For several months I had felt a sharp pain in my neck. It was there after exercise and it was present also when I was working in front of the computer for more than an hour.
I was taking medication to relieve the pain, however the pain reached a point where medication did not work any more.
Lon and I were in church one Sunday morning. The pastor started praying for healing and inviting people in the congregation to come forward to be prayed for, for healing, by the prayer ministry team.
Lon and I had approached the prayer ministry team, at Holy Trinity Brompton on several occasions during our London residence days. The ministry team at that church would lay hands on us and pray for healing which was much needed in Lon’s body at that time. Lon had suffered excruciating pain in his hip and knees due to arthritis and, at some point, during the days we lived in London, Lon had to use a cane to walk.
This is a part of our lives about which I could write many stories involving pain and God’s love and God’s faithfulness as there were so many instances in which God brought healing upon our family.
We will go back now to my everyday issue, I am getting old and there is nothing we can do about the sharp pain in my neck. Going back to that Sunday at church here in Florida, instead of going to the front of the church, during that healing prayer time, I asked my husband, sitting next to me, to lay hands on my neck and pray to our Lord, that the pain would go away. And, by God’s grace, after two or three days, the pain went away completely and it never came back.
What would happen if husbands and wives prayed for healing in each others body more often? Lon and I try to pray daily as I know, many couples do. However, that was the first time I remember asking him to lay hands on me and pray for the pain to go away.
Do we pray enough for each other? Are we aware, in our daily lives, that we, as a Christian couple are indeed a small church?
18For where two or three gather together in my name (because they are mine), I am there among them. Matthew 18:20 NLT
How much do we trust God? Do we really believe that He cares about our hurts and pains?
So often our first course of action is not to “... take it to the Lord in prayer” as the old hymn by Joseph Scriven suggests. We find it easier and often have more faith in our Doctor(s) who is but practicing with us, rather than going back to the original manufacturer – the one who made us.
The Bible recommends that we come to Him with all our needs and He that clothes the lily in the field with more splendor than King Solomon, knows each hair on our head, and cares for the sparrows, will provide for us.
As our story shows, there are many occasions where God provides healing when we ask Him. Yet there are those times where we need to deal with loosing loved ones to illness, despite many repeated prayers. Is receiving healing from God a bit like winning the lottery? Does it depend upon having the lucky number?
There is no simple answer to this and I have added this issue to my list (a long one) of questions that I will ask Him once I get to heaven.
So should we just give up? not bother praying? loose our trust in God's goodness and care and ultimate provision for our lives? Most definitely not!
The story of Job is very revealing and once again makes us realize that God's perspective is much larger than our individual comfort. This side of eternity we have no hope of getting our minds fully around who God is – we need to recognize and accept that He is God and we're not!
Here was an apparently righteous, God fearing man that looses everything – all his possessions (considerable even by today's measure) – his family – his health, all at the apparent whim of God who is pointing out His much loved servant Job to Satan.
I don't know about you, but it concerns me that God and Satan even get together and talk, let alone that they could one day have a conversation like that about me!
In this old book of the Old Testament, the story of Job inspires me. Despite the worst that Satan can deal out to Job, despite the terrible advice and lack of comfort from his friends, Job does not loose faith. He says:
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. Job 13:15
I think we each need to come to a time where we fully surrender our lives to God and commit ourselves to a walk of faith and trust and say “even though it may cost me everything, yet I will put my hope and faith in Him”.
Are there things happening in your life that you are struggling with?
Finance, health, relationships will all at some time in our lives be areas of concern or even major stress and crisis. How do we deal with these?
Are there things we can do now to prepare ourselves for what the future may bring?
Laying a foundation as mentioned in Hebrews 6:1~2 would be a good start for making our lives ready to live for Him.
Lord we pray that you help us to build strong foundations so that having done everything, we may stand. Help us to talk with you about everything we face and grant us the hope and faith we need to trust you and seek you for all the solutions to our life issues.
(See Eph 6 about preparing and standing).