January 20, 2012 The
lesson given by Beth Moore concerning Sickness, Faith, and Prayer
I believe perhaps the reason I have so much trouble sharing
something I have learned in Bible study is because there is so much information
overload and I cannot prioritize it in my head and speak it out my mouth even
though it has been stored in my heart.
It seems to come out in unfinished thoughts or mixed up sentences.
Another reason would be that I want to share it at a time
when others are going through some critical times in their lives that I only
watch as if through the lens of a camera.
I am not in the situation but only taking photos of the situation which
later will once again come into my presence and remind me of that particular
time and how I addressed the situation myself and what I may have learned from
that experience. I ask myself will this
prepare me to face my trials?
Our lesson began in prayer this morning. I had prayed already for those on the prayer
list that I had compiled, however this was about how we pray personally all the
time. I am the weak link in prayer. I pray inconsistently while my goal is to
pray continuously. There are too many
times when I wake up in the middle of the night and remember or at least think
I went to sleep and did not pray. It
astonishes me to realize when my loved ones have something come into their
lives that is a real trial that I had put them somewhere deep in the recesses
of my mind and had not prayed for them as I should. Guilt is the devils tool, correction and the resolve
to ask forgiveness and walk a new path is the work of the Holy Spirit. So conviction came and forgiveness was asked
and now I resolve to do better in my prayer life.
“Could you use the reminder right about now that prayer is
never a waste of time? If so,why?” My quick answer was I cannot conceive of
talking to my Father as a waste of time.
I am the waste, but my time is His to give or take. As the words have grown cold on the page and
the lesson finished and I go back and reread it in order to write down my
thoughts, it seems almost self righteous.
It was not my thought to be self righteous but it appears that way. If I believe talking to my Father is not a
waste of time then why am I not spending more time talking to Him? If we watch ourselves closely we will see
that evil pride jump up in the tiniest of places. Lord,
please forgive me if I was prideful? It
was totally unintentional on my part. I
am so glad that you are the judge of the heart and know it and that your Holy
Spirit is there to correct and reprove if my heart is listening closely I will
hear it.
The next quote made me think that perhaps it would be an encouragement
to those of my friends that I am in prayer for daily and for those that are
care givers for their loved ones that might happen to read my thoughts.
“Sometimes God answers
prayer by alleviating the suffering.
Other times He eases the suffering. Still other times He shows His sufficiency in
the suffering. Still other times He shows his sufficiency in the suffering, but
makes no mistake. He never abandons us
in our suffering. Prayer can prime the
well of our souls to a bath of His beautiful presence. It is often the most determining factor in
whether, in our anguish, we sink or swim.
Let’s open our hearts wide to the next call of prayer.”
This is what calls me back over and over to Bible Study with
Beth Moore as well as other studies. God
plants so much in their hearts and they can share it and it will amaze me and
then my Father will amaze me more with what their insights bring out in my
spirit. At that point I am so filled
with His Spirit that I in turn will rush to the computer and fling it out there
for some other soul to read in hope that it will be just the word they needed
that day from the Lord, just as it was for me.
How can we serve such a marvelous, magnificent, Savior and not praise
His name? Especially, when He does it
over and over again each morning when we are in His Word. And how can we not press on and watch
hopefully for the next study put out there that He will use as a tool to show
us this great victory? I thank you Lord
right now for those you have used in my life to teach me your Word, like Beth
Moore has done.
She touches on James 5:15 concerning when we pray in faith
God will not only heal our bodies but if sin caused it will forgive that
sin. Now here is a thought that amazes
me about myself. I am so guilty of being
critical, negative and sometimes (I hate this) judgmental that I wonder at
myself. For those that I am praying diligently for
right now the thought of sin causing their illness has not entered my mind. So In this writing please never even think of
me throwing out that thought. God’s Word
and His Holy Spirit might cause the thought to enter your mind and heart, but
it did not come from my inquiry at all.
As matter of fact what crossed my mind was James was known as Camel
knees reported in her lesson. I
immediately thought that would never be claimed of me because it is so painful
when I try to get on my knees that I could not concentrate to pray. Following that thought came to me, Lord had I gotten on my knees and prayed for
healing and believed you then would you have forgiven my sin and healed my
knees that I could be in prayer on my knees with you? Was sin the reason for pain in my knees? As I sit here in minor pain from arthritis all
over my joints especially my back and legs, I ask myself is their sin causing
this? I have been asking God to convict
me of sin that I do not recognize in my life that I might ask forgiveness and
be a pleasure to Him, rather than a shame, therefore I think I will see if this
one fits that bill.
The next thought she brought out was why does God not heal
today as He did in the days of the early church? He does.
And if he does then what verse would give us insight to that fact going
back to that era. 2 Timothy 4:20 states
Erastus abode at Corinth but Trophimus have I left sick at Miletum. A fun thought right here. Have you ever thought if we think their names
were so out of this world what they would have thought about ours?
Back to the thought of all sickness being healed, came the
thoughts to me that there would always be sick and poor among us. And James definitely gave the warning that we
were to not neglect the poor. We have
been instructed as a church to take care of the widows, orphans and tend to the
sick and not neglect the poor. And pray
for the sick in faith. If we are looking
for things to do it would appear that we have a lifetime of service right
there.
So many times we ask why aren’t the prayers for the sick
answered in results of healing rather than dying. Were our prayers unanswered? And what a verse she gave to set your feet on
solid ground and make you really think. Hebrews 5:7-8 Who in the days of his flesh,
when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears
unto him that was able to save heard in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered.
As I read this I added verse 8.
Beth had only use verse 7.
If Jesus the Son of God prayed for deliverance from the
suffering he had to go through where in the world do we even have the right to
ask, Why me? Why them, they have been so
faithful, they have done so much good, why Lord?
Last thought was about they called the elders to pray over and
anoint with oil the sick person. Elders
translated old ones. Why did they call
the old ones? My thoughts were I am old
and I pray and I remember that it was appointed unto man once to die…. I ask
myself why should I not suffer pain?
Were we promised life on earth without pain, suffering, loss, sickness,
and death? No these things are our
rewards when we get to heaven to never have these things again.
The reason I believe us old ones can more easily take these
truths in stride are because we have looked down into the casket and saw our
child lay there, we have watched our friends slowly pass away as they suffered
and left behind that sweet testimony for Christ that either way they won. We have experienced real life and real sorrow
and pain and we have watched as our Lord was faithful and true and carried us
through it all. I believe that is the
reason the prayers of a righteous man availed much, not because he was old but
because he had matured in faith through whatever means God brought into his
life.
I will never forget in the study of Daniel the thoughts that
He would carry us through the fire, help us endure the fire or deliver us from
the fire. Now I can never remember the
exact quote but buddy roe I remember the facts of the quote. My Father will be with me in, through or
deliver me from and he will do the same for every born again Christian that
lives on this earth and I believe that is a promise.
Romans 8:28, completes my thoughts in that all things work
together for good. God loves you, and He
loves me and in him all things are complete.
I am not sick unto death, but there are so many of those I love that are
traveling that road, that either my God will deliver them through their trial
or from it or will take them home to be with him forever. No matter what that result may be, we can
rest assured that it will be alright and that we will win either way.
As a human I don’t ever want to let go and for me it is
about the most difficult thing in life. There was a little plaque sitting on
Robin’s piano that stated, “Lord teach me to hold things loosely, because it
hurts so bad when you have to pry my fingers off.” We had gone back to her home after she died
and there were the words my Father gave to me that day and even today it is as
vivid to me as it was that day. And she
was my baby. There was no time to pray,
she was taken suddenly. And today I say
to you Jesus is the Victor and I praise His Holy name through it all.
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