Good morning…
In a handful of hours, a small group of us will gather around a friend whose cancer has returned. We will lay our hands on her. We will call upon God to fill her with healing power. We will gather in unison, one voice, one prayer: “Please, LORD, perform Your miracle.” Why will we do this and what good will it do?
First, Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:19-20 (MSG): “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.” We gather together to call upon the powerful presence of Christ in our midst and, praying together in unison, we will beg God to act mightily on our friend’s behalf.
Second, there is divine power accessed as we “lay on hands.” Luke 4:40 (NIV) tells us: At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Carrying on Jesus’ ministry Acts 8:17 (AMP) explains: Then [the apostles] laid their hands on them one by one, and they received the Holy Spirit. And finally, 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV) encourages: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. We will “lay hands” on our friend to activate God’s healing power, to allow the Holy Spirit in us to bond with the Holy Spirit in her, and to help fan into flame the life-giving gifts of God.
Third, we will honor God’s instruction laid out in Philippians 4:6 (AMP): Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. We want miraculous healing for our friend, so we will ask God specifically for our heart’s desire. Grateful to be in relationship with the God who possesses resurrection power, we will make our wants known to the LORD.
Than what? What do we expect to happen next? We will get up from our prayer time and we will leave the outcome in the hands of God. Philippians 4:7 (AMP) promises: And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Peace will be our parting gift,
Sue
