A Prayer for Our Friends in Hard Places and Crises On one of those days, as he [Jesus] was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. Luke 5:17-19 Dear Lord Jesus, We begin today with a sense of urgency for our friends in various stages of duress. Though we don’t have to rip tiles off a roof to bring them to you, we would if we needed to; for you alone have the authority to forgive sins and the power to heal every disease. You alone have the Spirit without measure. You alone care for the poor, bind broken hearts, free captives, release prisoners, bestow God’s favor, comfort mourners, provide for grievers, and bring beauty, gladness, and praise (Isa. 61:1-3). What a Savior you are! And everything you do, you do with so much joy. Lord Jesus, for friends suffering with various forms and degrees of cancer—or who have family members who are doing so, please reveal your mercy and might. We unabashedly ask you to bring your healing power to bear—whether through a miracle of special grace, or through the common grace of good medicine, or both. Jesus, how we long for the Day of no more cancer. Hasten that Day, Lord. Lord Jesus, for married friends who used to live face-to-face in kindness and affection but now live back-to-back with rancor and stubbornness, raise the dead, Oh God of resurrection. There is no hope unless you replace stony hearts with hearts of flesh; stubbornness with brokenness; defensiveness with delight in yourself. Please bring both spouses to the cross, and soon, or at least one of them. Indeed, bring one of them back home to gospel sanity so the other spouse will see beauty and dare to hope again. Lord Jesus, for friends with fresh stories of betrayal, loss and grief, no one cares and understands like you. Bring the calm of your presence, the centering of your grace, and the power of your Spirit to bear; and show each of us our role as an extension of your tear-wiping hand. Lord Jesus, on a personal note, for my friend who lives with three hours of sleep a night, unrelenting clinical depression, and haunting memories of inconceivable abuse, I simply cry for mercy. With wet eyes, not clenched fists, I simply ask, “How long, Oh Lord? How long before my friend knows the freedom and healing you alone can give?” This I know for sure, Jesus: you do all things well, even if you don’t do some things the way I want you to. So very Amen I pray, in your merciful and mighty name. Scotty Smith
Posted on: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:53:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015