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A Prayer of Longing for the Day of Complete Healing

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Rev. 22:1-2

Merciful Jesus, I begin today with one hope-filled image and many intense longings. The image is John’s vision of the New Jerusalem—our future home of perfect health. Because of the tree of Calvary, the tree of life will stand tall in the New Jerusalem. It will bear the life-giving fruit of your great sacrifice, extending its leaves for our complete healing. O, how we look forward to living, playing and praising in the shade of that tree, where every disease, malady and illness will be gone forever!

The hope of that Day intensifies my longings for people I love—friends in need of all kinds of healing. I pray for children stricken with life-altering diseases. It’s so hard to watch them hurt, Jesus. Bring the power of your resurrection to bear; For fractured marriages of close friends. Humble one spouse, then the other; For those suffering with mental and emotional illnesses, and for their caregivers. Have mercy, O Lord; For the fabric of our racially torn community. Please bring a foretaste of the New Jerusalem into our city; For friends with stories of abuse; cancer, in its many forms; and heart disease, both physical and spiritual. Pour out BIG grace, Jesus; Indeed, for the nations to be healed—for the day of no more war or rumors of war. That Day cannot come too soon.

Even as I pray for these things, Lord Jesus, I confess I don’t understand, and I don’t have to understand, the “already and not yet” of your healing ministry. When, where and how you choose to bring manifestations of healing is up to you. You are the King who does all things well, not a computer that needs to be programmed. You don’t need our permission to do anything, nor are you waiting for us to motivate you to action. However… you do honor the faith you give us.

So, Lord Jesus, help me avoid two extremes: keep me free from faith formulas that treat healing like an on-demand right; and keep me free from a theology that has little or no expectation of your kingdom breaking in with healing power. More so than ever, I intensely crave the Day of perfect health. Until that day, extend your healing hand and heart, to us and through us. So very Amen I pray, in your grace-full and powerful name.

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