why we should pray and care for the sick.

DEVOTIONAL READING
James 5, Verses 13-15, Pray for the Sick - Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

James 1, Verses 5-8, Pray without doubting - If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Psalm 30, Verse 2 - O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
Psalm 41, Verse 3 - The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

Matthew 8, Verses 1-17, 28-34, Jesus Heals the Sick - Jesus Cleanses a Leper (Mark 1:40–45; Luke 5:12–16 ) 1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant (Luke 7:1–10 ) 5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one,‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed (Mark 1:29–31; Luke 4:38, 39 )​ 14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. 16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed (Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39 ) 28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. 33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

Luke 21, Verses 1-4, The Widow’s Two Mites (Mark 12:41–44 ) - 1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Hassidic Writings (adapted)
There are three ways children express sorrow: 
   Some children cry;
   Some children are silent;
   Wise children know how to turn sorrow into song.

Heaven, prayer by Langston Hughes
Heaven is
The place where
Happiness is
Everywhere.
Animals
And birds sing-
As does
Everything.
To each stone,
"How-do-you-do?"
"Well! And you?"

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
First of all, we should pray for the sick because God answers our prayers and we should care about the sick - and the Bible tells us so. God sometimes answers prayers by not meeting our wishes for others because that is His will - he answers it differently than we may ask, or he answers it in a different timeline. I have had my prayers answered as I was praying a prayer, and I've had a prayer answered a decade later. In some cases a prayer goes seemingly unanswered, but a rhyme and reason stands behind the unanswered prayer as much as the answered prayer. We should not pray with a doubting attitude, for our God is powerful. When His will is lined up with our will, mountains can be moved. Let's move mountains for the sick.

On a weekly basis, I visit Hospice patients during their last times here on earth. Some have outlived most who care for them, and others leave behind loved ones who are in great sorrow at their passing. Many have made their mental and spiritual preparations for leaving this world, and others are truly upset at the living conditions where they find themselves. The afterlife awaits all of them, and a lifetime of choices becomes their framework for meeting the Maker. We should not only pray for the sick, but care for the sick, and we should hope eternally that the judgement each man and woman faces is for the good. My ultimate hope is that my fellow men and women are beside me in Heaven one day and that I am there too. My hope is that the next time someone close in my life dies that I can turn my sorrow into song - it is a great way to dedicate the life of a loved one while still here left behind, and it is my wish for the people I leave behind one day. The one thing I have learned in my days in questioning the Bible, is that God's judgment is complex; some give more, but more is expected of them, while others do nearly the most that they can and it appears to be lacking (think of the story of the Widow's Two Mites). It is not wise to judge someone's passing or salvation status, although we may be very confident about fellow Christians. So pray for everyone.

​Healing the sick was a big part of Jesus's ministry. While we cannot do the miraculous ourselves, we can lean on God and His ways to direct us. We are nurses, doctors, caregivers, volunteers, friends or family members, co-workers or acquaintances through church or other organizations. As such, we should remember each other in times of sickness. Often I am glad to say we go overboard in showing our love to the sick, and it may be God's way of protecting His sheep. Healing comes in many forms - the healing by Jesus in Matthew 8 ranges from one who is paralyzed and tormented to one possessed with spirit. Jesus heals the blind, the feverish and of course advocates for each one of us before God so we can survive the judgment. We should in turn advocate for anyone who is suffering with illness - whether with action and/or with a prayer.

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER
Dear God, I pray for the sick I come in contact with in my life, especially those who are dying. I pray especially also for healing for those among my family and friends who are stricken with long-term or short-term illness, and that they may be comforted even with a seemingly difficult diagnosis. I pray for myself who has some difficulty and a diagnosis of both arthritis and schizo-affective disorder. I pray for children and young adults who face difficulty early in life and may struggle day-in and day-out. When others pray, I hope that I can fulfill the answer to their prayer for the sick with my action. I pray that no one who is paralyzed with stroke or another difficulty face torment, and I pray that those who are not comfortable become comforted. I pray for those I come in contact with be fully prepared for their meeting with you - their personal judgment before God through Christ. I pray the world of medicine continue to improve. I appreciate the stories of survivors and wish to hear more of them. I pray that mountains are moved for the sick, just as mountains are moved for those that are not sick. I pray for good insurance and quick diagnoses for those that are just figuring out what ails them. Thank You for the many blessings You pour upon the suffering to raise them up. Thank You for the many blessings in my life despite my difficulties. In Jesus name, the great Healer, Amen.