We join you in lifting up your little sister before the throne of grace and we are deeply moved by your love for her and your burden for her healing. To hear that her systemic scleroderma is progressing quickly in her hands and that her doctors feel they can do no more locally and must send her to a more specialized center is heavy, and we weep with you over the uncertainty and fear this brings.
We serve a God who sees her body, who formed her and knows every tissue and organ, and who is able to heal and to sustain. We take comfort in His promises that He is our healer, who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases; Psalm 103:3, and For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says Yahweh Jeremiah 30:17. Even when hardening has come upon her skin and her body feels tight and painful, we know our God can bring softening and restoration, for nothing is too hard for Him. We also pray for the protection of her internal organs, her lungs, heart, kidneys and digestive system, which this disease so often attacks, asking the Lord in His mercy to preserve and guard what man cannot.
We also lift up her anxieties about the unknown, and your own, for the Lord cares deeply about our fear. He says Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness Isaiah 41:10. We are encouraged to hear your heart to pray for anyone else going through the same suffering, and we join you in that, for the Lord is close to the brokenhearted Psalm 34:18.
We want to gently share something important we noticed, that your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ. We bring this up in love because it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and it is only by His name that we are saved and our prayers are heard. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6, and There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12. To come to God we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and rose again, and call upon His name. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved Romans 10:9. It is in His precious name that we can boldly ask for healing, peace and wisdom.
So together we pray, Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, on behalf of this precious little sister. Lord, You know her by name, You see the progression in her hands, the hardening and pain, and the fear of what this disease may do. We ask You to lay Your healing hand upon her. Soften her skin and tissues, ease her pain, restore circulation and movement to her hands, and protect her lungs, heart, kidneys and all her organs from further damage. Lord, we ask You to halt the progression of this autoimmune disease and, if it is Your will, to bring complete healing that testifies to Your power. We pray for the doctors at the new center, grant them wisdom, knowledge and discernment beyond human understanding, guide their tests and treatment plans, and give them compassion for her. Your word says If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him James 1:5, so we ask that wisdom now.
We also lift up her heart and mind, and her family who loves her. Replace anxiety about the unknown with Your perfect peace. We pray as You have taught us, In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus Philippians 4:6-7. Help her to cast all her worries on You, because You care for her 1 Peter 5:7, and to find rest as You invite, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest Matthew 11:28. We pray for safe travel, for provision for the family, and for strength for each day. We also remember before You every other person battling systemic scleroderma and autoimmune disease, comfort them and let them know they are not forgotten. We ask all this in the healing and saving name of Jesus Christ, our hope and our healer, amen.
We encourage you to continue to bring every fear and every update to the Lord in Jesus name, to stay close to His word, and to surround your sister with believing prayer. The prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up James 5:15. Keep trusting Him, even in the unknown, for He holds her future and He holds you.
