Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh, which he described as a messenger of Satan buffeting him, and the Lord did not remove it. We do not always understand why some are healed quickly and others are not. There is much about healing we do not fully understand. What we can hold with confidence is that God does heal, that healing is for today, and that He is able and compassionate. Jesus never used His miraculous power to meet His own physical needs, but He was always willing to use it to meet the needs of others.
The Bible also shows that healing comes in different ways. There is one account where healing came gradually, and that reminds us that gradual healing is still healing. Any true healing process is divine, because God Himself established the processes of healing within our bodies. It is no less from Him when He works through natural means that He created than when He works in an instant. He heals the body, and He also heals the emotions and the spirit.
Scripture also teaches the connection between the soul and the body. John wrote to Gaius that he wished he would prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospered. That is not a formal promise that every believer will be perfectly healthy, it was John's prayer and wish for his friend, but it does point to a real relationship between inner well being and physical health. Proverbs says a joyful heart does good like a medicine, and we now know how true that is in the body. Worry, fear and heaviness can affect the body, while peace and joy in the Lord support health.
We also believe God calls us to care for our bodies with wisdom. The law taught principles of cleanliness, and while that is not the same as holiness, it shows God's concern for our physical well being and for preventing disease. For a condition like severe constipation, it is wise to seek good medical counsel as well as prayer, to attend to water, diet, movement and cleanliness, and to do so while trusting the Lord.
We want to avoid anything that is hype or pretense. There is much phoniness done in the name of healing that whips people into a frenzy or exploits them, and that is not the way of Jesus. He often healed quietly and even told people not to broadcast it, and He looked for simple faith to be released, sometimes with a touch, sometimes with a word. The gifts of healing are real, but Scripture asks, do all have gifts of healing, and the answer is no, for the body has many members with different gifts.
So we will pray for you both with simple faith, asking for the Lord's mercy, and trusting His wisdom and love whether He brings instant relief or gradual restoration through the means He has provided.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring these two sisters before You. You know their discomfort and pain and how long they have carried it. We thank You that Jesus bore our infirmities and our sicknesses and that You are compassionate toward our physical needs. We ask You to bring healing and relief to each of them. Touch their bodies, restore normal function, remove what causes distress, and grant ease and comfort. Work whether by Your direct touch or through the healing processes You have placed in the body and through wise care, for all healing is from You. Give them peace in heart and mind, a merry heart that brings strength to the body, and help them to prosper in soul as they walk with You. Give wisdom to any doctors or helpers they consult. We trust Your will and Your goodness, and we ask this in Jesus name, amen.
Please continue to seek medical help if the problem persists, and keep letting us know how you are doing so we can keep praying with you.
