Prayer, the Sick, and the Kingdom

“As you go proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” Matthew 10:7-8 (NIV).

Miracles seem to happen most on the cutting edge of mission.

Story: During six years of leading a church in Harare, Zimbabwe, in the mid-1990s, we witnessed a significant number of healings. Wherever possible, I kept careful records of what had happened, and during the years afterwards, as I reflected on what God had done, I began to see that often the miraculous healings opened up further opportunities for the preaching of the gospel. One woman was powerfully healed of severe anorexia, with the result that several people in her family came to hear about Christ. Another man was healed of cancer on his head, with the result that he took the Alpha course back to his church, and later, many churches in his denomination were running Alpha for their non-Christian friends.

Story: A friend living in a North African country wrote this in a recent letter (some words are deliberately changed to protect the work): “I’ve been pondering the words of J* afresh in Luke 10 when entering a house of peace. J* commands us to enter, share peace, eat the food, heal the sick, and share the Gospe!. It’s easy for us to stop at just eating the food! However, it’s natural for a Mus!im to obey the words of their prophet. So when we say to them we are commanded to do other things other than just eat, it’s understandable for them to accept those things based on our religion. It’s an open door to praying for the sick and sharing the gospe!.

‘Thank you for the food, it was delicious. You know J* commands Christians that whenever we are invited into someone’s home and are given food or drink, we are to also pray for healing and share the good news about him. We would be honoured to pray for you and tell you this good news.’

I think every Mus!im and maybe even more people in the West, on hearing that, may well respond positively to receiving prayer for healing and hearing the Gospel.”

And then he added, “Why not go for a walk this week yourself, and ask God to lead you to a person of peace, and to a home of peace.”

Let’s offer to pray for the sick in Jesus’ name and then watch what happens.