How To Pray For The Sick

Healing Prayer
Healing prayer for the sick has been an area of contention and misunderstanding for a long time. I believe it was God’s intention to release all the gifts of the Spirit to all of His children. At the bottom of this post, I’ve mentioned some resources you can consult to get a deeper understanding and a proper framework regarding healing.

 

I.  PERSPECTIVE

We will look at healing from the perspective of the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom expected

• Throughout the Old Testament, the Kingdom of God was expected to come in the future.
• Although the situation in the world seemed to be deteriorating, a future expectation was clear.
• Some highlights: Creation and dominion, The fall and promise, Call of Abraham, Israel as a kingdom of priests, Kingship and the promise of a future King of Israel, Voice of the prophets, Messianic expectation, Intertestimental eschatology.

The Kingdom Now but Not Yet

• Jesus came preaching the Good News of the Kingdom against the backdrop of these expectations.
• God himself has come to dwell among people. The teaching and demonstration of Jesus was focused on explaining and revealing God’s kingdom on this earth.
• Although the kingdom was inaugurated at the time of Jesus, it would only come in its fullness at a future time. For now, the Kingdom of Evil exists alongside the Kingdom of God.
• Therefore, we see the works of the kingdom of God active through changed lives, healing, and the miraculous. But we also see the active evidence of the kingdom of Evil on this earth. So the Kingdom of God is here Now, but Not yet in its fullness.

II.  PRACTICE

Here are five steps to use as you heal the sick. Use it and bless others (and be blessed).
1. Ask the person about their pain.
● Find out details about their sickness.
● Find out where it hurts, when it started, and if the pain is constant intermittent. Find out if they are experiencing the pain now (at the time of prayer).
● Be loving and friendly.
2. Listen to the person and the Holy Spirit.

• The Spirit will speak to you about their condition. He will show you the root of the problem.
• Listen carefully to the person and get a clear understanding about their pain.

● The problem may just be a physical one.
● Often there is a spiritual dimension.
● It may be related to various issues of rejection, unforgiveness, jealousy, sin, and a host of other emotional problems may cause the sickness they are suffering.
3. Decide how to pray.

• Based on the information from the person and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, make a decision how you should pray for this person.

● Prayer of petition

• Help them to forgive others (deal with issues of unforgiveness)
• They may need to confess sins to God.

● Command the sickness to leave, the body parts to be re-aligned, etc.
4. Pray
● Be focused and determined. Let your words be few. Don’t pray like a “chatter-box.”
● Have faith that God will heal, but at the same time, allow Him to be sovereign, if He doesn’t.

• Pray with your eyes open – to see what God is doing in/on that person.
• Speak to the condition, the body part, the pain, etc.
• After several attempts, pray against the Spirit of Sickness and command it to leave the person’s body.

***Now, go back to step 1 and ask again how they feel. If they are completely healed, go to step 5. Otherwise, go through the first four steps several times until healing occurs. If the person is not healed after several attempts, there are several possibilities:

• The healing will be gradual.
• Emotional healing is required.
• Spiritual issues need to resolved.
• Healing will occur gradually through the use of medicines and prayer.
• Unknown reasons that the Holy Spirit may reveal later.

5. Encourage – Give final directions

• A word of encouragement and love will bring the prayer session to a proper close.
• Offer a verse from the Bible as an encouragement or instruction.
• Words of instruction also may be given on maintaining the healing
• Encourage them to pray for the healing of others

Resources

• Power Healing by John Wimber
• Healing Ministry by Jack Moraine
• Do What Jesus Did by Robby Dawkins
• Naturally Supernatural by Gary Best
• Ministry Time by Rick Evans
• www.barnabas.in/ministry-resources