A Prayer for Those Walking through Illness

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

"Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." Jeremiah 17:14 NIV

SOMETHING TO PONDER

Healing for our bodies doesn’t always happen the way we want it to, does it? Sometimes it seems you get one symptom under control, but another pops up. For twenty-two years, I cared for my daughter, Taylor, who lived with a disease that stole her piece by piece. Maybe you live a similar life. Suffering and in pain. Her body stopped doing the things bodies are designed to do, one small function at a time.

Caregiving or coping with a long illness isn’t usually as dramatic as the movies paint it. There’s a recurring effort to get a body to do what it should when it won’t cooperate. That repeating often stretches into day after day. While you’re in it, there’s no finish line. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to be hiding.

Maybe tonight you’re dealing with fatigue. Whether your own body is failing or a loved one’s, you’ve maybe watched something that used to work stop working. You’ve managed symptoms so long that you’ve forgotten what it’s like not to have a problem.

Jeremiah knew about things that break and bodies that break down. His entire nation had come apart. Our verse today is from the middle of his book, and this line is a prayer. “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed.”

The statement seems simple enough, but if you think about this, he’s saying, “All healing belongs to God.” He knew he couldn’t bring healing to himself or his nation. He couldn’t muster up enough strength on his own to get moving. No, Jeremiah was asking for the deepest kind of healing that only the Maker of the body could give.

It’s a hard prayer to pray when you’ve not seen healing come the way you want it to. I’ve prayed for healing that arrived in heaven instead of on this side of it. But when I read today’s verse, I realize prayer for healing is not a bargaining tool. It’s an act of trust.

We ask because God is the Creator of our fragile, failing bodies in the first place, and He will never stop caring about them.

If your body feels like it’s wearing out or wearing down, or maybe you’re worn out from caring for someone whose body is, you can still bring it all to God tonight.

Let me whisper to your heart tonight: The Healer still heals; the Savior still saves.

Will you pray with me?

Your Nightly Prayer

Father, I’m giving you a body that isn’t working the way it should. You know the disease, the symptoms, and the aches and pains. You are intimately familiar with every part that has quit doing what You’ve designed it to do. You know the weariness of caring for problems or watching someone I love try to endure their struggles and pains.

Lord, I’m tired of managing what is not healing. I confess that I sometimes stop asking You for healing because I’m afraid of the answer.

But You are the God who heals. Whether my healing comes tonight or tomorrow, years from now, or on the other side of heaven, You are still the One I praise. Would you hold my hurting heart and this hurting body in Your hands while I sleep?

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Who You’re Asking: When you pray for healing, who do you picture on the other end of your prayer? Are you imagining God is tired of hearing all that He’s heard before? He never tires. Rest tonight knowing that your prayer has reached the heavenly throne room and God the Creator Himself reigns there.

2. Healing You Can’t See: Would you recognize your miracle if it arrived packaged differently than you have imagined? God is at work in the parts of us that no scan can reach. Ask Him to heal all that lies underneath your symptoms, whether fear, discouragement, or weariness.

3. Lay Down the Managing: Have you been carrying tasks all day without settling down for even a moment? Whether it’s watching the clock for meds and appointments or simply watching and worrying, you were never designed to hold it all on your own. Loosen your grip and let the Lord keep watch while you rest.

Thank you for joining us tonight. We hope this prayer has encouraged your heart. If you're battling problems you never requested in life, we invite you to check out Rachel's book, Praying through Life’s Battles: 90 Days to Strengthen Your Faith. at https://battleprayers.com. Until next time, remember, God sees you, He hears you, and He knows your needs.

Go Deeper: Tired of Being Sick: Praying through Slow Healing

If you're living with chronic pain, a diagnosis you're still trying to understand, depression or anxiety that won't lift, or a recovery that's taking far longer than you thought it would, this episode is for you. Rachel talks about how to keep praying when your body won't cooperate and you're worn out from fighting the same battle, and she shares the story of her friend Keri, who is counting small, daily answers to prayer during a long recovery from back surgery. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to follow Untangling Prayer on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

Rachel Wojo is an inspirational author, public speaker, and podcaster known for her popular blog, rachelwojo.com. Through her biblical approach and personal life experiences, Rachel empowers women to discover strength and hope in everyday situations. Despite enduring the loss of her mother, adult special needs daughter, and father, Rachel remains resilient. She has authored the uplifting book, Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life's Darkest Moments and recently released the 90-day devotional, Praying through Life’s Battles. Rachel is crazy in love with her husband, Matt, and cherishes her motherhood with six children on earth and two in heaven.