Good morning on this soggy Saturday, September, 13th. During the nearly forty years I have been pastor of the Edgewood Baptist Church, I cannot remember any period in which we have had so many of our people who have gone through so many serious illnesses. Nearly twenty people are struggling with bouts of cancer; others are battling heart disease, kidney problems, serious digestive diseases and a host of other medical problems. The Bible admonishes us to pray for one another that we many be healed (James 5:16), and it also reminds us that because we are part of the same body of Christ, we are organically joined together like members of our physical bodies whose various parts work together to meet the needs of each other and the entire body (Romans 12:5). Consequently, we are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). Here are some suggestions about how to faithfully pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have special needs:
1. Take a copy of the church's prayer list and use it as a prayer guide.
2. Make a personal prayer list, put the names of those who are seriously ill at the top of the list, others who are ill or have special needs next, then your family and friends together with other's requests given to you, followed by other requests including your own, and pray for these daily. Keep your personal prayer list updated by adding new requests as needed and removing the requests which God has answered. Always remember to give God thanks for each answered prayer.
3. Have a general list of fellow members of the body, and others you are praying God's blessings upon and break the list down into segments and pray over one of the segments every day. By praying for a segment each day you can pray for all of those folks on an individual basis every month.
4. These procedures focus on intercessory prayer or praying for others and their needs. Additionally you will want to include in your prayers, praying for all of your own personal needs (petitions), confession of sins, and praise and thanksgiving to God. This will help you to have a systematic and comprehensive prayer list.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Catching the Little Foxes. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Pastor Mel Brown