Praying for Sick People

1
Praying for Sick People

• Helping Hurting People Lesson 11

2
What is prayer?

• A reciprocal relationship with God
• Consulting with the Lord Almighty
• Listening for his instructions
• Working with God to accomplish his purposes
• Allowing God to work through us

3
The Persistent WidowLuke 18 1 8 She
understood

• The nature of prayer as rebellion against what
  should not be
• Heart disease, cancer, etc. should not be
• The practice of prayer as persistent
• We must persist until God acts
• The magnitude of prayer is in proportion to the
  power of the evil we want God to overcome

4
The Cycle of PrayerRevelation 8 1 - 5

• God is listening to hear us pray
• Our prayer is like incense ascending to the
  throne of God
• The size of the container is in proportion to the
  power of the evil we hope to overcome
• When the incense container is full and has
  ascended to God, then his purifying power comes
  down to do his will

5
Fervency in PrayerJames 5 16

• The extent and fervency of our prayer makes a
  difference
• We are not convincing God to do something
• We are making ourselves channels for his power to
  work through us

6
Prayer and Praise

• God is enthroned in the praises of his people
  Psalm 22 3
• Our praise is a sacrifice of worship to God
• Our praise pleases him Luke 17 11-19 ? the
  man who was healed of leprosy
• In all circumstances we have much for which to
  thank God Romans 8 28

7
Prayer and Sickness

• Some diseases respond quickly
• Others require much persistence
• This is especially so for long-standing or
  complicated illnesses
• For some there is no response at all

8
Prayer is Work

• It requires time, effort, and energy
• It can be exhausting
• We must pray with our mind, soul, and spirit

9
Pray with the Mind

• We are talking with God, consulting with him
• We need to use our knowledge of the problem, of
  his Word, and of what is needed
• We are not informing God, but working with him

10
We should be Specific

• Pray about the disease and the affected organs
• We can even pray for specific cells white blood
  cells, liver cells, etc.
• Pray about specific symptoms, asking God for
  relief from one or more of them
• Pray for caregivers and treatments
• Pray for family and the personal life of the sick
  person

11
Pray with the Soul

• With feelings and emotions
• We can express worries, concerns, fear, even
  anger to God
• Moses got angry with God and God listened
• David expressed a wide range of emotions to God
  in the Psalms
• So should we

12
Pray with the Spirit

• We are in the presence of the Lord of the
  universe
• We need to come with awe and respect
• We are there to do business with him
• We are offering ourselves as a channel for his
  mighty power

13
Praying in the Will of God

• God wills our health John 1010 Jeremiah 29
  11-13 Gods plan is good
• Do not pray If it be Thy will
• Pray according to your will
• Heart healing is always possible
• Physical healing may not be possible
• But God works for our good in all circumstances
  pleasant and unpleasant

14
Why prayers are sometimes unanswered

• God is sovereign we are not
• Gods plan is good, but we may not know it Job
• We may have put obstacles in Gods way
• Sin Isaiah 59 1,2
• Unforgiveness Mark 11 25
• Personal problems that need to be resolved
• Lack of faith Mark 6 1 - 6

15
A wrong diagnosis

• God works through medicine
• It is his gift to us
• He usually does not override our mistakes
• We must practice the best medicine possible
• Have we made the right diagnosis?
• Are we giving the right treatment?
• Ask God for wisdom in this

16
Bringing problems to God

• Ask the person to focus on a real concern the
  disease or one or more symptoms
• Tell him to present this concern to the Lord in
  prayer, place it in his hands, and wait
• Have him imagine Jesus dealing with it
• Tell him to listen for a word from Jesus
• Finally, pray audibly for these concerns

17
Prayer speaks to three persons

• To God we are praying to him
• To our own heart we need to listen to what we
  are saying
• To the sick person
• Often a word we say in prayer is a powerful word
  of healing to the one we are praying for

18
Praying for an unconscious person

• Hearing is the last sense to disappear
• NEVER speak negatively in the presence of an
  unconscious person
• Speak to the person by name
• Speak a word of encouragement
• Share a portion of Scripture
• In prayer, bring the person into the presence of
  God

19
Permission for praying

• ALWAYS ask for permission to pray
• Never say I am going to pray for you but
  rather, Would you like me to pray?
• Most sick persons do, but a few dont
• When they do, ask if there are other concerns to
  pray about. This may uncover other problems
  needing to be dealt with

20
Philippians 4 6, 7

• Dont worry about anything, but in your prayers,
  ask God for what you need, always asking him with
  a thankful heart. And the peace of God, which is
  far beyond human understanding, will keep your
  hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.
  (Good News Bible)