Chapter 17
Jeremiah's Prayer for Deliverance
…13O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. 14Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. 15Look, they keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!"…
Jeremiah 30:17
LORD, I KNOW that You will restore my health to me, and You will heal me of any wounds, because this is what You said.
14. (Jeremiah 3:22 NKJV) "Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings." "Indeed we do come to You, For You are the LORD our God.
15. (Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV) Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.
16. (Jeremiah 30:17 NKJV) For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."'
36. (James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15} And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
The theme of healing in the book of Jeremiah goes from cover to cover.
At first you might think it is a sub title or sub theme to the book
But, as I have explored this subject in this book I have come to see that the whole book is about healing.
Often though we are not sure what the real issue is:-
For example One afternoon, a man went to his doctor and told him that he hasn’t been feeling well lately. The doctor examined the man, left the room, and came back with three different bottles of pills. The doctor said, “Take the green pill with a big glass of water when you wake up. Take the blue pill with a big glass of water after you eat lunch. Then just before going to bed, take the red pill with another big glass of water.” Startled to be put on so much medicine, the man stammered, “Doc, exactly what is my problem?” The doctor replied, “You’re not drinking enough water.”
Israel was sick – the nations were attacking her and eventually she would be destroyed but the real problem was she was not drinking enough water – living water. The refreshing water that comes from being in correct relationship with God.
The nation was unhealthy and God sent Jeremiah to diagnose it’s sickness.
I think health is like that. We often think the red green or blue pills will solve our problems. The real answer is much simpler than that.
Sometimes the thing we give value to has no value at all, like the pills. While the thing we thought was irrelevant has the real value
Danny Simpson took an old "hand-me-down" Colt .45, and robbed a bank in Ontario, Canada. He got $6,000. When the Mounties caught-up with Danny they confiscated the gun. When the lab technician processed the weapon for fingerprints, he recognized it as a valuable collector’s item. Danny had owned a gun worth $100,000. He simply never imagined; much the same as believers who have a priceless availability of God’s wisdom. We simply must ask!
Israel in Jeremiah’s time always returned to the wrong methods to correct it’s problems, so that, Jeremiah had a mission the mission was to return to God.
See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10).
Jeremiah drew the short straw in his day but what Judah could not see was the thing of great value that was in it’s hand - Josiah, in Jeremiah’s time, discovered the way back to God, but in terms of history, it lasted for the blink of an eye before the nation was plunged again into rebellion again.
While all of this was happening the Prophet Jeremiah was prophesying often about healing.
If Judah had understood what Jeremiah was saying about God’s healing it could have been restored and healed – instead it too, like Israel before, was cast into exile.
This morning in 2017 we too find ourselves in a world that is swiftly moving against God and His word and therefore, Jeremiah the weeping Prophet is of great comfort to us.
This morning I think there are three things we can learn that provide a templet for us to hold up god’s healing to what will increasingly be a desperate nation and community.
The first thing is the healing power of God’s love
(Jeremiah 3:22 NKJV) "Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings." "Indeed we do come to You, For You are the LORD our God.
In this passage is the open invitation to return to God it seems it doesn’t matter what you have done God will welcome you back into his loving arms. The Apostle Paul managed to do terrible things in the name of religion but when he is confronted by God and he responds God immediately welcomes him into his family and elevates him to the role and status of an Apostle in the church.
In the parable of the prodigal son a wayward wasteful son is welcomed back into the family of God the moment he beats a path back towards home.
Robert Robinson was an English clergyman who lived in the 18th century. Not only was he a gifted pastor and preacher he was also a highly gifted poet and hymn writer. However, after many years in the pastorate his faith began to drift. He left the ministry and finished up in France, indulging himself in sin.
One night he was riding in a carriage with a Parisian socialite who had recently been converted to Christ. She was interested in his opinion on some poetry she was reading: Come thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing thy grace, Streams of mercy never failing, Call for hymns of loudest praise.
When she looked up from her reading the socialite noticed Robinson was crying.
“What do I think of it?” he asked in a broken voice. “I wrote it. But now I’ve drifted away from him and can’t find my way back.”
“But don’t you see” the woman said gently, “The way back is written right here in the third line of your poem: Streams of mercy never ceasing. Those streams are flowing even here in Paris tonight.”
That night Robinson recommitted his life to Christ.
Source: reported in R Kilpatrick, “Assurance and Sin” (Baker, 1993)
This great mercy was available to Israel and they began to walk that path under Josiah. Jesus once said – Come to me all you who are tired and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matthew chapter 11 verse 28
Once again there is that movement towards God and that movement is the movement towards restoration. It is the first step towards healing.
We need to understand that God’s first plan for humanity was not death, in fact, death has never been his plan at all. Our brother Adam had eternity in him from the moment that the eternal God breathed into him and the breath of God the "ruah" of God entered him and he walked in God’s eternal plan. Sickness and death were not part of his life – until he rebelled against God and then, his sin separated him from God. In real terms he was separated from God and it is this separation which bought about our need for healing at so many levels. So when Jeremiah says:- (Jeremiah 3:22 NKJV) "Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings. Indeed we do come to You, For You are the LORD our God." :-The return to God is followed by healing.
Some people say why does God not heal in this situation or that? The real question really is why will people not return to God.
So the first key to discovering God's healing is to return to God.
Secondly Jeremiah seems to encourage us to practice faith in relation to our healing.
Chapter 17
Jeremiah's Prayer for Deliverance
…13O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD. 14Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. 15Look, they keep saying to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!"…
He points out that those who forsake God will be put to shame and Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water. God alone has living water and Jesus in talking to the woman at the well talks of water that she has no knowledge of. It greatly disappoints me when I talk to unbelievers or, once were believers, about God and they seem to think that they can have life without the God who loves them. Jeremiah points out they will be written down. If you have ever had a business you will know that assets are written down a certain percentage each year until they have a zero book value. People who reject God are committing themselves to this same journey and destination. But the good news is Jeremiah says Heal me O Lord and I will be healed – Save me o Lord and I will be saved.
Josiah followed God and God blessed him until he took on a fight against Egypt which he wasn’t meant to fight. Then he died. Jehoahaz
His son came to power and it was only 3 months under his rebellious rule before his world came tumbling down on him.
Jeremiah is certain of the power of God to save and to heal.
Faith is a huge part of it. The sickness that came into humanity is healed by faith – That applies in two levels.
One, the spiritual connection to God, and two. the physical connection to God.
Our bodies have life because we contain the breath of God our spirits have life because we believe in the power and efficacy of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah anticipates this when he says - "Heal me O Lord and I will be healed – Save me O Lord and I will be saved."
Faith is huge part of healing. In Smith Wigglesworth's ministry - we find extraordinary examples.
One day he and his wife received a letter from a young man asking for prayer. He had been healed about three years before of a bad foot, and they had lost all trace of him since, until this urgent cry came from a home where in the natural, death was soon to enter. When the letter came Mrs. Wigglesworth said to her husband, “If you go, God will give you this case.” He telegraphed he would go, and started, riding from Grantham, nine miles away to Willsford, on his bicycle. When he reached the village he inquired where the young man, Matthew Snell, lived. He had heart failure and had to lie perfectly still in one place. The doctor said if he moved from that place he would die, and left him, never expecting to see him alive again. When Mr. Wigglesworth reached the house, the mother of the young man stood in the doorway and said, “Oh you have come too late.” “Is he alive at all?” was asked. “Yes, he is just alive. ”
He went into the parlor where he was lying. The young man, Matthew, said in a low voice, “I cannot rise, I am too weak, and the doctor says if I turn around I shall die.” Mr. Wigglesworth said this to him, “Matthew, the Lord is the strength of thy heart and thy portion altogether. Will you believe that the Lord will raise you up for His glory?” The young man answered, “Lord, if You will raise me up for Your glory I will give You my life.” Hands were laid on him in the name of the Lord Jesus and instantly new life came into him. “Shall I arise?” he asked, but the ministering servant felt he should lie perfectly quiet and so advised. The night was spent in prayer and the next morning Brother Wigglesworth attended the ten o’clock meeting in the Primitive Methodist Chapel. He was asked to speak and talked of faith in God, and from that moment the unbelief seemed to clear away from the village people. They came to him at the close of the service and said, “We believe Matthew will be raised up.” He had asked the family to air Matthew’s clothing for him to put on, but they didn’t do it because they did not believe he would be restored. For six weeks he had been in a serious condition, becoming weaker all the time. Mr. Wigglesworth insisted on their airing Matthew’s clothing and they did it, not because they believed for healing, but to satisfy him.
About 2:30 he went into the room where the young man lay and said, “Now I would like this to be for the glory of God. It shall never be said that Wigglesworth raised you up.” The young man answered, “For Thy glory, Lord; my life shall be for Thee.” Then the servant of the Lord said, “Matthew, I believe the moment I lay hands on you the glory of God will fill this place so I shall not be able to stand.” As he did this the glory of the Lord fell upon them until he fell on his face to the floor; it increased until everything in the room shook, the bed and Matthew who was on the bed, and with a strong voice the young man cried out, “For Thy glory, Lord !” “For Thy glory!” This continued for at least fifteen minutes, when it was apparent to them God would give him strength not only to rise but to dress in the glorious power which seemed like the description given of the temple being filled with the glory of God, and the young man was walking up and down, shouting and praising God and clapping his hands. He went to the door and called to his father that the Lord had raised him up. His father was a backslider and fell down before God and cried for mercy. His sister, who had been brought out of an asylum and was threatened with another attack of insanity, in the manifestation of that glory was delivered from that time. That weak body immediately became strong, eating regular food immediately. The doctor came and examined his heart and declared it was all right. Matthew declared it should be for the Lord’s glory and at once began preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost. His own statement is that when he gives the story of his healing many are saved.
Thirdly God is our praise – There is healing in worship! Jeremiah says 4Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. When I contemplated this passage I came to realise that The last words For you are my praise were critical
Two weeks ago I was on a plane from Sydney to Bangkok. the man next to me was trying to convince me that the world was flat and I thought, this is going to be a long flight. I shared and praised Christ to him.
Eventually he asked for prayer for a breathing difficulty he had
I laid my hand on his chest and prayed for healing in Jesus name.
I moved on but my wife back in New Zealand, received a call from Bangkok, The man was completely healed and praising God for it.
For you are my praise means what you adore, what you focus on, is the glory of God it is really the first commandment – When we read the word, "for", in a sentence like this it is a conclusion from the previous statements. 4Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.
When our whole lives are given over to God in Praise, credit and adoration then healing and salvation follows.
When your whole life is an act of giving glory and adoration to God then the work of the Holy spirit follows.
