Why God Heals In Answer To Prayer - Part 2 Series

Why God Heals in Answer to Prayer (Part 2)

Philippians 2:25-30

Sermon by Rick Crandall

McClendon Baptist Church - Sept. 4, 2005

*Hurricane Katrina has brought mind-boggling destruction to Louisiana and Mississippi. Yesterday FEMA reported that the area affected by Katrina covers 90,000 square miles. That is an area larger than all of Great Britain. Right now, over 100,000 people are in shelters, and there is no way to know how many people have died.

*God has surely heard echoes of David’s cry in Psalm 69, where he prayed:

1. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.

2. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

3. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

*A few verses later David went on to say:

13. . . . as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

14. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

15. Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

16. Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

*In times like these it is good to remember the goodness and mercy of God. It is good to remember that our God is a healer. So today we will take a second look at the question: Why does God heal in answer to prayer? (Please open your Bibles to Philippians 2:25-30. There Paul said:

25. I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;

26. since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

27. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

28. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.

29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;

30. because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.

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*Why does God heal in answer to prayer? Last week we started by looking at some essential truths about answered prayer for healing. Ground rules, so to speak. First, we know that God doesn’t always heal in answer to prayer. But as Christians, we know that His wisdom is infinite, and we know that this world is not our home. The 2nd ground rule was that healing is a mystery. We really don’t know why some people suffer more than others. So, we have to be very careful about trying to explain why someone is sick. -- That’s the 3rd ground rule. And the 4th rule is that we believe in doctors and medicine. As Jesus said in Matthew 9:12, “People who are sick need a physician.”

*I thank God for the shoulder surgeries I had. And I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the procedure that broke-up my kidney stone! Edwin said his kidney stone felt like a rocking chair wrapped in barbwire. I know what he means! Medical science helps people every day.

*Last week we looked at those ground rules. Then we focused on the evidence for answered prayer, and the evidence is all around us: studies, stories and Scripture.

*Janis told me a great story this week about her sister Joanna. It happened back when Joanna was a freshman in college and she was engaged to Dinky. It was only a 5-mile trip from Joanna’s to Dinky’s, and Joanna always wore her seatbelt. -- But this time the seatbelt in his truck didn’t work.

*On the way, something slid off the seat and as Dinky reached for it, he ran off the road. The tire blew and the truck rolled. Dinky was thrown out on the first flip and watched the truck roll 3 or 4 more times before Joanna was ejected. She was hit in the back of the head and her neck was broken. The x-ray showed that her top vertebra was broken, and that it had slid down toward Joanna’s spinal cord.