Praying for the sick
In an earlier sermon I cited a particular verse of Scripture respecting praying for the sick. I do not like to be repetitious but I am going to let all of you know o0f specific instances where such prayer prevailed.
James 5:14-15 Are there any among you sick? They should call for the Elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
Although we often hear of a group of believers gathering and praying over a person who is ill at length, this is not stated as being required. What is required is that Elders (Pastor/Priest included) be present and the ill person anointed. Once that anointing takes place all should pray for the 'specific healing' required. Instead of praying at length the praying must only continue so long as it takes to voice our prayer. The Lord acts in His time, not ours, and to expect an immediate answer to our prayers is both unneeded as well as unnecessary. Just make sure you state your prayer with specificity and with the knowledge that God will answer.
Now, allow me to recite two cases and the results realized:
One man, a devout Catholic, was near death. His wife called for the man's Priest to perform Extreme Unction (Last Rites). The Priest brought an Elder and after anointing this man they prayed. The prayer was that God heal the man's body as well as his soul. The entire event took less than an hour. The man realized a miraculous recovery and lived some 25 years of additional life!
A friend of mine, now a Pastor, and wife, had a child. The baby appeared normal in every way but ceased breathing within moments of his birth and turned purple. My friend, at the time, was not a Pastor and called in his Pastor who appeared in short order. The baby was anointed and the Pastor, the mother and dad prayed for the baby to live. The baby was removed and pronounced dead. My friend went to the room where the baby lay still and within moments the baby began to stir. This happened over ten years ago and the baby is now a young boy and is as healthy as a horse!
One case took just under an hour and the other even less time. Both resulted in specific healing and an anointing took place in accordance with James 5.
Now I see this as proof positive of God fulfilling His promise.
All too often we are asked to pray for someone who has lived a full life and is now at death's door.We are asked to pray for that person to be healed. Then, when we do, and the person dies, we hear ridicule of our Christianity. Guess what? The ridicule rs are wrong...flat wrong!
'And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.' If a person dies with his sins forgiven is he or she not healed? We all know that once earthly death is experienced our time, in God's presence, has begun! In our life in Paradise all earthly illness is gone! That applies to any Christian that sustains earthly death. God forgives and we are in His presence FOREVER.
Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we would be able to join Him in heaven as people of faith, His followers. He did not die for our earthly bodies but for our souls. He died an earthly death for our sins and rose again to prove that death would indeed be overcome. ALL PRAISES TO HIM. ALL PRAISES TO THE LAMB OF GOD!
(Closing prayer)
Almighty God, our Father, be with us now and forever. Lord, we praise You and that You are One to fulfill Your every promise. There is nothing You have said that would lead us to believe otherwise or to doubt the truth of Your Word.
Lord, there are some amongst us that have illnesses that require Your healing as Yahweh Rophe, our Divine Physician. For those who are experiencing earthly illnesses,please be with us and lead us to do Your bidding. Most of all, O Lord, we ask that You heal our spirits and free us from the burdens of sin. You have sent Your Son to be a sacrifice that allows us to be with You in spirit for eternity. Allow us to accept this gift with the joy of a child realizing a gift far beyond our wildest imaginations.. We thank You for being our Father and offer You our undying love.
Lord, this nation has sons and daughters in the military that are seeking to free an oppressed people. We ask that You send Your angels to protect each and every one of them and bring them home safely. We also ask that You guide the hearts and minds of our elected officials and allow them to lead us in the spirit of truth and honesty.
We pray this O Lord in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever,
Amen, amen and amen.
Pastor Lee S Gliddon Jr
God's Word Christian Ministry
Conservative Patriot http://conpats.blogspot.com
God's Word Christian Ministry
Conservative Patriot http://conpats.blogspot.com
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