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Reader #1
2 Chronicles 20:12b – “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Nikon of Optina (20th century) – “Do not forget prayer – it is the life of the soul.”
Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom by Derek Morphew – “Every time you pray for the sick, you should be full of expectation. The veil has been rent. Anything is possible at any moment, including the freedom of the captives, the healing of the sick, and the raising of the dead … At the same time, however, we must humbly and frankly acknowledge that often those we pray for aren’t healed the way we hoped or expected. Others are only healed partially. Still others, not at all. Even those who are miraculously and wondrously healed will eventually grow old and die.”
Macarius of Optina (19th century) – “We do not know the judgments of God, but he does everything for our benefit. We are bound to earthly blessings, but he desires to give us future blessings through brief sicknesses on this earth.”
Reader #2
Psalm 12:1a – “Help, O Lord”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “‘Help, Lord’ serves the living and the dying, the unemployed or the working, the rejoicing or the sorrowing. Our help is found in him, so may we not be slow to cry out to him.”
Shenoute the Great (4th century) – “Hear us, O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through your name the sea is calmed, the fire is quenched and the grave and death are brought to nothing; You comfort those who are oppressed, you heal those who are suffering; Those who are lost in the sea you come to their aid; In like manner, my Lord, also come to help us and deliver us from this time; For you are the true God, the help of those who are oppressed and in tribulation and yours is the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Albert Edward Day – “True prayer is the opening of our hearts to the divine presence by renouncing our petty affections, our juvenile aversions, our adult passions and resentments, our socially conditioned fears and frenzies, all of which hamper God’s effort to help and to heal. In true prayer there is always a housecleaning, an examination of self in the light of Christ, a ‘change of heart.’”
Reader #3
Psalm 38:15 – “But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”
Psalm 130:5-6 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “If you have been knocking at God’s gate of mercy but have not received an answer, … our Father has reasons for keeping us waiting that are all his own … All your prayers are filed in heaven, and although they may not be answered immediately, they are not forgotten, for in just a little while they will be fulfilled to your complete delight and satisfaction. Therefore, never allow despair to cause you to become silent but remain earnest and ‘faithful in prayer.’”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “Whatever your need this morning, may it be a strong river taking you to the ocean of God’s divine love. Jesus can quickly remove your sorrow, for he delights to comfort you. May you quickly run to him while he waits to meet with you.”
Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer by Max Lucado – “If Jesus heals you instantly, praise him. If you are still waiting for healing, trust him. Your suffering is your sermon.”
Reader #4
Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “There is One who cares for you. His eye is fixed upon you, his heart beats with pity for your suffering, and his omnipotent hand will not fail to provide you help. Even the darkest storm cloud will be scattered into showers of mercy and the darkest night will give way to the morning sun. If you are a member of his family, he will bind your wounds and heal your broken heart. Never doubt his grace because of the troubles in your life, but believe he loves you just as much during the seasons of trouble as in times of happiness … He has never refused to bear your burdens, nor has he ever fainted underneath their weight. Come then, dear soul. Be done with fretting and worry – leave all your concerns in the hands of your gracious God.”
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – “If we did not know some Christians well, we might think from just observing them that they have no burdens at all to bear. But we must lift the veil from our eyes. The fact that the peace, light, and joy of God is in them is proof that a burden is there as well. The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden. No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility. If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out.”
Reader #5
Psalm 86:5-7 – “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The Attributes of God by A. W. Tozer – “Don’t pity yourself. Don’t be afraid to tell God your troubles. He knows all about your troubles … And our Fellow Sufferer still retains a fellow feeling for our pains and still remembers in the skies his tears, his agonies and cries, though he’s now at the right hand of the Father Almighty … he hasn’t forgotten us, and he hasn’t forgotten the nails in his hands, the tears, the agonies and cries. He knows everything about you. He knows! He knows when the doctor hates to tell you what’s wrong with you and your friends come and try to be unnaturally encouraging. He knows!
With boldness, therefore at the throne
Let us make all our sorrows known
And ask the aid of the heavenly power
To help us in the evil hour.”
Reader #6
Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Isaiah 26:3 – “Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace— in peace because they trust in you.”
Here and Now: Living in the Spirit by Henri Nouwen – “Jesus says, ‘Let go of your complaints, forgive those who loved you poorly, step over your feelings of being rejected, and have the courage to trust that you won’t fall into an abyss of nothingness but into the safe embrace of a God whose love will heal all your wounds.”
Safe in the Shepherd’s Arms by Max Lucado – “For you to be healthy, you must rest. Slow down, and God will heal you. He will bring rest to your mind, to your body, and most of all to your soul. He will lead you to green pastures.”
Anthony of Optina (19th century) – “When a man acquires a courageous spirit, then in times of all infirmities and physical ailments he can be peaceful and content with his situation.”
Anthony of Optina – “We cannot ascertain why a young man dies prematurely, while another elderly man yearns for it his whole life, and groans from work and exhaustion but does not die. The Lord God arranges and grants what is beneficial for each of us, most wisely, lovingly, and inscrutably.”
Reader #7
Isaiah 41:13 – “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”
Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning – “In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.”
The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen – “We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with Him and Him alone. Only in the context of grace can we face our sin; only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds; only with a single-minded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature. Solitude is a place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world.”
Reader #8
Matthew 6:6 – “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Making All Things New by Henri Nouwen – “solitude begins with a time and a place for God, and God alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that God is actively present in our lives– healing, teaching and guiding– we need to set aside a time and space to give God our undivided attention.”
Teach Me to Pray by Andrew Murray: “The scriptural calls to prayer demand a large heart, taking in all saints, and all men and women, and all needs … It may be difficult to pray for such large spheres … Where one subject appears of more special interest or more urgent than another, spend some time day after day to pray about that … While the heart must be enlarged at times to take in all, the more pointed and definite our prayer can be, the better.”
Nikon of Optina – “When sorrows shake our souls, our hearts tremble, and our thoughts are confused, our only refuge is the Lord.”
Nectarius of Optina (19th century) – “At all times, whatever you may be doing: whether you are sitting, or walking, or working, say with the heart, ‘Lord have mercy.’”
Nectarius of Optina – “The power of prayer is not in many words, but in the sincerity of a prayerful sigh.”
Reader #9
Matthew 9:35-38 – “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning – “God is calling each and every Christian to personally participate in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”
Power Evangelism by John Wimber – “Christian signs and wonders are beyond rationality, but they serve a rational purpose: to authenticate the gospel. The gospel is opposed to the pluralistic lie that says all religious experience is equally valid. Signs and wonders validate Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His lordship over every area of our lives.”
Born After Midnight by A.W. Tozer – “As long as the flood rages or the fire roars on, no one talks of ‘normal times.’ No times are normal while helpless people cower in the path of destruction. In times of extraordinary crisis ordinary measures will not suffice. The world lives in such a time of crisis. Christians alone are in a position to rescue the perishing. We dare not settle down to try to live as if things were ‘normal.’ Nothing is normal while sin and lust and death roam the world, pouncing upon one and another till the whole population has been destroyed.”
Reader #10
Matthew 12:15-16 – “When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known.”
Mark 6:1-2, 5-6 – “He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! … ’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “[Jesus] patiently attended to every case. What an unprecedented variety of evils must have congregated at his feet! What smelly, sickening open sores he must have encountered! Yet he was always prepared for every new facet of evil and was victorious over evil regardless of its form … He came, he saw, he conquered – everywhere. This is still true this morning. Whatever my specific problem may be, my beloved Physician can heal me … Whether my child, my friend, or my dearest loved one, I can have hope for each and every one when I simply remember the healing power of the Lord.”
Reader #11
Mark 9:22b-29 – “‘… if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’ After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘This kind can come out only through prayer.’”
Macarius of Optina – “Woe to our times: we now depart from the narrow and sorrowful path leading to eternal life and we seek a happy and peaceful path. But the merciful Lord leads many people from this path, against their will, and places them on the sorrowful one. Through unwanted sorrows and illnesses we draw closer to the lord …”
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – “It takes the valley of humiliation to remove the skepticism from us … When you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of the valley? You may be able to give a testimony regarding your sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you right now? The last time you were on the mountain with God, you saw that all the power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus – will you be skeptical now, simply because you are in the valley of humiliation?”
Reader #12
Luke 12:34 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Teach Me to Pray by Andrew Murray – “There is a mystery of glory in prayer. On the one hand we see God in his holiness, love, and power – waiting, longing to bless us. On the other hand is a sinful, unworthy human being – asking God in prayer for the very life and love of heaven to dwell in our hearts. Intercession gives us a lot of joy when we are bold enough to ask God for what we desire for others. Through intercession we seek to bring to others the power of eternal life.”
Hilarion of Optina (19th century) – “Let us endure for a little while and we will receive eternal blessedness. Let us consign to oblivion all earthly pleasures and joys – they are not for us. It has been said: Where our treasure is, there our heart will be, and our treasure is in heaven; therefore let us strive with all our heart for the heavenly Fatherland. There all our sorrows will be turned to joy; abuse and disparagement – to glory; sorrows, tears and sighs – to consolation; sicknesses and toil – to everlasting peace without pain.”
Finding My Way Home by Henri Nouwen – “Learn the discipline of being surprised not by suffering but by joy. As we grow old … there is suffering ahead of us, immense suffering, a suffering that will continue to tempt us to think that we have chosen the wrong road … But don’t be surprised by pain. Be surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting forth like springs of fresh water from the depth of our pain.”
Reader #13
John 11:22 – “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”
John 15:7 – “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Luke 7:22b – “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.”
A Theology of the New Testament by George Eldon Ladd – “The miracles of healing, important as they were, were not an end in themselves … Greater than deliverance of the blind and the lame, the lepers and the deaf, even than raising of the dead, was the preaching of the good news to the poor. This “gospel” was the very presence of Jesus himself, and the joy and fellowship that he brought to the poor.”
Healing by Francis MacNutt – “faith is simply obedience and the willingness to risk; not an absolute certainty about what is going to happen”
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans – “And the truth is, the church doesn’t offer a cure. It doesn’t offer a quick fix. The church offers death and resurrection. The church offers the messy, inconvenient, gut-wrenching, never-ending work of healing and reconciliation. The church offers grace.”
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans – “Healing may come through medicine, through prayer, through presence and scent and calming touch, or through the consecrating of the journey as holy, dignified, and not without purpose or grace.”
Reader #14
Romans 8:26 – “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”
Acts 1:8a – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – “Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by his providence to bring them before his throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them … I must do the human side of intercession – utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit.”
Help Is Here by Max Lucado – “The topic of the Holy Spirit seems to bring out the extremists among us. On one hand there are the show-offs. These are the people who make us feel unspiritual by appearing super-spiritual. They are buddy-buddy with the Spirit, wear a backstage pass, and want everyone to see their healing gifts, hear their mystical tongue. They make a ministry out of making others feel less than godly. They like to show off. On the opposite extreme is the Spirit Patrol. They clamp down on anything that seems out of line or out of control. They are self-deputized hall monitors of the supernatural. If an event can’t be explained, they dismiss it. Somewhere in between is the healthy saint. He has a childlike heart. She has a high regard for Scripture. He is open to fresh strength. She is discerning and careful. Both he and she seek to follow the Spirit.”
Reader #15
Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.”
Hebrews 12:5-6 – “And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— ‘My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.’”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “Prayer is the struggling speech of the believing infant, the war cry of the fighting believer, and the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in the arms of Jesus. It is the breath, the password, the comfort, the strength, and the privilege of a Christian. So if you are a child of God, you will seek your Father’s face and live in your Father’s love.”
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon – “Be content to leave your prayer in the hands of him who knows when to give, how to give, what to give, and what to withhold.”
Macarius of Optina – “We are visited by sicknesses and sorrows. This is an indication of God’s mercy towards us … and so it is proper for us to thank the Lord for his fatherly Providence for us. Sorrows instruct us and make us skillful in our work, and likewise they, along with sickness, cleanse us of sins.”
Reader #16
James 5:13-16 – “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
Fundamentals of the Faith by Peter Kreeft – “we are sent with a distinctive task: to build an eternal kingdom, a different building. We live in two worlds, and we rightly cooperate in building this one too, but the Church’s raison d’être is not to be one more social service agency but to be the one and only ark of eternal salvation, to be Christ to the world. This includes social service and liberation of the poor. Christ healed some bodies, but as a sign of his essential mission to heal all souls.”
The Final Beast by Frederick Buechner – “The worst isn’t the last thing about the world. It’s the next to the last thing. The last thing is the best. It’s the power from on high that comes down into the world, that wells up from the rock-bottom worst of the world like a hidden spring. Can you believe it? The last, best thing is the laughing deep in the hearts of the saints, sometimes our hearts even. Yes. You are terribly loved and forgiven. Yes. You are healed. All is well.”
Reader #17
Jude 20-21 – “But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – “There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic … It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God – but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people – and this is not learned in five minutes.”
Listening to Your Life by Frederick Buechner – “Be the light of the world, [Jesus] says. Where there are dark places, be the light especially there. Be the salt of the earth. Bring out the true flavor of what it is to be alive truly. Be truly alive. Be life-givers to others. That is what Jesus tells the disciples to be. That is what Jesus tells his Church, tells us, to be and do. Love each other. Heal the sick, he says. Raise the dead. Cleanse lepers. Cast out demons. That is what loving each other means.”
Albert Edward Day – “I never assure a person that God will heal. I do share my faith that God wants to heal. I summon the person to join with me in opening the way for God into every area of our lives. This brings us closer to each other and to God and becomes, with exciting results, a joint pilgrimage into the heights and depths of the everlasting mercy.”
Reader #18
Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”
The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen – “When we say to people, ‘I will pray for you,’ we make a very important commitment. The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern. But when we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and touched by him in the center of our being. We are speaking here about a mystery for which words are inadequate. It is the mystery that the heart, which is the center of our being, is transformed by God into his own heart, a heart large enough to embrace the entire universe.”
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans – “The thing about healing, as opposed to curing, is that it is relational. It takes time. It is inefficient, like a meandering river. Rarely does healing follow a straight or well-lit path. Rarely does it conform to our expectations or resolve in a timely manner. Walking with someone through grief, or through the process of reconciliation, requires patience, presence, and a willingness to wander, to take the scenic route.”
The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning – “The question is not can we heal? The question, the only question, is will we let the healing power of the risen Jesus flow through us to reach and touch others, so that they may dream and fight and bear and run where the brave dare not go?”
Reader #19
1 Peter 2:24 – “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Out of Solitude by Henri Nouwen – “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”
The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen – “Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not ‘How can we hide our wounds?’ so we don’t have to be embarrassed but ‘How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?’ When our wounds cease to be a source of shame and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.”
St. Francis of Assisi – “We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.”
Reader #20
Jeremiah 15:18a – “Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?”
A Place of Healing by Joni Eareckson Tada – “He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me. The more intense the pain, the closer His embrace.”
Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen – “Those who do not run away from our pains but touch them with compassion bring healing and new strength. The paradox indeed is that the beginning of healing is in the solidarity with the pain.”
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans – “But there is a difference between curing and healing, and I believe the church is called to the slow and difficult work of healing. We are called to enter into one another’s pain, anoint it as holy, and stick around no matter the outcome.”
What Good Is God? by Philip Yancey – “Where is God when it hurts? … You need only follow Jesus around and note how he responded to the tragedies of his day: large-scale tragedies such as an act of government terrorism in the temple or a tower collapsing on eighteen innocent bystanders; as well as small tragedies, such as a widow who has lost her only son or even a Roman soldier whose servant has fallen ill. At moments like these Jesus never delivered sermons about judgment or the need to accept God’s mysterious providence. Instead he responded with compassion – a word from Latin which simply means, “to suffer with” – and comfort and healings. God stands on the side of those who suffer.”