Sermon Mark 1:29-39 Early Morning Prayers for Healing

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Mark 1:29-39 Early Morning Prayers for Healing
(Adapted from Ken Blue, Authority to Heal)
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
February 8, 2009


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Today we are continuing our journey as we accompany Jesus and four disciples through Jesus’ early ministry as recorded in the first chapter of Mark. Two weeks ago we watched as Jesus proclaimed the good news that the kingdom of God was near which had an immediate transformative effect on four ordinary fishermen who then followed Jesus. Last week we entered into the synagogue with these five and witnessed Jesus rebuke and cast out unclean spirits that were tormenting one of God’s people. Today we will follow Jesus to a solitary place, early in the morning, before the sun rises, to pray for the power to heal the sick.

Before we continue this journey please close your eyes, bow your heads and pray with me. Lord Jesus, we ask that keep our joys and concerns in your prayers. As you talk with the Father early each morning we ask that you intercede for us and heal our illnesses and the illnesses of those we care about. We pray this knowing your desire to heal the sick and your great love and compassion for us. Amen.
Mark 1:29-39 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." 38 He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Every Sunday we gather here and share our joys and concerns and pray for each other. Every day I, with Grace and Gary Windberg, meet here in this sanctuary at 6am to pray for the church. Just like Jesus we gather early in the morning while it is still dark and we pray for all of your joys and concerns that that you give me each week. I write those prayer requests down in this little book and carry it around with me wherever I go. And each day at morning prayers I pray for each of you.

During these prayers we pray for healing. If you are in the hospital we pray for you. If your son’s cancer has returned we pray for his healing. If your daughter’s marriage is on the rocks we pray for her relationship to heal. Prayers for healing dominate our early morning prayers. But do they work? Does prayer actually lead to healing? Many Christians today are skeptical and others pray with great confidence.

Take, for example, Richard. Richard is a seminary student pursuing ordination. He came to the decision to enter the ministry after experiencing a stroke which essentially paralyzed the right side of his body. After months of physical therapy he decided to enter seminary. While working as an intern at a small church he went into the pastor’s study for his weekly supervision. The pastor asked Richard if he could pray for his paralysis to be healed. Richard said “no”. His suffering had brought him so close to God. Richard was certain the God had used the paralysis to bring him into the ministry. The paralysis was the thorn in the flesh described by the apostle Paul which brought Richard closer to God. So Richard left the pastor’s office without prayers for healing.

Or consider Carole: Carole has been a devoted Christian her whole life. She volunteered in the church for decades working with children. And as she got older she led the women’s group. One day Carole was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The pastor went to see her in the hospital and asked if he could pray for her. Carole said “no”. Carole believed that the cancer was part of God’s plan for her life. God had decided before she was born that her life would end because of this cancer. If God wanted to cure the cancer he was perfectly welcome to do so. But if God wanted Carole to die of the cancer, then, she thought, let God’s will be done. So the pastor prayed for comfort and for the reduction of pain but not for healing.

Or maybe Bev and Mark: Bev and Mark were very active in a large church on the edge of town. The hosted a Tuesday evening covenant group in their home. When Bev and Mark wanted to get pregnant they asked the covenant group to pray. And within a few months a beautiful baby named Brian was conceived. Bev and Mark strongly believed in prayer. So when the ten month old Brian came down with a fever they began to pray. They believed that if their faith was strong enough Brian would be made well. Their covenant group prayed, but Brian got worse. Bev asked the prayer warriors at her church to pray for Brian. Continuous prayers 24 hours a day were said for the sick baby. But Brian got worse, his temperature rose, he lost his hearing and became blind. On Sunday the pastor preached on the need for strong faith and that afternoon Brian died. An autopsy revealed that he suffered from meningitis, which could have been easily cured. Bev and Mark were filled with guilt, and a few months later they left the church.

These examples show the diversity of the misconceptions Christians have about healing. Many of us believe that the suffering that comes from illness will bring us closer to God. Others believe that the suffering that comes for illness is part of God plan for our lives. And still others believe that if our faith is strong enough and if we pray in the right way healing is assured. All of these ideas are wrong. Let’s look at what Christian healing is all about.

The New Testament tells us that suffering is sometimes used by God to make us more holy. God uses suffering to refine to believer the way a blacksmith uses fire to refine metal. But the suffering that God uses to improve us is always the suffering that results from persecutions because of our faith. Suffering for our faith is our cross to bear, but suffering from illness is never used by God to improve us. Rather it is clear from scripture that God desires that all illness be healed. That is why Jesus healed those who suffered from disease. And that is why we pray for healing. The Apostle James put it this way,

James 5:13-16 13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

We know that everything on heaven and on earth is governed by the will of God. So when we get sick it may seem that it is God’s will that we suffer. Our belief in God’s sovereignty often leads us to laziness and inaction. We think: “If God wants the church to grow he will grow it.” Likewise we think: “If God wants the sick to be healed then God will heal the sick. But this kind of thinking ignores that fact that we have a role to play in the kingdom of God. For the church to grow we all have to invite people to come to worship. If we want healing to occur then we need to pray for healing. But we have to remember that God is free to act and may not heal when our prayers request it. The Apostle Paul said it like this,

Romans 8:26-28 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

We know that prayer works, but some Christians believe that they have found a formula that ensures healing. They believe that if you have sufficient faith then your prayers for healing will be effective. These Christian try to banish from their minds all negative thoughts, confess positively, speak the word of faith, and then name and claim the blessing of complete and total healing. They believe that there is a causal link between sufficient faith and healing. But when the healing they pray for does not occur they experience great guilt for having insufficient faith. Prayer is not a magical spell and does not always yields the desired result if done in the right way. Since we live in an in-between time after Jesus’ first coming and before the final coming we should expect that the promises of the kingdom will not yet be fully realized. People still suffer from disease and death regardless of what we do. In our scripture today Peter’s mother did not come to Jesus in faith requesting healing. Rather Jesus, out of his love and compassion healed her first and then she followed Jesus by becoming the very first deacon and serving the other followers.

As we have been following Jesus through his early ministry we have seen that it consists of proclaiming that the kingdom of God is near. The primary way that Jesus showed the world this reality was by healing the sick. In healing Jesus demonstrated his compassion for us. Jesus also demonstrated God’s desire that everyone be healed. Healing today serves this same function. God heals the sick to demonstrate his compassionate love for all of us. God has not abolished suffering and death yet. But with healing we have a foretaste of what the kingdom of God will be like. Once God fully manifests his kingdom on earth there will no longer be disease and death. And it is this faith in the coming kingdom that allows us to pray for healing here and now. I am not satisfied with the rate of healings here in the 21st century. I would prefer to see everyone healed. But if we trust the God who loves us and cares for us then we can approach that God in boldness and pray for healing. And this faith in the kingdom of God will sustain us whether our prayers for healing are answered positively or not. So have faith in the God who sent his son to heal the sick.

Our faith in a God who loves us and desires healing is why we join with Jesus every morning before the sun rises to pray for the congregation. Join us at 6AM Tuesdays through Saturdays for this important work of the church. Help us to pray for healing and to pray with Jesus the words “thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

Father in heaven, we long for the day when your kingdom will finally come and disease and death will go away. We thank you that you give us a glimpse of what this kingdom will be like when you answer our prayers for healing. Listen today to our prayers for healing for ourselves, our families and our friends. And listen to our prayers each day at 6AM. Amen.