Exodus 15:22-26 [NLTse]
22 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).
24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25 So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.
It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to Him. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord Who heals you.”
We’re going to be praying for each other’s healing this morning. Two or three elders (and some others) will be spread around the Sanctuary, and as songs praying for healing are played you are invited to come forward, bringing your hurts, temptations, and brokenness to Jesus present in these groups so that He might heal you.
In the Scriptures, when we read of people coming to Jesus for healing, the Lord often asked them what they wanted Him to do for them. So tell these elders and others what you hope the Lord would do for you, and you can expect them to anoint you with oil, lay hands on you (perhaps on your heads or your shoulders), and pray for you as the Holy Spirit leads them.
We recognize there are several ways the Lord heals us when we come to Him seeking healing: He “miraculously” heals us, bringing about changes in us – restoring relationships, reforming limbs, driving away evil spirits, knitting together broken parts, and replacing missing parts; but sometimes our prayers result in less immediate healing, leading us to proper treatments or specialists, or helping treatments work that haven’t or giving specialists new direction where they’ve been clueless before; sometimes our prayers for healing will grant us insights or special knowledge, often granted when it’s our own actions or behaviors that are causing our troubles and trials, for instance, where diet, harmful habits, and the need for forgiveness are involved; and, of course, the Lord Jesus heals us thoroughly and absolutely in the resurrection to come, and the prayers we offer here and now merely help produce in us the grace we need to persevere day by day.
Our reading this morning reminds us that being in a reconciled, obedient relationship with our Father is at the heart of being in full-communion with His help and healing. So as we come seeking prayer let us refresh our commitments to love Him with our all our thoughts and motives, all our words and actions, all our possessions and influence, and to love those with whom we come into contact each day to the same degree we love ourselves. Let’s recommit to obey His Word and to let the Holy Spirit guide our actions and activities each day.
I’d like to invite the elders to come forward and take the lead in praying for us… As the elders come, I’d also like to invite forward:
Mary Beth Bell;
Barbara Boehm;
Lucille Fenner;
Joan Franklin;
Bill Herdman;
Laraine Kensicki;
Pat Melzer;
Ethan Moore;
Alex Pratz;
Jenn Smetana; and,
Noah Willis…
[To the healing pray-ers]: The healing people seek primarily falls into the areas of physical, mental, emotional, and relational healing. Evil and unclean demonic powers can be at the heart of, or merely complicate, any of these areas of our lives. So when people tell you what they’re seeking prayer for, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you – or them – to the heart of the matter for your prayers. Trust that still, small voice speaking to you: Giving you ideas and directing your words. But be humble, as well. Our own experiences and hurts can get us thinking, “They’re just like me,” when, in fact, each soul is a unique expression of God’s image, and their troubles and trials, no matter how similar to yours, may have affected them altogether differently. Love each one who comes to you; let our Father love each one through you…
[To the congregation]: Come, seek healing prayer. He is the Lord our healer.