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A Prayer About Longing for Healings

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:1-2

     Most merciful and mighty Jesus, I begin this day with two strong images and one deep longing. The first image… oh my, how thankful I am that I get to see what John saw—a vision of the Day and City in which perfect health will permeate all things. You have taken up all our infirmities and by your wounds we are being healed. Because of the tree of Calvary, the tree of life will stand tall in the New Jerusalem… bearing the fruit of your consummate glory and the leaves of our complete healing. Oh to live, play and praise in the shade of that tree, in which every expression of disease, disintegration and distress will be gone forever

     The second image which preoccupies my heart this morning is that of my precious grandson—weary, worn out, and weepy from, what seems to be, never-ending ear infections. I know his struggle is not that on the scale of the whole nation of Haiti… or the horrors in the Sudan… or the struggles of AIDS wracked-countries, but he is my grandson. And as much as I love him, I know your love trumps mine a thousand-fold. I bring him before your throne of grace right now

     Even as I pray for marriages of friends to be healed… the minds of those suffering with mental illness to be healed… the fabric of our racially torn community to be healed… the emotions of the demonized to be healed… friends with stories of abuse, cancer and heart disease to be healed… indeed, for the nations to be healed

     Jesus, I don’t understand, and I don’t have to understand the already-and-not-yet of your healing ministry between your two comings. Why, how and when you choose to bring a foretaste of perfect health in the present-state of our brokenness, is up to you.  You are the King who does all things well. You don’t need our permission to do anything.

     But holding my little grandson before you re-intensifies my commitment to avoid two extremes: Keep me free from faith-formulas that treat healing like an on-demand right, and keep me free from a theology that has no expectation of your kingdom breaking in with power and healing.  

     More so than ever, I intensely and deeply long for the Day perfect health. Until that Day, help me and our church family, anticipate and extend various dimensions of your healing ministry, to one another, our community and the nations. So very Amen, I pray, in your holy and healing name.

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