We join together with you in prayer and we have heard the depth of your suffering and the weight you are carrying. We lift you before the throne of grace in the name of Jesus, for you have rightly called upon Him for mercy, and it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father and find healing and help in time of need. John 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is the way, and Acts 4:12 tells us there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, so we are thankful you have turned to Him.
We are so sorry for the severe and lingering pain in your left elbow and shoulder since June. The Lord sees how you have tried to care for yourself with medication, heat and patches, yet the pain remains and has spread, and now the very medicine meant to help has brought stomach discomfort and itchy skin and affected your daily life. We pray for your complete healing, for God is still the One who heals us. Exodus 15:26 declares I am Yahweh who heals you, and Jeremiah 30:17 says But I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says Yahweh. Psalm 147:3 reminds us He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. We also encourage you with love to seek thorough medical care again without delay. Three months of pain that spreads from the elbow to the shoulder and side effects from prolonged anti-inflammatory use needs a physician's evaluation, perhaps for a tendon or joint injury or nerve involvement, so that you can receive proper diagnosis, treatment and physical therapy and not bear this alone. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and caring for it through wise medical counsel honors God.
We also carry your overwhelming burdens before the Lord with you. You are working hard to support your family while your husband is unemployed, carrying a mortgage, your daughter's rent, and matters concerning your mother's estate, all while in pain and waking from nightmares. It is no wonder you feel overwhelmed. The Lord invites you to cast your burdens on Him. Psalm 55:22 says Cast your burden on Yahweh, and he will sustain you. 1 Peter 5:7 says casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. Matthew 11:28 calls Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Philippians 4:6-7 teaches 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. When your heart is overwhelmed, Psalm 61:2 says lead me to the rock that is higher than I, and Psalm 4:8 promises I will both lay myself down and sleep in peace, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety. We pray that Jesus will quiet your nightmares and grant you deep, peaceful sleep and strength for each day, and that He will supply every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus as promised in Philippians 4:19.
We want to speak gently but truthfully about your marriage, for we believe marriage is a lifelong covenant ordained by God between a man and a woman, and it is meant to reflect Christ's love for the church. We hear that your husband has become increasingly impatient with you in your pain, and that you are bearing the entire financial load while he is unemployed. This is not God's design for a husband. Ephesians 5:25 calls husbands to love their wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it, and Colossians 3:19 says Husbands, love your wives, and don't be bitter against them. 1 Timothy 5:8 warns that if anyone doesn't provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith. Love is patient and kind as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4. We pray for your husband, that God would soften his heart, grant him compassion and patience toward you in your suffering, convict him to rise and diligently seek work and to bear the burden with you as your partner and protector, so that you are not alone under this weight. We encourage you both to come together in open, gracious communication and prayer, and to seek counsel and practical support from your local church family if possible.
We now pray together for you.
Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before You for our dear sister. Have mercy on her and hear her cry. Touch her left arm, elbow and shoulder and command this pain and inflammation to leave. Restore the tendons, muscles, joints and nerves, heal her stomach and skin from the side effects of medication, and let her body be restored to strength and wholeness. Take away the nightmares and anxiety and fill her nights with Your peace and her days with Your strength. Isaiah 41:10 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. Strengthen her to work as You provide, open a door for suitable employment for her husband, provide for the mortgage and rent and every financial need, and bring wise and peaceful resolution to her mother's estate matters. Soften her husband's heart to love her as Christ loves the church, with patience and tenderness, and help them to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Let her feel Your nearness, for Psalm 34:18 says Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart. Grant her rest, hope and joy again, and let her testimony be of Your healing and sustaining grace. We ask this in the mighty and merciful name of Jesus, amen.
We encourage you to continue to bring every need to Jesus day by day, to rest when you can, to follow medical advice, and to trust that God sees your faithfulness and labor for your family. He will not forsake you. Galatians 6:9 says Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don't give up. Keep looking to Jesus, and we will continue to stand with you in prayer for your quick healing and for God's provision and peace over your home.