Psalms 107:20 KJV
"He sent his word,
and healed them, and delivered them from THEIR DESTRUCTIONS."
Did you know that God wants to heal us from our own ignorant
behaviors that have caused our sicknesses?
Many years ago, I was seeking
the Lord on how to pray for someone who was 70 years old and bleeding to death
from an aneurysm. Was it right for me to pray for them to be healed? They had been an alcoholic their entire life... plus, they
were old. Had they lived out their days? Was it their time to
die? In my human heart, I even justified their demise because,
after-all, they brought their suffering upon them self.
Anyway, as I desperately
sought the Lord on this persons behalf, the Lord revealed to me that He wanted
to heal them IN SPITE OF THEIR REBELLION. Why?
Psalm 107:21 KJV
"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
My answer for "why" God would want to heal this person who had lived a life of rebellion was found in Psalm 107:21 - "so that they will praise Him!" God wants to work a miracle in our lives... so that we will praise Him! He wants to repay good for evil... so that we will praise Him! He wants to save us from destruction... so that we will praise Him!
Now, as far as
the age of this person was concerned, the Lord reminded me that He didn't want
any to perish but for ALL to come to everlasting life through repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but (He) is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Revelation from God... I needed to pray
with faith and sincerity that this person be healed so that they could become
born-again! Death for this person would have meant eternity in hell!
So... We all gathered around and prayed for this almost dead man to live. And... after 30 days of being in a coma, He was healed!
This man was
my father-one-law and he went on to live another 15 years as a humble and
sober man who sought the Lord!
Is there someone that you are praying for today who has brought destruction upon themselves? Perhaps you aren't sure of how to pray. Let me encourage you today that God's plan is to give humanity a good long life on earth and an eternity in heaven. He doesn't want anyone's body to be prematurely broken down and He certainly doesn't want anyone to spend eternity apart from Him.
When we pray for someone to live - even when they cannot or will not pray for themselves - we are asking God to give them TIME to repent. And friend, TIME is God's grace extended so that faith can be activated - believing for the salvation of that persons soul.
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
Psalm 91:6
"With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."
Granted, not everyone will live through certain sicknesses and diseases, but God's good plan is that we pray for healing, we believe for His best, and we accept the outcome. We should boldly go to the throne of grace that we might find mercy and help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Friend, it's the devil who's out to kill our flesh, destroy our dreams, steal our God-given destiny. God is not to be blamed. God's love is not to be doubted. He is our healer. He is our salvation. He is our hope!
John 10:10
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
I have posted the entire Psalm 107 for you to meditate on. I pray that the Lord will give you a WORD about healing so that your faith will grow to a new level of love and mercy for those who are sick because of their own bad choices.
Psalm 107 (NIV)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
