Prayer and Healing, Part 2

Chuckle: "If you put a crouton on your sundae instead of a cherry, it will count as a salad."

Quote: "What cannot be questioned is God's willingness to heal and the provision He has already made for that purpose to be fulfilled." --Colin Urquhart

PRAYER AND HEALING, Part 2

"Is anyone of you sick: He/she should call the elders of the church to pray over him/her and anoint him/her with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up" (James 5:14-15 NIV).

There are basically four kinds of sicknesses addressed in the Bible:

(1) Sickness leading to death. At some point illness or accident will take our lives regardless of our faith. There is a time to be born and a time to die. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, . ." (Hebrews 9:27 NIV).

(2) Sickness as discipline. When we rebel against God and dishonor Him, He may allow a sickness to bring us back to Him. In I Corinthians 11, the "Christians" were criticized for the way they participated in the Lord's supper -- they were not genuinely worshiping God. Paul said "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep (died). . When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined. . ." (vs. 30, 32 NIV). God disciplines those he loves (Rev. 3:19).

(3) Sickness for God’s glory. John 11 says Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead for God's glory. In John 9, a man was born blind. People asked: "Who sinned that this man is born blind? Was it him or his parents?" Jesus said: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned." Rather, “this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” It was to bring glory to God.

(4) Spiritual sickness. We should pray when we are sick and hurting spiritually. "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed"  (James 5:16 NIV).

Many of our physical illnesses are the result of sin. Of course, many are not. Alcohol and drug addictions destroy our bodies. Smoking and over eating also harm our bodies. In the same way, sins of resentment, anger, and bitterness can create spiritual sickness.

Someone may have sinned against (hurt) you, but you sin when you harbor resentment and bitterness which literally destroys you spiritually and makes you spiritually sick. The cure for such spiritual illness is to ask God to forgive you for your bitterness, and then ask for forgiveness from the person toward whom you are bitter and angry. Release of such burdens to God in prayer will make you feel better, spiritually.

Love, Jerry & Dotse