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Take Two of These and Call Me in the Morning
Over the past few decades people have become increasingly aware of their health in a holistic sense – we are starting to understand that our overall well-being has not only a physical component, but a psychological and spiritual one as well.
It’s funny that God created us that way and has known that forever, and, in fact, designed for us to have all of our needs met through fellowship with Him. Why is it, then, that prayer is often the last place we turn when we have a physical or spiritual ailment? Shouldn’t it be the first place we turn? It is, without a doubt, the greatest resource we have.
God is also all about fellowship. The Trinity exemplifies and models that concept for us as human beings. In addition to confessing our sin to God, He encourages us to confess to each other. I have often avoided this discipline because of the sheer discomfort of doing so, but I can remember so many times where I’ve confessed something to a friend, and immediately felt such a huge burden lifted! I could almost feel it physically. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
God’s Word is clear that prayer is a source of healing for the believer. This might be physical, and it might also be emotional or spiritual. Sometimes we pray to be healed of a sickness, but God allows it to remain. Perhaps in His wisdom He allows it so that we will experience healing or growth in another area. Sometimes we pray and He does, indeed, heal us physically. Either way, we know He wants us to ask. And He wants us to intercede on behalf of each other.
Wow. I like your thoughts Megan. The Lord has given us a FREE powerful prescription but I have fallen many times into the trap of self medication and I only turn to the Lords prescription when all else fails.
I repent of this and will work more towards not skipping my meds.
How many times have we heard this: “Well all we can do now is pray.” I will try to work out all my problems and illnesses, seeking solutions from doctors and financial counselors, books, and even online self-help Websites to help myself out of the fix I am in. I may even call on good, godly friends for advice. But is it only when all those resources are exhausted that I finally call on my one true friend who just happens to be GOD? That ain’t right; that is a totally backwards way of life for a Believer.
I put God in a box – that is ridiculous, that I think I can do that. I certainly limit what he can do by my very response “You just don’t work that way now, do you?” Does He limit himself in my life because of my unbelief? I think so.
What the Word says is that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Am I righteous?
Megan, you have gotten me to thinking again, early. Thank you. I’ve known you and Frank for some time, and I have worked with you for three years. You’re a blessing for all of us.
You are definitely right Megan. It is so important that we turn to each other for prayer. Not only for our spiritual well being but for the blessing it gives to the person we have asked to pray for us. They get to see God in action. I have been fortunate and God has had me pray for many people and I have grown spiritually because of it. Watching God answer prayer builds our faith.
It also draws us closer to each other.
James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Is how the book of James starts. Todays verses point back and support James’s beginning. The righteous man is the one who has gone through the trials and looked to the Lord (prayer) for his/her strenght.
Megan I like the comparison of confession to medicine. I don’t confess often enough. It is easy for me to pray for others healing but I don’t often pray for my healing. I too have some thinking to do today.
Peter…2:30? that’s a little ridiculous. And people think I’m infringing on other time zones
Megan, thank you for sharing your heart. I can resonate with the idea of a sick spirit. I think of the times that my spirit was sick with sin, and how I felt that I needed to heal my spirit on my own before I could come to God. So I would start on the outside.
Now I am reminded of shopping for produce, finding the most wonderful looking red delicious apple. Taking that first bite, and as my teeth tear past the crisp red skin, they sink into mush. The bite disintegrates in my mouth, and the rest of the apple goes in the trash.
Just as the exterior can be deceiving, so can fixing the exterior be pointless. Prayer is the internal fix. Fixing our spirit may not fix our bodies, but it will “right” us with our Father.
This is so true in marriage as well. How often do we talk to others, and try different actions to mend a hurting relationship. Perhaps starting with prayer with each other, laying ourselves bare to God infront of our spouse, could start the healing faster than anything else.
Megan,
My sista!!!! Good thoughts my friend, you have given me much to think about today. =)
Hi Megan! Thanks for the thoughts to ponder today. It made me think about the new community group that we have just joined. We talked last night about what we wanted the community group to be…and one of the main things we all wanted was the chance to just be ‘real’ with each other. And I think that hits on the confession portion of the verse. It is something that I think everyone desires – to be able to admit your needs and struggles in this life and not just put on a happy face. It is so great that Cumberland encourages us all to get into these types of community groups.
Herb,
lol, 8:00am…? I had to open shop because, you are slacking!!! JK
I have been thinking about the healing. How awesome is it that we serve a God who cares about our wholeness physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Great thoughts Megan! My sister recently had a new baby boy (David Alexander). When he was born he had trouble breathing. He needed to be prayed for or he might have been taken to another hospital from his mother for treatment. Had we not prayed immediately his healing would have been delayed. By not going to God when we need to confess a sin or need a touch from God or unbelief in His ability to do things for His children, we are delaying His best for His children.
Confessing sin to each other is he first thing I choose to ignore in this passage. I have to be willing to unmask and risk the shame of being known for what I am. But it’s also one of the most liberating things I’ve experienced. I’m not a proponent of setting up a confessional booth at CCC, but us Protestants are missing out on the tangible forgiveness we can speak into each others lives. It’s good medicine for the confessor and the confessee. Thanks Megan.
What would our lives look like if we were characterized by prayer? I bet we’d be pretty healthy people – inside and out.
Confessing to one another is such an incredible act of faith! I guess it’s easy to understand that God will forgive and heal because He gave us Jesus and He’s proven to be faithful. But people are only human and it’s hard to trust that they will still love you if you show them the real you.
Thanks Megan for your thoughts and encouragement to be the church to each other. We had a great time all serving together at Faith in Action (being the church)but if we added confession to the mix we would even be a healthier church.
Jamie I think you hit the nail on the head.May we have faith to trust.
Thanks Reeter…loved what you had to say…it definitely got me thinking. So here’s a confession for you…I’m a physical SLUG. Ask someone who has known me for some time and they will quickly recall my espousing that “this” year is “The Year of the Body”…where I would exercise regularly and get healthy. But very quickly those years (yes, plural) would become “The Year of the Booty.” After only a week or so of focus (but time enough to sign 18 month memberships at the gym, much to Brittany’s chagrin), I would re-assume my more sedentary ways. I mention this because I often feel like I’m a spiritual slug too. Clearly though, those chapters in my life where I am closest to Christ – having greater peace and joy, are characterized by a more intentional PRAYER life and focus on the WORD, as well as REAL RELATIONSHIPS where appropriate ACCOUNTABILITY and CONFESSION are even possible of happening. That said, I am incredibly thankful that God has placed me at CCC – where my heart and mind are challenged by great Biblical teaching (thanks Alan), where my soul is pointed in the right direction through worship and prayer (thanks Meggerita and Chris), where I’m asked the think and serve outside myself (thanks Robbie), and where I’m blessed and held in check through amazing friendships – inside and outside of my Community Group. Praise God! Seriously, PRAISE GOD! What did I do to deserve this?! Clearly, not much of anything. Thanks again Mango.
Megan – Thanks for the clear insight and encouragement. Prayer is the great work and as Vince Groff has said, “It’s hard work.” But God’s power and grace are sufficient. You tip the iceberg on the question of apparent answered prayer in ways and means we may not understand..or like…but I think God is about His glory first which ultimately is the best thing for us (o.k. I confess I’ve been reading Piper lately). The late Ray Stedman put it well when he explains that prayers are answered in a way that God’s glory is magnified and then we are able to preceive new insights into His character. Which, as you put it, has the dual effect of changing us in some area becuase His grace always accompanies His glory. Grace is the power that changes us.
Thanks for leading in Worship through being who God made you to be!
Megan, the part of James’ verse where he says “confess your sins to each other” is such an interesting topic. Coming from a Catholic environment, as Jon mentioned, I am used to going into a confessional and revealing my sins to a priest. For anyone that’s never had the experience, it can be very stressful. So if that’s not bad enough, now we’re expected to confess to our friends or family. I’m not so sure everyone can relate to this concept. It is so difficult to have the faith to trust. If we have a relationship with God, we can talk to him any time, any place about any thing.
The other part of the verse, “to pray for each other so that you may be healed.” I believe this occurs more often than we recognize. Praying for someone is much more comfortable to do then confessing to them. How often does a friend tell us that he/she or a member of their family has an illness or will be having an operation? And as Christians how do we respond? Perhaps something as simple as, “I certainly understand what you must be going through at this time. I will pray that your sister has a successful operation.
Confession involves pain, baggage, past, fear… all kinds of really great stuff! Which is why I either avoid confession or just plain don’t like it and don’t “do” much of it.
Honestly (and I think someone mentioned this.. maybe Herb), if my ability to confess and TALK openly and honestly with my wife would grow… it probably wouldn’t be much of a struggle with others. Could it be that it’s even strangely easier for me to confess to others… and not my wife! Yikes.
I’ve found Ezekial 36:26 can be a great prayer for someone to pray for someone else … that can often lead to healing confession. You pray for their spirit to be renewed, and for their heart of stone to be turned into a heart of flesh. You pray that verse for someone else, and you can’t help but be affected yourself — AND that can lead to Godly confession, sorrow, repentance, and ultimately to God’s kindness overflowing in a relationship. I don’t have the market monopolized on all of this, but I have seen God use this.
Ok… admittedly I’m rambling a bit like a preacher or Doug Scott
so I’ll close it down.
Megan, thanks for your authentic heart. Thanks for leading the way with worship when you’re in good seasons and difficult ones as well.
To Alan’s observation about confessing to spouses… I’ve found that my confession to Cindy is impeded by two things: my lack of faith in her ability to “handle it” and a personal desire to save face – my pride. Both are pretty pathetic. But there is no other way to be intimate in marriage then to have a confessional relationship. It’s an inescapable right of passage.
Upon further reflection, I think there may be a danger in seeing this verse as a mode to healing, if we place expectations on what that healing is. Sometime God does heal the body, other times he does not, but there is still healing in prayer.
Perhaps, be careful ‘how’ we pray for?
On confession: I read this morning (coincidence?)that confession serves (1) to require us to spell out our sins specifically and not gloss over the details (the person hearing our confession is hopefully going to require a bit more than “God, I’m sorry I was bad today.”); and (2) to remind us that God came to earth in human form, that he understands our temptations, and we can talk to him like we talk to our confessor/friend. The second point is one I had not considered before.
Certainly if we are physical, spiritual, and emotional beings created to live eternally with Christ, then healing takes on all new meaning. Our body may not be healed (at least not yet!) but our hearts are realigned with God…healed! In that context, I think spiritual healing, the kind brought on by confession and repentance is even more important than physical healing.
Megan, I love you! Thank you for sharing this today. This is something I struggle with more than anything I think. Being transparent with others and confessing to others and God. The timing of this was perfect. I agree with Alan (not just the being long-winded like Doug Scott comment:) but in thanking you for leading all of us with such an authentic heart.
And Doug…thanks for making me laugh out loud with the booty comment! I agree with being so grateful to be a part of a church that has been so helpful in encouraging, growing and holding me accountable for the last 9 years. I’m sooo thankful!
I just love prayer. It is so great to so close to our God, Abba, and Lover.
Thanks Megan!
Thanks for contributing this Megan, it definately makes me think.