Dear Church,
Pray for the sick to be healed.
I was Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church of Joliet, Illinois, from 1974-1981. We had many wonderful friends there. One was a beautiful, Jesus-filled, elderly lady named Elsie. She was so kind to Linda and me. I can still hear the sound of her voice and see her smile.
Elsie had become physically frail. One day I got word that she was sick, with some kind of virus. I visited her and prayed for God to make her well. I always pray this way for sick people. So do you, right?
To be honest, I did not expect much to happen. Yet it felt good to lovingly pray for her, and she seemed to appreciate it. When I left her that day, the thought came to me that I would soon be doing her funeral. God, however, did not share my pessimism.
That evening Elsie called. Her voice was alive and vibrant. “I am feeling so much better. Thank you, John, for coming and praying for me. God has healed me!” Really? I was happy, and stunned. We all loved Elsie so much. The illness that had a grip on her physical body was gone! To my surprise, Elsie was alive, and would be for several more years.
As significant as that experience was for Elsie, I wonder if it was not more important for me. I gained confidence in praying for people. I had a greater realization that praying is a powerful thing to do. I found that God’s healing love was not corrupted by my mini-sized faith.
If your loved one was sick, you would pray for them to get better. In my church family, every Sunday, we pray for sick people to be healed. We view healing as comprehensive, and in this way Hebraic. This comprehensiveness is seen in how Eugene Peterson translates Isaiah 53:3-5, in The Message:
The fact is, it was our pains he carried — our disfigurements,
all the things wrong with us…
He took the punishment that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
"All the things wrong with us." Physical suffering. Mental illness. Anxiety and panic. Depression. Our inadequacies and failures. Sin. The atoning sacrifice of Christ has covered all our bases. The Atonement covers sin, yes, and so much more (a lot of which is the logical outcome of our sin).
Last Sunday we prayed for sick people to be well. I talked with a number of people who told me they had pain, and after praying for them the pain was gone. People were smiling, saying that chronic pain had been taken away. They were praising God for what only he can do!
I think this is good, don't you?
I want you to keep praying for the sick, with expectation.
Love,
PJ
CHALLENGE
Identify someone who is sick.
Contact them.
Ask if you can pray for them.
Pray for them to be healed, in Jesus’ name.
From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.
