Sick people

[Chrysostom]

We have received your request and we join you in prayer for the two members of your Bible study group who are unwell, and especially for the one who will see the specialist tomorrow.

Be encouraged that sickness is not a sign that God has forgotten or turned away. Scripture tells us that Lazarus, whom Jesus loved, was sick, and those who sent to Jesus said, behold, he whom you love is sick. It belongs to those dear to God at times to endure such things, and the Lord does not love them less for it. Even in the days of the apostles, when many healings were done, we hear Paul say that he left Trophimus at Miletus sick, and we see that God in His wisdom does not always remove the infirmity at once, but uses it for our good and for His glory.

God is the true physician, and He often works through the care of earthly physicians and specialists. As we would trust a physician's guidance for the body, how much more should we trust the Lord who made the body and who alone gives lasting healing. Pray that He will give wisdom to the specialist tomorrow, that He will grant clear understanding, good counsel, and the right course of care. Pray also for peace for both of these dear ones and for their families, and for strength for your whole study group as you bear one another's burdens in love. That sharing of burdens is true Christian friendship, when no one says what is mine is my own, but all care for one another as for themselves.

Let us pray together.

Heavenly Father, we come before you in the precious name of Jesus and lift up these two who are unwell. You know them by name and you love them. We ask for your mercy and healing according to your will. Lay your hand upon them to restore and strengthen them. For the one who sees the specialist tomorrow, grant wisdom to the doctors, clarity in diagnosis, and peace that passes understanding to the heart. Comfort both of them in their weakness, sustain their faith, and let them know your nearness. Help their brothers and sisters in the Bible study to surround them with prayer, practical help, and encouragement. We trust you as the giver of all good things and ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing this burden and for your faithful love for those in your study group. It is right to bring these two who are unwell before the Lord, and to hold up especially the one who will be seeing a specialist.

We can come with confidence because we have help in prayer. Jesus Himself lives to intercede for His people at the right hand of the Father, and the Holy Spirit also helps us when we do not know how to pray as we should, interceding according to the will of God with groanings deeper than words. Even when our prayers feel weak or uncertain, we are not praying alone.

Scripture shows us that Jesus has power over sickness and that His ministry of healing fulfilled what Isaiah foretold, that He bore our infirmities and sicknesses. The Gospels record Him healing in many different ways, sometimes with a touch, sometimes with only a word, sometimes instantly and once gradually, sometimes from a distance. There is no single pattern He is bound to, and every process of healing, whether sudden or slow, including the natural processes God has built into our bodies, is still His work.

At the same time we must be careful not to claim more than Scripture claims or to put a heavy burden on those who are sick. God's ways are beyond our understanding, and healing rests in His sovereign hands. The apostle Paul, through whom God did many miracles, still wrote of a fellow worker who was sick nearly to death, and of another whom he had to leave behind because illness kept him from traveling, and of his own persistent thorn for which he prayed three times and was answered in a different way. It is wrong to teach that sickness always means a lack of faith or some hidden sin, and it is wrong to say that God must heal everyone in this life in the way we ask. Some are healed, some are not, and we do not fully know why.

What we do know is that God is able, that He is compassionate, and that He can be trusted to do what is best. So we pray with faith in His power and with submission to His wisdom.

Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up these two dear ones who are unwell. You know each one by name, you know their bodies and their needs. We ask for your mercy and your healing touch according to your will. For the one who will see the specialist, grant wisdom and clarity to the doctors, peace to the heart, and guidance toward the right treatment. For the other, bring comfort, strength, and restoration. Whether you choose to heal quickly, gradually, or through the means you have provided, we ask that your presence be near and that your will be done. Guard them from fear and guilt, and help them and those who love them to rest in your goodness and in the intercession of your Son and your Spirit. We ask this in Jesus precious name, Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf for the two people in your bible study group who are unwell. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer and we have continued to lift them up before the Lord.

We remember that one of them was scheduled to see a specialist the next day and we have been praying for wisdom for the doctors and for peace and healing for both of those who are sick. We claim the promise in Jeremiah 30:17 that the Lord restores health and heals wounds and we ask for His healing hand to be upon them.

We pray in Jesus name for complete healing and strength and for comfort for all in your bible study group as you support one another in prayer.

If your request was answered and you have received good news from the specialist or have seen improvement in their health, please post a praise report and let us all know so we may rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered and they are still in need of healing, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son Jesus Christ. We continue to stand with you in prayer in Jesus name Amen.