"Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise."
Jeremiah 17:14 (KJV)
Today's Bible Study
In this morning's verse, the prophet Jeremiah talks about the many sins of the Kingdom of Judah, which was formerly part of Israel. The people have turned against God and will face the consequences of their sins. If they turn away from sin, however, the Lord will be gracious and save them. Let's talk about how this applies to our lives today.
The verse asserts God's sovereignty over every circumstance. Jeremiah says that if God wills to heal Judah, He will heal the kingdom; in the same way, if He wills to save Judah, He will save the kingdom. The Lord has power over everything that happens; nothing will miss his attention or occur by accident. By writing this verse, Jeremiah confirms his faith that God can do whatever He pleases. Nothing will stop the Lord from honoring His promises or being faithful to His servants.
When you pray for healing: spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and otherwise, do your words reflect the same confidence as Jeremiah? To be honest, my prayers don't often sound very much like Jeremiah's words. Sometimes praying for healing seems like what I am supposed to do instead of truly asking God to intervene. When that happens, we can model our prayers after Jeremiah's, saying something like, Lord, I know you can heal me, and I ask that you would for your own glory.
God doesn't always answer these prayers as we would like Him to. Indeed, the Kingdom of Judah did fall because of the people's sins and unrepentant hearts. When this happens, we can remember that God is still faithful and good. We don't have to understand why he works in the way He does, but instead, continue to have faith that He will work everything together for His glory. When we pray for healing, we can believe that He will hear us, and will never forsake us no matter what.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for always being willing to show me compassion. Thank you for answering my prayers when I come to you with an honest, contrite heart. You are so good to me, and I love you, Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.
