Pray Network Forum

HEALING PRAYER

“If anyone among you is sick let him call for the elders of the church to pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”

James 5:14,15

Few things that we do in the church are more Christlike than praying for God to heal the sick. For a number of reasons there has been much controversy over this in the church in the last 50 or so years. As much as possible I would like to avoid controversy that may arise.

Possibly because of the controversies I have seen very little written about this. I think it might be most helpful to draw some principles from the healing done by the church in Scripture. Let's look at the final healing recorded in the book of Acts. Paul was being taken as a prisoner to Rome. The ship was caught up in terrible storm. They were tossed across the sea for days and days. Then Paul stood up and assured them all that God had told him they would be saved. But they would have to land on a certain island. The ship indeed crashed on the shore of Malta completely destroying the ship. But all those on the ship, 276 souls, were saved. The rain continued to pound on them but the islanders received them and gave them shelter. And they learned that the father of the Roman official on the island was sick. So we read in Acts 28:8,

“His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.”

Let me suggest two principles that might guide our activity in praying for the sick. The first is

Compassion. Compassion ought to be a driving force in the church. Again and again the gospels tell us that Jesus looked on people crowding around Him with compassion. And Paul said, “The love of Christ compels us.”(2 Cor. 5:14) If Jesus humbled Himself and came to earth to die for us, how can we hold ourselves above or apart from the needs of others. If we care enough we will pray for people even when it embarrasses us or them. The compassion of agape will drive us to pray publicly for them even if we have little confidence in our prayers.

Compassion gives birth to faith, and faith acts in love. Galatians 5:6 speaks of faith that expresses itself through love. The faith required here is not simply faith in miracles. It is faith in God. It is faith that God loves the hurting person more that we love her. It means believing in God even if we do not see the miracle we long for. It means trusting Him to help us suffer with those who are ill and infirm. God calls us to trust Him enough to pray especially in dire circumstances and painful conditions. He calls us to trust Him in this world that has not yet been healed of all tears.

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When we get that for which we pray, we say God answered our prayer.  When we fail to get that for which we pray, we say, God didn’t answer our prayer.  Is it possible that God answered your prayer by saying, “no?”  When some would-be followers of Jesus requested to first bury their father, the answer was, “no” (Luke 9:57-62).  When a mother requested of Jesus to let her sons sit in places of prominence in the kingdom, the answer was “no” (Matthew 20:20-23).  When Jesus asked the Father to postpone the cross, the answer was “no” (Matthew 26:39). When Paul asked to have his “thorn in the flesh” removed, the answer was “no” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). Sometimes God’s answer to our prayer request is negative, because we “ask amiss” (James 4:3).  In other words, we do not see the big picture as God does.  God’s answers always reflect the good of the kingdom, over the good of the individual who is praying.  In his book, “Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God,” Pastor Timothy Keller writes, “God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.” So what do you do when God says “No?”  Give thanks.  God heard your prayer and responded.  Pray to any other god and you get zero answer.  Allow God to teach you through the “no” answer.  Pray again. God loves persistence (Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-5).

Have you ever noticed that before a mission trip or some great event or in fact before a great work of God in your life, you have intensified spiritual attack?

I believe there is a reason God not only allows but arranges attack in your life. There are a number of benefits that come to us through spiritual attack. Toughening strengthening of faith, the necessary humility, the development of character, and compassionate empathy are wrought in us through trials and yes, spiritual warfare.

I believe the primary or all encompassing reason God allows those things is the preparation of Prayer. We need prayer for that mission trip, for that great gift of God, for the work God wants to do around us. And spiritual warfare drives us to pray. We pray far more consistently because we are under spiritual attack. We pray more fervently because we are in spiritual attack. We pray listening prayers under spiritual attack. We pray more faithfully because we're in spiritual attack.

Of course when you are in spiritual attack the goal is to be obedient. But in addition to any general obedience you need the specific obedience of prayer.

And God is allowing spiritual attack because you simply need more time in his presence. You need the imprint of His reality and majesty, His power and nearness. When you are facing spiritual attack you have to pray as you have never prayed. And you can pray with anticipation because of what God is preparing to bring about in your life. And that kind of praying is necessary for us to walk in the work of God.

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The title of the book, On Stories, is taken from the first essay. In it Lewis said he was surprised at how little attention critics paid to story. They were much more interested in the development of characters, the writing style, or the message of a book or play. He went on to talk about the distinct pleasure of story. Lewis notes that there are some people who just enjoy the excitement, the tension, the danger of a story. To them one story is as good as another. But he asserts that there is a pleasure in the appeal of the imagination in the story itself.

He didn’t believe that was the case with motion pictures. Especially with modern effects movies bring us to the most beautiful scenes you can imagine. But does anyone go to a movie because of the beautiful scenery? Although some of you may disagree, the story is also secondary in many movies.

Lewis talked about Rider Haggard’s book, King Solomon’s Mines. In the book the treasure seekers find themselves trapped in a pitch black, cold and airless cave. A unique horror is projected to the imagination of dying in such a place.

But when they made that into a movie they had to “cut to the action,” in any scenes that required imagination. Of course they had to add a girl in shorts to the original team. And instead of the threat of cold, dark and silent death, the director had to throw in a volcano. Lewis admits that the director may have been faithful to the canons of his art, even if he is ruining a classic for those of us who read the book first.

However much you love movies, when you sit down to write you are armed with the powerful medium of story. Lewis talks about the unique ways a story appeals to the imagination. When you're character is being chased by ship anyone in that ship could conceivably be just as dangerous as a pirate, but there's something that appeals to your readers when the Jolly Roger is hoisted into the wind.

In the introduction to the book, Hooper says both Lewis and Tolkien had for years feasted on Ancient myths particularly those of Norse origin. The difference between them was that while Lewis defined myths as lies breathed through silver, Tolkien believed in the inherent truth of Mythology. He said to Lewis one evening in Oxford, “Just as speech is invention about objects and ideas, so myth is invention about truth. We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will reflect reflect splintered fragments of the True Light, the Eternal truth that is with God.” This was earth shaking to Lewis, and he held to it his entire life. All stories point to the one great story of redemption and grace.

I became aware of this not so much in catching the reality that there really was only one story, but by the power with which a story strikes the heart, especially where the gospel is being introduced to a culture by Bible stories.

As we write, even non fiction, we can weave stories that come from the story of stories and touch to depths of readers’ hearts.

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We so often see with earthly eyes and not spiritual, and need reminding that the recent Middle East turmoil surrounding Qatar is both geo-political and in the heavens. 

Due to the wealth of the nation, daily lives of residents and locals seem unchanged. The supermarket shelves have been refilled after an initial panic, water and electricity continue, and the minor inconveniences include finding flights that don't go through certain airports.  Locals are hanging Qatari flags on their homes; massive flags are everywhere.  Bumper stickers and t-shirts with the ruler's image and praise appeared overnight. Public rhetoric says, "We're so rich and nice we can outlast your siege and bickering".  The stickers say, with a handsome image, "God, our nation, our leader" and "You have the world, we have our leader".

However, in private, the ripples of uncertainty have begun to fan out.  Companies are finding that components are stuck at the border or in nearby ports, delaying or deferring activity.  In some sectors, there's talk of downsizing the workforce. Milk from Saudi Arabia has been replaced by Turkish. Vegetables have come in from Iran, subtly agitating the sea of political and religious alliances.  Egyptians who form the middle management are reluctant to leave for summer holidays in fear they won't be able to return.  Others are looking for jobs in "more stable" countries, talking of trying to emigrate, and even trying to claim asylum from here.  There is even mention, with tones of unlikeliness, of what happens if someone inadvertently throws the first stone.

Believers have not seen a new openness to talking about eternal realities with local friends. However, the increased conversation gives opportunity for the bold to state convictions that God rules in the heavens and on earth.  And there is always an open door to ask questions regarding the political situation - What's really behind this?  What do you think?  Where is your hope and trust?  From there, it is only a step to sharing where our own faith is grounded. Pray for the believers to have boldness and opportunity to bring in the harvest. 

For several years, M has continued a friendship with his former professor.  Recently at M's house, they talked about how Old Testament themes reappear in the New Testament, such as salvation through Moses and Joshua, being fulfilled in a spiritual sense through Jesus, etc. Pray that M will seek to verify the truth that is found in Jesus.

PTAP on the PrayerMate App

PTAP is now on the PrayerMate app which you can download for free on iOS or Android.  Check it out under the "World Mission" category.  Just another way to help us pray for the AP and many other regions of the world!   See here for more info:  http://praynow4.org/arabianpeninsula

Nothing is more important for praying together than a listening heart. Do you remember the story of Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 3? The Lord told Solomon He would give him whatever he asked. In 1 Kings 3:9 Solomon asked God for a “discerning heart.” The Hebrew word translated “discerning” is “shema.” Some of you have heard of the Jewish prayer called “The Shema.” Shema is the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4. “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Shema means to listen or to hear. I do not object to translators rendering this word, discerning, here. But literally Solomon was praying for a listening heart. Listening is the foundation of spiritual discernment.

Listening is crucial for praying together. If you come into prayer full of what you want to say, you will miss what God is saying to you. C.S. Lewis gave us a poem in Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer.

They tell me, Lord, that when I seem

To be in speech with you,

Since but one voice is heard, it’s all a dream,

One talker aping two.

Sometimes it is, yet not as they

Conceive it. Rather, I

Seek in myself the things I hoped to say,

But lo!, my wells are dry.

Then, seeing me empty, you forsake

The listener’s role and through

My dumb lips breathe and into utterance wake

The thoughts I never knew.

And thus you neither need reply

Nor can; thus, while we seem

Two talkers, thou art One forever, and I

No dreamer, but thy dream.

When we pray, especially when we are trying to pray together, we need to be able to listen for what God wants to breath through our lips and into the group prayer. And of course, God will speak to you as others in the group pray. As you learn to listen to others you will hear what God is showing others in the group, and what He is saying to them. Soon you realise that God Himself is speaking to you through the prayers of the others.

Such listening hearts are indeed a work of God in our midst. And it is a thrilling evidence of His holy presence in our prayers.

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One of the fun parts of this ministry is that I get to meet all kinds of amazing people who love the Lord! One of my favorite people is Teresa DeMatos, who co-pastors the church I attend with her husband, Lee DeMatos. Together, they have experienced some powerful encounters with Jesus and - even more exciting - some very personal answers to prayer. ​

Click Here to read the interview

Have you ever been in a dynamic prayer meeting, a heart stirring, life changing, earth shaking prayer meeting? I know of a number of such prayer meetings in history, some even in my own lifetime. And there are several prayer meetings in the book of Acts that I would have given anything to be part of. Fortunately the Holy Spirit inspired them and Luke communicated them to us in such a way that you can almost step into them simply by reading the book of Acts.

We see one of those prayer meetings in the 4th chapter. Peter and John have been released from arrest by the Sanhedrin where they were beaten and warned not to speak again in the name of Jesus. When they finished reporting, the prayer meeting erupted. We read beginning from Acts 4:24.

“When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:’

“‘Why do the nations rage

   and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up

   and the rulers band together

against the Lord

   and against his anointed one.’

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God Boldly.”

The Bible says they raised their voices together and prayed this long prayer. Now tell me, how do you think they did that? Did they all have it memorized so they could quote it like The Lord's Prayer? I think this is what happened. John said ‘Sovereign Lord!’ With that Peter said, 'You made the heavens!’ James said, ‘And the Sea!’ Bartholomew added, ‘and everything in them!’ As a 10 year old girl Mary the wife of Clopas had memorized some of the Psalms to sing as she did her chores. As they prayed David’s words filled her heart and she began to pray them. And one at a time the believers prayed off one another’s prayers.

We could pray the same way. Notice 3 crucial things we can see in this prayer and as we pray together ourselves.

First, we see the Fellowship of praying together. They were binding their hearts together in prayer. The person who is nervous can listen to someone else and something will come to her mind or his mind. In fact, someone who has never prayed can be taught to pray by being part of this body of Prayer. To do that everybody has to be paying attention to one another. Have you ever been in a prayer meeting and while others were praying you were thinking about what you were going to say? I have. And I'm ashamed of it. God will stir your heart with the prayers of others.  When you pray together you can come into a deep bond of love and fellowship.

And we can see the Faith of praying together. Not only do you trust God in praying together but you have to have faith in God who is working in other people. They encouraged one another's faith as they prayed off each other and really prayed one prayer together. If you think you're the only one that has a word from God or knows how to pray to God you'll miss out on this kind of praying. When you're praying together you can trust Holy Spirit working in the whole group.

Finally this passage shows dramatically the Effect of praying together. When they got through praying the place where they prayed was shaken and they all began to speak the word of God with boldness. There is something very symbolic about this. That doesn’t mean it didn't happen. In fact this is how God revealed himself all through history. There was something symbolic about God coming down in the fire to Moses at the bush. But it was much more powerful symbolism because it really happened. When the Jordan River dammed itself so Joshua could lead the children of Israel across it was symbolic, but it was powerful symbolism because it really happened. They piled Stones up to remind future generations of what God did. When God shook that place and even the shyest person spoke the word of God boldly, they knew God was at work. And the symbolism of that prayer meeting continues to this day as God works mightily when His people pray together.

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http://daveswatch.com/