Faith persists...

How many times have you been asked to pray for some one's healing? How many times by the same person for the same thing?

If you attend church regularly or are a member of a church body, you've most likely been asked to pray for the same person multiple times, and many times for the same healing.

I've spent time pondering this and in discussion with the Lord on this area this past week. I know that I'm a bit close to the subject, so I want to fully disclose up-front that I may be skewing what I've heard from the Lord. I don't think this is the case, but I'm human, so I'm aware of the possibility.

Here's the situation that made me start thinking this week. I have fibromyalgia, acid reflux, degenerative arthritis, chronic sinusitis, as well as multiple food and drug allergies. I'm not whining, I'm just stating. None of these things are life-threatening (well except the allergies ha) and if I take my medicine, I can mange. And some days I feel lots better than other days. But I want to be healed of these things, I desperately do. So every time I'm with a body of believers and I feel that gentle tug of the Holy Spirit telling me to ask for prayers for healing, I do. I believe the Bible to be the written Word of God. So when I read James 4:2 "You do not have because you do not ask God." or Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." I have to believe that God truly meant I need to ask Him for what I have need of, that I need to boldly come before His throne asking for Him to meet my needs. And I know that He also says that in James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective". So if this is true, I need as many righteous people praying. There are many other Scripture that support sharing our prayer needs with one another, lifting one another up in prayer and bearing with one another.

So, why is it that when someone in the Body of Christ asks for prayer (albeit a repeated one), we may roll our eyes, or even ask "Are you STILL having trouble with that?" or "Wow! what ISN'T wrong with you?" I know that these things happen within the Body because I've had each of these done to me within the past 2 weeks. I'm not pointing fingers or placing blame, just something that God pointed out to make me aware. I've been guilty of doing the same thing myself. Being asked to pray for the same person, for the same thing for the umpteenth time and thinking to myself "ugh, why do they just keep asking?" I think we all do that because it's human nature. Plus, when we're healthy, it's easy to not understand the person's issue. Or when we're dealing with pain of our own, it's easy for the thought to pop into our heads "you're not so special, this is a fallen world and we all have pains that we have to live through. I'm pushing through mine silently, so why don't you quit complaining?" We may not say that out loud, but even though I'm not a betting person, I'd wager that thought has entered into many people's mind...even if but for a moment.

I don't know why I hurt and don't feel good. I don't know why my family has a long line of various illnesses and disease. I have prayed regarding generational things and, thus far, the Lord hasn't shown me anything in that area. I do know, though, that I come from a strong lineage of people who didn't just claim to be Christians, but walked it out in their everyday life, in the mundane moments. And I know that many of them heard the same words I've heard and saw the same eye-rolls I've seen when they asked God for their healings. Some of them received their healings on Earth, others in that glorious moment they entered into God's Presence.

I guess the biggest reason this weighed so heavily upon my heart is because of what I heard the Lord say. I heard Him say that this is part of the reason we are not seeing the healings that He spoke of. Remember, He said that we'd do "even greater works than these" and He was raising up bodies from the dead! Did you ever notice, though, that healings took place when the people went to Jesus, or had people go on their behalf, believing Jesus could heal them? If we want to compare ourselves to others and deem them as big babies, we may be keeping them from receiving a healing, and ourselves from the tremendous reward of blessing of our faith. If we don't pray because we're just tired of praying for that person's healing of the same thing, well, that doesn't say much for our perseverance, does it?

I don't want the reason that we aren't seeing healing take place to be that we are insensitive to people that ask for our prayers. Yes, my feelings were hurt this week. I'll get over it. God will give me the strength to forgive the person, whether they even realized their actions or words were hurtful. I will get over it. But I know that I've been blessed by those generations who have gone before me, loving the Lord in good times and in bad. I know that God answered their prayers and strengthened them. I know that He blessed their persistence to keep coming before His Throne. I've served my Lord for more than 2/3 of my life and He's proven Himself over and over to me. So I know that He will be faithful...it's written all over my past with Him.

But what about the new believer? Or the non-believer? It takes a certain element of humility to ask God for a healing for ourselves. So often we allow ourselves to be disqualified because we know of someone much worse off than we are. But I think it takes a different level of humility to ask other people to pray for a healing. Not only are we acknowledging our dependency on the Lord, but we're also acknowledging our co-dependency upon His body - the one that He engineered. He specifically puts other believers into our lives so that we have a brother or sister to encourage us along the way.

This week, I pray, that the Lord helps us by making us aware of our reactions to people when being asked to pray for healing. That we would not be found comparing ourselves to them...rather than silently pushing through our own pain, why don't we also ask, in turn, for prayers for our own healing? That we may be found lifting one another before the Throne of God, asking for healings because we don't want to be guilty of "having not because we ask not". That even though we may not see immediate healing, we keep pressing in, we keep pushing into His Presence.

In this world, there will be pain and strife. God's already promised us that. And some of us may never receive a healing on this Earth. And we have to come to terms with that...work that out with the Lord...that He's God, He's Sovereign, He chooses who gets healed and who doesn't. But that's His job, not ours. I'm reminded of what He's told me many times before "I didn't tell you to go around healing people, I simply asked you to pray that I heal them, healing is My job."

So as for me and my house, we will continue to contend for healings!

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

I'm a news junkie. It's true. I feel like I'm in a support group. Hello. My name is Meredith and I am a news junkie. At least one television in my house may be found on a news station roughly 20 hours per day. If I am not at home, you will find me checking news sources via internet either on my laptop or my android. I like to be kept informed. It's a part of who I am. I don't like to be left in the dark...I want to know what's going on.

I also like to keep updated on the news so that I know how to be praying. Holy Spirit does guide us in our prayers, I'm not discounting His role in praying at all. I guess, though, for the times I'm not hearing Him clearly, I like to see the specifics.

In case you're not a news junkie like me...let me tell you of a few things going on.

• America's economy is collapsing. Yeah, we've had a little improvement recently...I think I heard unemployment claims were dropping. I have my own theory on this though...I think some people have hit the time limit on unemployment benefits.
• Egypt is in some massive turmoil. Right now as I type, they're waiting for Pres Mubarak to make a statement that he's going to be stepping down as president. This causes a lot of concern because an election should take place in 60 days and, from what I hear, the only group that's organized enough to win an election is The Muslim Brotherhood. If you're unfamiliar with the Muslim Brotherhood - as many are - here's their creed: "Allah is our objective, the prophet is our leader, the Koran is our law, Jihad is our way, dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope." Yeah...that's the wonderful peace-loving way of Islam...but I digress.
• Australia has a lot of land under water, as they've been hit with storms and a cyclone. Brazil has been hit with floods. Places within America have faced weather than is uncommon for their regions. These are just a few in the list of natural disasters that have been taking place in, what seems to me, a much more frequent rate than in the past.

These are just a few things that I'm seeing. Right now, the biggest thing being aired on the news is Mubarak's stepping down in Egypt. As I watch the news, especially over the past year and past few months, I keep hearing the verses from Hebrews 12 resonate in my spirit.
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[e] 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
I keep hearing "shakings". God has promised that He will shake the Earth once again. He will shake away everything that is not built on Him. He loves us too much to let us continue building upon faulty foundations. It is out of His great love and mercy that He shakes away/destroys all that "can be shaken". Anything that is not based in Him and on His Word can and WILL be shaken. He's promised already us that much.
I see so many Americans worried about the economy. Don't get me wrong...I have my moments too. What if the economy totally collapses? What if I can't buy food to feed my family? How do I continue to live comfortably when I know the homeless rate is growing at alarmingly high rates? Am I prepared to live through, what may very well become, the greatest depression my nation faces? I have only one answer to my questions. I hear Holy Spirit reminding me of Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” I know that regardless, I will be OK. The Lord will be with me, and He assures it will be OK. Even if things were get to our 'worst case scenario' and conditions become so bad that I lose my physical life, I'm more than OK because I'm with Him in that moment!
What concerns me the most is that I fear many Americans (and other nations...I watched the riots in Europe, but this is where I live) put their faith in America's economy even moreso than the Lord. I believe that's why He's been shaking the economies of the world...He's shaking as a wake-up call. I can almost hear Him "Hello? Wake up! It's time that you quit putting your faith into man-made systems. I promise that all you truly need is Me! I love you too much to not try to wake you up & catch your attention! I love you! I created you! Put your faith in Me!"
I saw many people turn to the Church and the Father when the economy was on such a downward slope recently. But what saddens me is that I've also seen many start to breathe easier and quit turning to the Father as the economy showed signs of improvement. It's almost like the days after 9/11. I saw so many people crying out to God for comfort, peace and safety. And once it seemed that our nation was once again safe, people became lulled into a false peace that told them they didn't need to cry out to God. I honestly believe this means there will be another shaking coming. And God is a good Father. Like any good parent, if what He did before didn't get your attention, He will increase the intensity next time. He's done it before...ever hear of the Israelites - His Chosen People? It's what He does to those He loves...He gets our attention in whatever way it takes!
This is what leads me to pray. I pray for those in my nation. I pray that they will turn to the Father rather than institutions of man. I pray that those who are His Children now will begin to pray! And that we, as His voices on Earth, would begin to share what we're hearing when we pray! That we would become voices in the wilderness. That we would truly be lights in the darkness! That the hearts of the people would turn to the Father!!