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Bible Readings
Mark
6:12,13 “And they went out, and preached that men should
repent.
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that
were sick, and healed them.
James
5:14-16 “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:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven
him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much.”
God is a Refuge in Sickness or in Health
Extracts from 'Ministry of
Healing', Chapter 'The Care of the Sick.' p. 225-233. The Scripture
says that "men ought always to pray and not to faint;" and if ever
there is a time when they feel their need of prayer, it is when
strength fails, and life itself seems slipping from their grasp.
Often those who are in
health forget the wonderful mercies continued to them day by day,
year after year, and they render no tribute of praise to God for His
benefits.
God is a Compassionate
Physician
When sickness comes, God is
remembered. When human strength fails, men feel their need of divine
help. And never does our merciful God turn from the soul that in
sincerity seeks Him for help. He is our refuge in sickness as in
health.
God is just as willing to
restore the sick to health now as when the Holy Spirit spoke these
words to the psalmist, "Then they cry unto the LORD in their
trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their
destructions.” (Psalms
107:19,20)
And Christ is the same
compassionate physician now that He was during His earthly ministry. In Him there is healing balm
for every disease, restoring power for every infirmity. His disciples in this time
are to pray for the sick as verily as the disciples of old prayed. And recoveries will follow;
for “the prayer of faith shall save the sick." (James
5:15)
We have the Holy Spirit’s
power, the calm assurance of faith that can claim God's promises.
The Lord's promise, "They
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover," (Mark 16:18)
is just as trustworthy now as in the days of the apostles.
Conditions of Answered
Prayer
But only as we live in
obedience to His word can we claim the fulfillment of His promises. The psalmist says, "If I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." (Psalms
66:18)
If we render to Him only a
partial, half-hearted obedience, His promises will not be fulfilled
to us.
Confession of Sin
To those who desire prayer
for their restoration to health, it should be made plain that the
violation of God's law, either natural or spiritual, is sin, and
that in order for them to receive His blessing sin must be confessed
and forsaken.
Submission to God's
Will
There are cases where God
works decidedly by His divine power in the restoration of health.
But not all the sick are healed.
Many are laid away to sleep
in Jesus. John on the Isle of Patmos was bidden to write: "…Blessed
are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do
follow them." (Revelation 14:13)
From this we see that if
persons are not raised to health, they should not, on this account, be judged as
wanting in faith.
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