Intercession for a Sick Person

6. Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law

In Capernaum on the Sabbath. Tradition says that Peter’s house was only about 100 yards from the synagogue. They have a church built on the spot.

But part of the site location problem in Israel is that Constantine’s mother-in-law came through Israel around 300 AD and had churches built on various spots to represent this or that event from the NT.

It is highly debated as how accurate she was.

There are two mothers-in-law in the Bible who don’t have the typical mothers-in-law relationships. Naomi and Peter’s mother.

a. The woman with a high fever (30)

Luke points out that the fever was high. He wants you to know that it is serious. It is even more serious for an adult to have a high fever than for a child.

The disciples speak to Jesus about her fever. Here we see their intercession for her.

b. The woman healed (31a)

In Mark we see that Jesus took her hand. This is the helping hand of the servant.

Matthew says “when he touched her hand…” Why the difference? Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience. If a Jew touched a sick person, it would make them unclean. Jesus can touch sick people without becoming unclean because his touch heals them.

In Luke we see Jesus’ bedside manner – “He bent over her…”

This may be pure speculation as to the reasons for the differences between the different authors, but it is interesting to see how the different writers emphasized different things for their audiences. If you asked the question, “Did he touch her, Did he bend over her, Did he grab her hand and help her up?” The answer is yes to all of them. It is not hard to harmonize.

Luke mentions that Jesus rebuked the fever.

c. The woman helping (31b)

Not just the absence of disease, but the restoration of strength. If you ever watch some of these miracle worship services on TV, the people that are healed sort of shuffle off the stage.

She served them. In the gospel of Mark, serving is a sign of greatness. So we see a little bit about her character. It is interesting that only angels and women served Jesus in the gospels.

3. Context 1:32-34

Once the Sabbath was over, the people flocked to Jesus with their sick and demon possessed to have Him heal them.. They had to wait until the Sabbath was over so that they didn’t violate the Pharisees’ rules about carrying burdens on the Sabbath.

Again we see that the Pharisees rules were more of a burden to the people than a fulfillment of the original intent of the Sabbath which was to provide rest. What better way to rest than to go be healed by Jesus. But the people had to wait.

To the pharisees rules were more important than people.

Vs 35 After a very full day of ministry, Jesus gets up early the next morning to spend time with the Father. I know the human tendency after a full day of ministry is to sleep in the next day. I think this illustrates that Jesus’ strength came from the Father.

II. INTERPRETATION

Источник: //bible.org/node/2216

Powerful Prayers for the Sick and Healing [Quotes + Verses]

On this page you’ll find inspirational quotes and prayers to read when you’re not feeling well and sick. From healing quotes from the bible to getting strength and overcoming being ill. Read these prayers out loud or in silence and get well soon!

Being sick is one of the most testing times for both yourself and for your connection with God. And the state, as it differs in degree from one individual to the other is usually troubling.

Nonetheless, what if we told you that, whether small, medium, and even large, God is essentially the key to all of our problems. We are not sugar-coating His position in our lives simply because, generations have sowed in His holy abode, and protection He has given us, His sons and daughters.

Therefore, recognition of His power and consequentially the fact that your state of weakness should be minor to you is one relief that you deserve to know and acknowledge.

“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” – Jeremiah’s 17:14

Prayer for the Sick Person

Father Lord,

As You are the One, and we, Your servants, we pray Oh God above to heal and support “Name”. Destroy any sickness that is, was, and will ever be in his/her body In Jesus Name.

We pray that thereafter, You rejuvenate his/her mind, body, and soul, that he/she may be granted the strength to function in all areas of his/her life.

“Name” shall stand before You Oh Lord, and he/she will pray and raise his or her voice in thanks to You.

We glorify Your mighty deeds Oh Lord, and In Jesus Name, Amen.

Short Prayer for the Sick

Heavenly Lord, we need Your divine intervention in our lives. We need You to empower our bodies with Your holy presence, and Your arms envelop our minds to soothe this pain.

We shall not buckle under the strain and when it’s a new day, our healed body will be a representation of Your power. Thank You, Your holiness for such attention to our lives, and In Christ’s name, Amen.

Effective Prayer for the Sick
Father in Heaven, we pray to You today, with our heart heavy with concern for “Name”. He/she is sick and we want no reason for it to escalate. Hence we pray that You attack the sickness at its roots, and cleanse, with Your holy blood, all manner of remains in “Name’s” body.

We thank You for cutting away the ailment and also for the protection You now offer. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Prayer for the Sick Friend

Almighty Father, “Name” is sick and I’m of the belief that if I was in his/her position, he/she will be beside me and watching over. He/she has been part of Your faithful and we believe this is just a test of faith.

so, I pray that You watch over him/her and grant a speedy recovery. Not one more moment, Oh Lord, will he/she use further in this state, where he/she can’t rejoice in Your name. I thank You for the answered prayer, and In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Prayer for the Sick Child

Father, today, we have a special prayer to submit to You. We pray for Your son/daughter today in regard to his/her sickness, and also because of our fear. Lord, we want You to perform a miracle You did for.

This is our little one, and his/her presence in our lives is Your gift to us. So, God above, we pray that he/she becomes a living miracle of Your eternal promise to us. We also pray that You safeguard Your child and walk with him/her through every experience in life. Thank You for the grace to pray, the answered prayers, and the ever-present protection, Amen

Prayers for the Sick and Dying

Heavenly Lord, we stand today in Your grace and everlasting mercy. It is only by Your solid will that we’re here today to have this prayer and by Your grace, we come knocking with the rest of mind that you’ll answer us.

Oh Lord, we pray in the stead of the sick and dying, that You be with them for all eternity. Turn Your sight, not from their souls, and take their hands in Yours as a father would, his sons and daughters. God, in Your abode, nurture their souls for all eternity and be with all their goals in life.

We thank You for safeguarding them in this world and continuing to do so in the next. Thank You for listening to our prayer—Amen.

Prayer for the Sick Quotes

“Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love” – Saint Teresa of Avila

“I know that in life there will be sickness, devastation, disappointments, heartache – it’s a given. What’s not a given is the way you choose to get through it all. If you look hard enough, you can always find the bright side” – Rashida Jones

“God is the only divine being that takes time to be a doctor as well”- Isaac J.

“We are the spirit children of a Heavenly Father. He loved us and He taught us before we were born into this world. He told us that He wished to give us all that He had. To qualify for that gift we had to receive mortal bodies and be tested. Because of those mortal bodies, we would face pain, sickness, and death” – Henry B. Eyring (it’s all a test)

Bible Verses to Read

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” – Isaiah 41:10

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD” – Jeremiah 30:17

“You restored me to health and let me live. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back” – Isaiah 38:16-17

“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security” – Jeremiah 33:6

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” – 3 John 1:2

Источник: //www.holylandprayer.com/prayer_for/prayers-for-the-sick/

Intercession Prayer – syrianorthodox

Is it biblical to ask the departed saints to pray for us?

Is it biblical to us to pray for the souls of our departed?

Lets start by examining what the scripture says about this:

Acts of the Apostles 4: 12, says: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  The scripture also says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2: 5).

So if there is no intercessor or mediator between God and men other than Lord Jesus Christ, then how can we ask St. Mary or St. Thomas to pray for us?

Is it Biblical to pray for each other? 

Even those who teach that we should not ask St. Mary or other saints to intercede for us, do pray for others and even ask others to pray for them.

When a pastor prays for the healing of a sick man, what is the role of the pastor between that sick man and God? The sick man can pray for his own healing, right? So when a pastor prays for the healing of another man, the pastor is indeed a mediator or intercessor between the sick man and God.

In the same epistle where St. Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men, he also asks us to make supplications and intercessions for all men, especially for kings and for those in authority.

  In 1 Timothy 2: 1-3 we read: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

Again in James 5: 14 – 16, we are instructed to pray for each other. There are specific instructions in this scripture that kasheesha (translated in most English translations as elder) of the church should pray over the sick and anoint them with oil. We can see in this passage that through the intersession prayers of others, the Lord will forgive the sins of the sick person.

 In Lamentations 2: 18-19 we see the exhortation to give oneself no relief but to pray for life of young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.

In Numbers 11: 1 – 2, we see the people crying out to Moses and Moses interceding to God on behalf of the people and God answering those prayers.

In Genesis 18: 16-33, we can see Patriarch Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah.

So if it is biblical to intercede for others or be a mediator between others and God, then how are we to interpret the scripture: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2: 5). Lets tackle that at the end of this article.

Praying for the Departed

When we are exhorted by St. Paul, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. We need to pray for all men that are alive in Christ, irrespective of their physical status.

In God and in His Church there is no division between the living and the departed, but all are one in the love of the Father.

Whether we are physically alive or whether we are physically dead, as members of the Church we still belong to the same family, and still have a duty to bear one another’s burdens.

Therefore just as we here on earth pray for one another and ask for one another’s prayers, so we pray also for the faithful departed and ask the faithful departed to pray for us.

Orthodox are convinced that Christians here on earth have a duty to pray for the departed just as they have every right to ask the departed to pray for us.

We are confident that the departed are helped by such prayers, just as we are helped by the intercessions of the departed saints.

If we are asked precisely in what way do our prayers help the departed? What exactly is the condition of souls in the period between physical death and the Resurrection of the Body at the Last Day? The answer is, we don’t know.

When St. Anthony of Egypt was worrying about this in the desert, a voice came to him, saying: “Anthony, attend to yourself, for these are the judgments of God, and it is not for you to know them.”

So we Orthodox Christians sing:

കര്‍ത്താവെ നിന്‍ രക്ത-ശരീരങ്ങള്‍, കൈക്കൊണ്ട്

ഭക്തരതായി മരിച്ചോര്‍-ക്കരുളണമേ, നല്ലോര്‍മ്മ

നിന്‍റെ മഹത്വമുദിക്കും നാള്‍

നില്‍ക്കണമവര്‍ വല-ഭാഗത്തില്‍

which is the very similar to the prayer of St.Paul for the departed Onesiphorus as we read in 2 Timothy 1: 18 “The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day – an you know very well how many ways he ministered at Ephesus.”

Departed saints interceding for us

Where does prayer come from? Does prayer come from the body or from the spirit ? We see in Matthew 15:8, the Lord saying, “These people honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me”.

  In John 4: 24 we read: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

”  So in prayer and worship, the status of the body is not important, the body could be dead or alive, as long as you are spiritually alive you can and will worship and bless the Lord forever.

In Hebrews 11:4, we read: “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

”  We read about the voice of Abel’s blood crying out to the Lord from the ground in Genesis 4:9-10.

Thus if righteous Abel could cry out to the Lord after his death after offering his sacrifice, we can be sure the Christian saints who are justified by the perfect sacrifice can cry out to the Lord even after their physical death.

We also continue the biblical tradition of venerating the relics of saints. We can see in 2 Kings 2:13-14, Elisha parting the water using the cloak of Elijah even after Elijah was gone.

So it is not only biblical to ask a departed saint to intercede for us, but also it is sacred tradition to venerate their relics.

Isn't Jesus Christ our only Mediator between God and men? 

So when 1 Timothy 2: 5 says that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men, how do we reconcile this with what we saw above. Jesus is the only mediator between God the Father and men. Men who are alive in Christ, irrespective of they being physically alive or dead can pray for each other to Christ our Lord. Our departed saints intercede for us to Christ.

Mother of our God Jesus Christ, Apostles, Evangelists, Martyrs and all the Saints, can and will cry out to the Lord for us even though they are physically dead.

In fact in private an Orthodox Christian is free to ask for the intercessions of any member of the Church, whether canonized or not.

It would be perfectly normal for an orphaned Orthodox child to end his evening prayer by asking for the intercessions not only of the Mother of God and saints, but of his own mother and father.

As Orthodox Christians we invoke in prayers not only saints, but the angels. The angels ‘fence us around with their intercessions and shelter us under their protecting wings of immaterial glory.

Sermon about Saints by H.B Baselious Thomas I, Catholicose of the East.

References:

 Related Links

1. Intersession Prayers to St. Mary, the Mother of God

Источник: //www.sites.google.com/site/syrianorthodox/home/articles/intercession-prayer

Intercessory Prayer

spiritual practices› Why Pray?› What Is Intercessory Prayer?

a downloadable PDF on intercessory prayer.

What's Different About Intercessory Prayer?

Intercessory prayer is not the same as prayers for yourself, or for 'enlightenment', or for spiritual gifts, or for guidance, or any personal matter, or any glittering generality. Intercession is not just praying for someone else's needs.

Intercession is praying with the real hope and real intent that God would step in and act for the positive advancement of some specific other person(s) or other entity. It is trusting God to act, even if it's not in the manner or timing we seek. God wants us to ask, even urgently.

It is casting our weakness before God's strength, and (at its best) having a bit of God's passion burn in us.

“I commend intercessory prayer, because it opens man's soul, gives a healthy play to his sympathies, constrains him to feel that he is not everybody, and that this wide world and this great universe were not after all made that he might be its petty lord, that everything might bend to his will, and all creatures crouch at his feet.”
Charles Spurgeon

Intercession In the Bible

The Bible has many cases of people standing up for others before God. The most striking example is Abraham. He took the initiative to step forward before God on behalf of his neighbors in Sodom and its area.

He cared enough to do it, even though he knew how thoroughly wicked Sodom was, and knew how furious God was about it (which explains why he was so careful in speaking to God about it). Moses also stepped in when God was angry, standing in the gap in the most literal sense : offering his own life for that of his nation.

(Thankfully, God didn't take him up on the offer.) It was part of the role of a prophet not just to speak what God speaks, but to speak with God for the people of Israel. A fine example is the exchange between the prophet Habakkuk and God, where the prophet asks for God to act against injustice, but God replies about a coming doom.

Isaiah prayed with King Hezekiah to save the nation from defeat and destruction at the hands of Assyria, and the armies were suddenly turned back (see Isaiah ch. 36-39). The master builder Nehemiah prayed to God to bring about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and of his people.

Un the gods of the lore of most other lands, this God did not zap them with lightning or turn them into half-beasts. God listened to their cries — not by ignoring the wrongdoings which got the divine wrath kindled in the first place, but by saving at least some of the people and bringing them back to where they belonged.

New Testament Intercession

The New Testament has its cases of intercessory prayer. Jesus was the prime example of an intercessor. He interceded in prayer for God to bless and protect His followers. At the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

” Indeed, His whole life, His whole reason for being born, was to be a living intercession, a giving of His life to span the rift caused by our rebellion against God. Others followed Jesus' example.

Stephen's last words were an intercession on behalf of those who were killing him. Paul prayed constantly for the struggling young church, for character, behavior, witness, and wisdom.

It is Paul's regular intercession for the church and its people which sets the usual pattern for our own intercessory prayers. And Epaphras was the 'prayer wrestler' for the church in Colossae.

Even at its earliest, the young church was praying for people: for safe travel, praying that people might know Christ through other peoples' witness, praying for healing and health, for rescue, for wisdom, for childbirth, for spiritual growth, for marriages — asking God to bring benefit or blessing to people other than themselves. The others were not always beloved; they prayed for their political leaders, some of whom were out to kill them. But they knew their God was merciful and was intimately involved with what was going on in the world. And they knew they were called by God to share in that involvement.

Your Intercessory Prayer

The place where intercessory prayer must start is with you. It's great to know that others may be stepping up for someone before God, but God wants you to stand in the gap, putting something of yourself on the line. Otherwise, it's too cheap to be real. Your private devotions are not just for your own benefit.

If God's love is at work in you, you will care about others, and your love for them will lead you to take it to the ultimate Source of strength, healing, and love. Don't be fearful; be persistent and stubborn. God doesn't mind; God s to see divine love at work in you. God honors your part in the relationship.

You Never Pray Alone

It is best to always be aware that you never really pray alone. For when the honest love in you for other people causes you to ask God to act to strengthen, heal, defend, change, or bless them, there is someone else praying with you: the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is leading you to pray.

When your love is not whole or your mind is not clear, the Spirit steps in for you, to express the intercession and draw you into it. Christian intercessors over the past two millenia have prayed their intercessions in a 'Trinitarian' manner : to the Father, through the Son, and in and with the Holy Spirit.

God isn't fussy about the pattern, but it helps us to see some part of how God works in prayer.

Prayer Changes As Needs Change

The intercessory prayer you first pray about someone may not be what God wants you to pray for. For instance, you might be praying to lift a burden, but the Lord might be using the burden to prepare them to do something for God. Then again, your prayer might be what God wants to happen. Thus, we are to pray listening for the Spirit, and pray that God's will be done.

I find myself concentrating better when I mutter the words; it gives my mind more focus. The mind may go off to explore something during personal devotions, but not while you're interceding for others — those others must be your first concern.

So, it's sometimes best to do it before you seek stillness (though God will sometimes lead you stillness into intercession — be open to it).

A Time For Prayer, A Time to Act

Don't be surprised if the Spirit starts tugging on your heart to take some sort of action about a matter you're praying about. You may be the answer God sends into their lives.

That's not a license to be a buttinski, stepping into everyone's private lives some sort of conquering hero. But the Spirit might be calling you to be more than a bystander. Be ready for it. Be open to it.

When you intercede in prayer, bring your knowledge, gifts, abilities, attention and energies before God and say, 'use these, if that's what it takes to set this right'.

Gifted Intercession

Anyone can pray for others and step in with God on their behalf. But some people are gifted at prayers of intercession. They have an ear and a passion for the needs of others, and take them before God even when those other people reject God.

An intercessor's heart is touched for those in need, not so much on their side as by their side and on their behalf. They have a burden for that person. They persevere. They let the Spirit give them comfort about it, instead of worrying.

And when word of results comes, they celebrate and are happy about it. If that sounds you, then you may be a gifted intercessor.

Sometimes, someone is led to be an intercessor for a specific person or mission or task. Such people are valuable even beyond donors.

Such intercessors sometimes get a strong sense of coming danger about whom they're praying for.

They often report they're driven to their knees to pray about something they can't otherwise have known was happening. Sounds weird, but it's true.

Intercessors also pray for world, national, and local political leaders. This follows in the tradition of the early church's prayers for the Roman authorities. Some people actually think it's good to pray against evildoers and oppressive leaders, even to pray for their death.

When James and John asked for permission to do harm to their enemies by praying for divine acts of judgement, Jesus reminded them of why He was there (and they, too):

“For the Son of Man did not come to destroy peoples' lives, but to save them.”
(Luke 9:56)

Intercessory prayer aims to build people into what God wants of them, not to tear them down.

Thy Will Be Done

“Therefore faith prays in such a manner that it commits everything to the gracious will of God; it lets [God] determine whether it is conducive to his honor and to our benefit.”
Martin Luther, in a sermon on Matthew 8:1-13.

Will It Avail?

Some people claim we can ask God to do things on behalf of people, and know it will be done. It's understandable to think that, for Jesus promised that our prayers would cause things to happen, especially when we keep at it. But look again at the intercessors in the Bible. Their success was very real, but far from complete.

• Abraham stuck his neck out with a rightly-angry God, but could only save his relatives.
• Moses' people were spared immediate destruction, but his generation would not get the land God had promised — the next generation did.
• All of David's deep and totally sincere weeping and begging could not save his baby son — though it did set up for the birth of his successor.
• Jesus prayed for the unity of His followers, and the apostles prayed for the unity of the church. They gained much unity, but still had serious divisions.
• The apostles prayed for each of their poor, but had more poor members by the day.
• The apostles had hundreds of people constantly praying for their safety, but they died martyr's deaths.

In such cases, God's mercy does not override God's purpose nor God's justice, not to mention our own wills. We cannot fathom God's purposes or know for certain what God knows about what is to be.

God's love simply has a broader, deeper, longer work to do, and sometimes what we pray for simply cannot find a place within that work.

Intercessors sometimes must accept even the most bitter of losses, with the awareness that their prayers did not — and sometimes must not — avail. This is a hard mystery of intercession.

God Knows Best

None of us are fully aligned with God's purposes. There will always be a difference between the two. It's okay to ask for what you want from the situation; that's a part of being honest with God.

You can pray that your request somehow be found in the divine purposes, and pray for doorways to a better way if it can't be. (Maybe God will provide you a ram as with Abraham when sacrificing Isaac.

) But God may have other plans, and your part is to trust that God's plans will be best.

Intercessory prayer does not work by your own power, as if you were the Almighty. When prayer is answered, it is answered in God's way, and it may not be at all the 'victory' you are 'claiming'.

Most of the time, the Spirit's main work is to change you, to make you care more, and to get you to focus on what others are going through instead of only seeing life from where you are. Sometimes, something more happens.

“God, in giving us all free will, said to us: “Your will be done.” Some of us turn back to him and say: “My will is that your will be done.” That is obedience to the first and greatest commandment. Then, when we do that, he turns to us and says: “And now, your will be done.” And then he writes the story of our lives with the pen strokes of our own free choices.”
Peter Kreeft

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Orig. 2000-01-14, ver.: 2016-10-15.
Intercessory Prayer. Copyright © 2000-2016 Robert Longman.

Источник: //www.spirithome.com/intercessory-prayer.html