‘Pray for each other so that you may be healed.’ James 5:16 NLT
Paul writes, ‘Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:6–7 GWT)
Here are three final thoughts on the power of prayer:
(1) Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan found that when prayer and religious practices are important to people, their stress levels reduce and they experience much less anxiety.
(2) University of Texas researchers determined that people who regularly attend church take a more active role in maintaining their health. They’re more likely to get regular check–ups and take vitamins, and less likely to abuse alcohol and tobacco. They also tend to exercise daily and get a good night’s sleep. Consequently, they live longer, healthier lives. The Bible says your body is the home of the Holy Spirit…it doesn’t belong to you (see 1 Corinthians 6:19), so you must respect and take care of it.
(3) Research on Aging published study results from three major universities showing that people who hold meaningful religious beliefs and live accordingly are less likely to suffer from heart disease. The key lies in the critical role of blood pressure and heart disease. People who described their perspective as, ‘My religious beliefs are what lie behind my approach to life,’ had healthier blood pressure readings and weren’t negatively affected when they experienced stress.
It’s important to note that all these research reports were published by secular, non–religious organisations. The truth is, daily prayer enriches and enhances every aspect of your life.
SoulFood:
2 Kings 20:1–11 ()
()
20:1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Now, O LORD, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD, 6 and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.” 7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” 9 And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” 10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.
Hebrews 8:7–13 ()
()
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8 For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©