03/10/2024
This morning we will study a subject that often perplexes those who are spiritual. My devotional reading today addressed the question "why is it important to pray for my bodily health and worldly matters?" E.M. Bounds reasoned that these things, albeit lower than the spiritual, have much to do with our religion. He went on to say that worldly matters, and our health, affect how we think and this makes them subjects of prayer. Through the years I have prayed for healing many times; not just my own healing but also that of others. Although I can't remember an instance in the Bible where Jesus prayed for His own healing, He healed the bodies of others so there is precedent for this.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ESV
We are creatures with one foot in the world and another in the spiritual realm. There have been times when I have been so sick that it interrupted my ability to pray in a manner I was accustomed to, and times that worldly worries kept me from coming to the Lord in the proper spirit. Praying for relief of these non-spiritual things is of paramount importance. Nothing should negatively impact our relationship with God.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
3 John 1:2 KJV
Yesterday we acknowledged that God deals in the details of our lives, and His desire to remove the worries and ailments that trouble us go hand in hand with that lesson. I love to read the Psalms because they demonstrate how intimately God involves Himself in our worldly existence. David wrote words such as...
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalms 46:1 KJV
Through the many Psalms we see prayers for the worldly matters of the author expressed over and over. It is God's Word and His will to provide for us; spiritually and physically. Our bodies and souls were joined for a reason and we should not neglect either.
Many times I have found that in seeking healing for the suffering in my life, I have received great spiritual blessings. When we come to the Lord in prayer and humility He answers us in ways that touch us to our very soul. When I had a child who was addicted to pain killers and I prayed month after month for God's intervention He increased my faith many fold, and then in a moment I can only refer to as miraculous... I gave it totally to Him, and He answered my prayers.
Our bodies are linked to our relationship with God... They are like the chalkboard on which a mathematician proofs his solution. God presents our spiritual lessons in physical examples. How could we understand humility without a body to be humbled? How could we understand serving without a body through which we could serve others? The lessons go on.
Jesus was God incarnate, but just as he was God, He was also man, and He prayed as a man.
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Matthew 26:39 KJV
This morning as you pray, don't neglect those things that are related to your own body and earthly existence. Pray for them, and as you do, remember to pray that God's will be done in your life. Let Him touch you physically in ways that teach you the lessons of faith and spirituality. Let him solve the detailed problems in your body, spirit, and life.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for tending to us, body, mind, and soul. Thank you for using our earthly existence to teach us spiritual lessons, and to prepare us in our faith, and belief, to worship you always. Lord, give us bodily strength, and mental clarity, so that they will not be impediments to our spiritual walk as we follow Jesus towards eternity with you. Open our eyes and circumcise our hearts as we travel through this world with you. Of all the earthly creatures you have created we know of no other that can step from the physical world into the spiritual realm that is your kingdom. Holy, Holy, Holy are you our God and the creator of all that surrounds us. You provide for us Father, and are merciful, good, and full of grace. You are giving, and you unselfishly sent your Son Jesus to live, suffer, die, and be resurrected so that our sins would be forgiven, and death defeated. We sing, pray, and shout joyfully how all glory is truly yours, how Jesus is our savior, and that your Holy Spirit lifts us up as it instructs us in your Word. Continue to use every part of us Lord, our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. Bring us closer to you and perfect us in Christ to the point that we too are pronounced as your beloved, and pleasing to you. We pray for the quick return of Jesus to resurrect the created, and uncreated in us, the physical and spiritual, the dust and the breath that you used to make us who we are, and to give us the life we contain. We worship you now and forevermore Father, and do so with our entire being; receive us now and for all eternity, and be blessed by our endless love and worship of you.
Amen
Rich Forbes