Connections Class: Prayer Changes Things (4) - Healing

Prayer is an essential ingredient of our Christian faith, but sometimes people find it hard to pray. This short series discusses different types of prayers, as well as focusing on how and what to pray for.

Healing – from old English word “hal” or “Helen” – to be whole, complete, perfect

1          a : to make sound or whole <heal a wound> b : to restore to health

2          a : to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome :mend 

            b : to patch up (a breach or division) <heal a breach between friends>

3           to restore to original purity or integrity <healed of sin>

Example of healing prayers in today’s bulletin

Pastor:             O Lord, as we abide in Your sanctuary, may Your Holy Spirit descend upon us. As                          we await Your sacred presence, may Your righteousness cover all our sins.

People:           Speak to our hearts, Loving Father, and let Your truth comfort our souls. When                                 we are hurting, heal our pain. When we are grieving, grant us grace. When we                                  are fearful, fill us with faith.

Pastor:             Gracious Lord, we depend upon Your promises to sustain us in times of trouble,                            worry, and stress. Hear our prayers, Holy Lord. Heal our loved ones, and us, from                        all the harm and ill health that damages our hearts and minds, as well as our                              bodies and souls. Hear us now as we quietly pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit.

Pastor:             The Lord keeps His word, so we shall not be shaken. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.                    (Healing prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 15)

Why do we pray for healing during worship? What are we asking for in today’s prayers? How do we use the time of silence? What is the candle for? Why use the psalms?

Bible examples of healing prayers

Psalm 38:1-8

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 

2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. 

3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. 

4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. 

5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. 

6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. 

7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. 

8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Is this a prayer or a complaint? How ill is the psalmist? Why does he reach out to God? What healing is he actually looking for? Do we equate God’s anger with sickness today?

Mark 7:24-30

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 

27 "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 

28 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 

29 Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." 30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

What causes the woman to beg for her daughter? Why does Jesus delay the healing? How does the woman respond? How is the healing transmitted? What does this passage tell us about praying for healing?

Acts 3:2-8

2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

Where do Peter and John get the power to heal? What is remarkable about this healing? What does this tell us about healing by Christ through His Church? How do we practice this today?

Any other questions?

Healing Prayers -        A word about OUR EXPECTATIONS: we are meeting together in the name of Jesus, and we are sure that according to His promise He is with us.  He is still the healing Lord, and through Him God answers our prayers.  We can therefore confidently expect SOME healing touch or gift for all those for whom we pray.  It may be a physical healing; it may be swift and dramatic, though more often it is likely to be gradual or cumulative.  It may be an invitation to trust and follow Jesus in a new way, and perhaps a call to penitence and forgiveness – or to forgive others.  It may be a healing of wounded relationships.  God has many healing gifts in store for us, if we turn to Him and work with Him, together, in faith and love. – Sandy Duff, Scotland.

Connections Class: Prayer Changes Things (3) - Intercession

Prayer is an essential ingredient of our Christian faith, but sometimes people find it hard to pray. This short series discusses different types of prayers, as well as focusing on how and what to pray for.

Intercession – 15^th century French word (Pre-Reformation – time of indulgences)

1.         an act or instance of interceding.

2.         an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person.

3.         a prayer to God on behalf of another.

4.         Roman History. The interposing of a veto, as by a tribune.

Example of prayer of intercession in today’s bulletin

Pastor:                        You are near to us, O Lord, and Your promises are true. We bring before You our loved ones, our neighbors, other people, and ourselves. We need You to heal us of everything that harms us in body, mind, heart, and soul. Hear us now, as we inwardly pray.

Silent prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit.

What makes these prayers, spoken and silent, prayers of intercession? What else could we make our prayers about? How do we use the silence effectively? Why is it important?

Bible examples of Prayers of Intercession

Exodus 32:30-34         (just after the Hebrew people had been severely punished for making and worshipping the golden calf in the wilderness)

30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." 

31 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 

32 But now, please forgive their sin--but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." 

33 The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 

34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin."

What does Moses teach us about the seriousness of interceding with God? Is this a risk that we take when we pray prayers of intercession? What is the outcome of this prayer? Has it worked?

NOTES

John 17:20-24 (the whole seventeenth chapter of John’s Gospel is Christ’s great prayer of intercession for the Church)

20-21 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 

23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Who is Christ praying for? Why does He need to intercede for them; doesn’t God already know? What does this tell us about the importance of voicing our intercessions? What is Christ praying for? Has this prayer been successful?

Hebrews 4:14-16        (Jesus the Great High Priest)

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 

16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

How does Jesus intercede for us? What makes His intercessions so effective? How could we display that same effectiveness in our own prayers? Why are mercy and grace so important in our times of need?

First Part of President Roosevelt’s Prayer of intercession on the evening of D-Day, June 6, 1944

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

Connections Class: Prayer Changes Things (2) - Confession

Prayer is an essential ingredient of our Christian faith, but sometimes people find it hard to pray. This short series discusses different types of prayers, as well as focusing on how and what to pray for.

Confession – 12^th century French word (time of Crusades)

1.         acknowledgment; avowal; admission: a confession of incompetence.

2.         acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, especially to a priest to obtain   absolution.

3.         something that is confessed.

4.         a formal, usually written, acknowledgment ofguilt by a person accused of a crime.

5.         Also called confession of faith. 

            a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to       church membership

Example of prayer of confession in today’s bulletin

People:           Gracious Father, we still pursue our sinful desires and selfishly make bad choices; we sometimes neglect Your holy words and choose to act upon our own understanding. Forgive us for being foolish and unwise, insensitive and ungrateful. We know that we cannot hide from Your gaze, nor can we flee from Your presence. You know everything about us and every secret that we hide. Pardon us for avoiding the truth, and forgive us for allowing self-centered pride to dictate our decisions. Hear us now as we solemnly ask for mercy.

What are we saying about God with these words of prayer? What are we saying about ourselves?

Why do we have a time of silence after these confessions? How does Jesus teach us to confess in prayer?

Bible example of Prayer of Confession: Psalm 51

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 

2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 

5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 

Why does David come to God with his confessions? What reasons does he give for sinning? What does he hope that God will do for him? Do we hope the same when we make our confessions?

7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 

9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 

How does David feel about his sin? How has this affected his relationship with God? What does he hope for from God? What does he fear the most and why?

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

What promises does David say he will fulfill if he is forgiven? Why is this important to him? Why is a sacrifice not necessary? What does David declare to be essential for a true/ successful confession before God? Does verse 19 seem out of place???

Other questions/ notes/ comments about confession?

Prayer

Create in us pure hearts, O God, and renew steadfast spirits within us. 

Do not cast us from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from us. 

Restore to us the joy of your salvation and grant us willing spirits, to sustain us. 

In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.