Jeremiah 17:13-14 “O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. (14) Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.” (NASB)
Today my dad is having surgery and I’m sitting in the waiting room with my mother and brother anticipating a good outcome. As we wait I decided to search through Scripture on healing and find many references. It is clear Jesus and the Apostles performed miraculous healing during their ministries. But what about today?
The first Scripture I’d like to share is this passage from Jeremiah. I think the attitude shown here is the key and a lesson for us to remember today. First, the prophet acknowledges God, “The Hope of Israel” and the stark reality that all will not accept Him. He says, “All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down”. That is remembered but not in a good way. The truth of who God is and our relationship to Him is the foundation for what comes next.
The prophet yields to God as he writes, “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise”. This yielding to God’s will is the attitude we are to have with regard to His healing and His saving us. In other words, the position is one of faith in the Lord and acceptance of His will; “Your will be done” Matthew 6:10. So with regard to our reliance on God’s healing it is to be from a position of reliance, hope, faith and submission. “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed”.
In the New Testament, James 5:14-16 addresses the topic. It begins by giving instruction to call on the elders to offer prayers for the sick. I have been involved in that process several times and there is something special in both praying for and being prayed over in this situation. The key remains praying for God’s will to be done. This passage goes on, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NASB)
The first step again is getting right with God through confession. Then, it says to “Pray for one another so that you may be healed”. This means that when we get right with God and come to Him with our prayers, yielding to His will, He hears our prayers and will accomplish healing in our bodies. Please don’t misunderstand, it is when we pray according to His will that healing is accomplished. “Heal me. O LORD, and I will be healed”.
All this to say, when we offer to pray for one another we are following the instructions provided in Scripture. It is a good thing we do. So today, as you read the BLOG please pray for my dad, Ken Nicol. “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much”. AMEN!
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