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The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. James 5:15 |
| Healing is a precious gift from heaven. I have seen God work many miracles of healing. God has power to even raise the dead. The desire to be healthy is the same as God's desire for each one on this earth. He has a dream and plan for each one He has created. If the healing can bring joy and blessings to others as well as the individual, it is likely He will choose to heal when conditions are met. (Conditions: faith, sins repented of, gratitude, trusting His decision for what is best, and obedience to all the light we have.) |
| Here is
a suggested prayer for healing:
"Lord, we cannot read the heart of this sick one, but You know if it is for the good of his soul and for the glory of Your name to raise him to health. In Your great goodness, consider this case, and let healthy action take place in the system. The work must be entirely Your own. We have done all that human skill can do; now, Lord, we lay this case at Your feet, work as only God can work, and if it be for Your good and for Your glory, arrest the progress of disease and heal this sufferer. You choose what to do in this case. I want healing but do what is best for all concerned. Let Your will be done." All that can be done in praying for the sick is earnestly to importune God in their behalf, and in perfect confidence rest the matter in His hands. . . . If the life of the sick can glorify Him, we pray that they may live; nevertheless, not as we will, but as He wills. HL 239 (Healthful living) |
| Jesus
makes it clear that healing depends on faith.
Mark 6:5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed [them]. (Jesus)6:6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; |
| Believe
that God wants us to be in good health.
3 John1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health. |
| God
directs how to pray for the sick.
Using oil and touching them, simply pray in faith for God to work His miracles. If you regard iniquity in your heart, God will not hear or answer your requests. You need to be willing to follow His ways, honor Him, and ask for forgiveness for sins. Evil habits must be given up. Secret sins must be cleansed from your heart. Promise James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: |
| Promise
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us Ephesians 3:17-20; |
| Promise
Psalms 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds |
| Promise
2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. |
| Promise
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Luke 11:9,10 "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:7-11 |
| Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses." Ps 107:6 |
| "Ye ask, and receive not, because
ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." James
4:3 Other times He tests our faith by telling us to "Wait
awhile" "that the trial of [our] faith, being much more precious
than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 1:7 Many times, in His Great Wisdom, He tells us, "That
would not be best for you at this time, here's what you really need."
Yet, how often when we do not receive the very thing for which we are praying, we are tempted to think that He has not answered at all. How many times, when we receive an answer that is different than we expect, we feel forsaken and complain that our prayer has not been answered. How easy to forget that God knows the end from the beginning. He, alone, can see the future. He knows what is best. He reminds us, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isa 46:9, 10 Let us allow our Loving Redeemer to have full control of every aspect of our life. Let us determine to follow Him wherever He leads. Let us trust with all our heart to One Who assures us, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32.
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| There is power in God's
word. He likes you to repeat back to Him His promises. Like Elijah in the
Old Testament Bible story, do not give up after praying once. Elijah saw
breath come back into a dead boy as he persisted in praying. He was sure
of God's power and just kept asking. God has the power to do anything we
ask. His WORD that created the flowers has power and is ready to bring the
answer to your heart desires.
Promise Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. |
| Conditions must be met
for God to work a miracle.
Remember, if we cherish sin, and rob God of our partnership offerings, He won't hear. We should first find out if the sick one has been withholding tithes or has made trouble in the church.--U. T. {HL 237.4} |
| If the Lord sees that it will best honor him, he will answer our prayers. But to urge recovery without submission to his will, is not right. . |
| Promise
and warning
If they will live according to every word He has spoken, every good word and promise will be fulfilled unto them. But if they come short of perfect obedience, the great and precious promises are afar off and they cannot reach the fulfillment. {CH 378.1} |
| . Our petitions must not take the form of a command, but of intercession for him to do the thing we desire of him. --T., V. II, pp. 147-149. {HL 238.6} 1029. The strong desire for recovery leads to earnest prayer; and this is right. God is our refuge in sickness as in health.--T., No. 32, p. 71. {HL 239.1} 1030. Prayer will give the sick an abiding confidence. --T., No. 32, p. 199. {HL 239.2} 1031. Jesus can limit the power of Satan. He is the physician in whom the sin-sick soul may trust to heal the maladies of the body as well as of the soul. --T., No. 32, p. 205. {HL 239.3} 1032. I would come before the Lord with this petition: "Lord, we cannot read the heart of this sick one, but thou knowest whether it is for the good of his soul and for the glory of thy name to raise him to health. In thy great goodness, compassionate this case, and let healthy action take place in the system. The work must be entirely thine own. We have done all that human skill can do; now, Lord, we lay this case at thy feet, work as only God can work, and if it be for thy good and for thy glory, arrest the progress of disease and heal this sufferer." 240 . . . But after I have prayed earnestly for the sick, what then? Do I cease to do all I can for their recovery?--No, I work all the more earnestly, with much prayer that the Lord may bless the means which his own hand has provided; that he may give sanctified wisdom to co-operate with him in the recovery of the sick.--U. T., March 11, 1892. {HL 239.4} 1033. In praying for the sick, it is essential to have faith; for it is in accordance with the word of God. . . . Sometimes answers to our prayers come immediately, sometimes we have to wait patiently and continue earnestly to plead for the things we need. Our faith is illustrated by the case of the importunate solicitor for bread. . . . If our petitions are indited by the Lord, they will be answered.-- Ibid. {HL 240.1} 1034. We all desire an immediate answer to our prayers, and we are tempted to become discouraged if it does not come. Now my experience has taught me that this is a great mistake. The delay is for our special benefit. . . . Faith strengthens through continual exercise. This waiting does not mean that because we ask the Lord to heal, there is nothing for us to do. We are to make the very best use of the means which the Lord in his gracious goodness has provided for us in our very necessities. . . . I have looked to God in faith, and have used every benefit that hygienic methods have provided, of which we could avail ourselves. This was my duty. . . . In treatment we have used water in a variety of ways, always asking the Lord to give wisdom in all our efforts, and to put his blessing upon every laudable 241 means employed for the recovery of health. . . . As a reasonable being, through the grace of God I shall take advantage of the blessings of the Lord which he has placed within my reach.--U. T., March 11, 1892. {HL 240.2} 1035. I have seen so much of carrying matters to extremes, even in praying for the sick, that I have felt that this part of our experience requires much earnest, sanctified thinking, else we shall make movements that we may call faith, but that are nothing less than presumption. Persons worn down with affliction need to be counseled wisely that they may move discreetly; and while they place themselves before God to be prayed for that they may be healed, they are not to neglect methods of restoration to health that are in accordance with nature's laws. If, in praying for healing, they refuse to use the simple remedies provided by God to alleviate pain and to aid nature in her work, lest it be a denial of faith, they are talking an unwise position. It is not a denial of faith, it is in strict harmony with the plans of God. . . . One word from God, one touch of the divine finger, would have cured Hezekiah instantly, but special directions were given to take a fig and lay it on the affected part, and Hezekiah was raised to life. In everything we need to move along the line of God's providence. The human agent should have faith, and should co-operate with divine power, using every facility, taking advantage of everything that to his intelligence is beneficial, and working in harmony with natural laws; in doing this he neither denies nor hinders faith.--Ibid. 242 {HL 241.1} 1036. Should the Lord work a miracle to restore the wonderful machinery which human beings have impaired through their own carelessness and inattention and their indulgence of appetite and passions, by doing the very things that the Lord has told them they should not do, he would be ministering to sin, which is the transgression of his own law.--U. T., May 19, 1897. {HL 242.1} 1037. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul for whom he gave his beloved Son. . . . Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. . . . The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them. . . . Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of his children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our Heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which he takes no immediate interest. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."--S. to C., p. 117. {HL 242.2} Healthful Living by Ellen White |
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Submit your prayer request to Tetracha@aol.com |
| Example Case of a man who asked for
prayer for healing and God said He would not listen
One Who Requested Prayer for Healing.--My husband and I once attended a meeting where our sympathies were enlisted for a brother who was a great sufferer with the phthisic. He was pale and emaciated. He requested the prayers of the people of God. He said that his family were sick, and that he had lost a child. He spoke with feeling of his bereavement. He said that he had been waiting for some time to see Brother and Sister White. He had believed that if they would pray for him, he would be healed. After the meeting closed, the brethren called our attention to the case. They said that the church was assisting them, that his wife was sick, and his child had died. The brethren had met at his house and united in praying for the afflicted family. We were much worn and had the burden of labor upon us during the meeting and wished to be excused. I had resolved not to engage in prayer for anyone, unless the Spirit of the Lord should dictate in the matter. . . . {CG 450.1} Here was a man debasing himself daily and yet daring to venture into the presence of God and ask an increase of strength which he had vilely squandered, and which, if granted, he would consume upon his lust. What forbearance has God! If He should deal with man according to his corrupt ways, who could live in His sight? What if we had been less cautious and carried the case of this man before God while he was practicing iniquity, would the Lord have heard? Would He have answered? "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight; thou hatest all workers of iniquity." . . . {CG 451.1} |