WHY NOT PRAY? By Larry W Peebles August 2, 2019 19.25
The man wandered through our meeting. I did not see where he came from, nor do I know where he was going. My wife and I were preaching and ministering in the rice market in the small town of Kagio, Kirinyaga County, Kenya. This was our third trip to Kagio, but our first time to bring the word of God to the local rice market. The Friday meeting had gone well, as my wife had delivered a powerful message. We had prayed over the crowd, and were in the process of concluding the meeting with a final prayer. That is when I saw the man, walking through the meeting, between the stage and the crowd. He was carrying a scale in his left hand, probably used to weigh the rice. His right hand was noticeably withered and deformed, and he labored as he walked with a severe limp on the right side from a lame foot or leg.
I clearly heard the Lord speak to me “Why would you not pray for him?” Would that be too difficult? Would I look foolish if nothing happened? If I had those subconscious thoughts, the Lord already knew before they reached the level of my conscious thought. Always the teacher and trainer, the Lord did not demand I pray for the man, He simply asked why not pray for him.
The closing prayer ended quickly thereafter, and I saw the man stop at the far edge of the crowd. I grabbed my wife’s hand and said “Come, let’s go pray for the man.” She had also seen him, and was eager to get to him before the opportunity slipped away.
If the man spoke English, he never said a word. By his demeanor, we could tell he was open to prayer. We laid hands on the man, praying in the name of Jesus and in agreement for his healing. We then attempted to see if there was any improvement in his hand or fingers, which were locked in a bent position. We found none, but were not discouraged. He went on his way, and we worked our way back to the stage. I asked our host, Pastor Peter if he saw the man. He did not. I described him and asked if he could check on him the next time he came to the rice market. I knew Peter was faithful to preach in the market most Tuesdays and Fridays.
We preached three more times in the markets around the rice market that Friday and Saturday. We did two services in Peter’s church on Sunday. Our time in Kenya was coming to a close. It had been so busy and productive for the Kingdom of God. Peter had 18 new visitors to his church on that Sunday morning. Many confessed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and we prayed for them all. After lunch we drove to Nairobi to start the long journey back home. We left Nairobi Sunday evening and flew all night to Amsterdam, then on to Atlanta, arriving late Monday afternoon. Total exhaustion set in as we got home from the Atlanta airport Monday night and collapsed in bed.
Tuesday morning, the message came from Pastor Peter. It was already Tuesday evening in Kagio. He had been to the rice market and found the man. The man had been completely healed! God had pointed him out so we would pray for him, fully intending to do something. The man walked through the meeting and received his miracle. He had agreed to come to Peter’s church and testify. God still heals, and He is not afraid to show who He is. Our job is to pray and believe. Why would we not do that?
The Bible is full of encouragement to pray. In fact, we are encouraged to “pray without ceasing” according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17. We also read in Philippians 4:6- “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God.” If we are to pray without ceasing, and make every request known to God, then we can conclude that our very lives are to be lives of prayer.
The Bible also encourages that our prayers are effective. Mark 11: 23-24- “For assuredly I [Jesus] say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” No question that the man’s physical condition was a “mountain” of a problem. But because the Lord pointed him out for prayer, there was no doubt in my mind that He intended to do something for him. When we prayed for him, we were in effect asking that his physical mountain be removed. We believed it would be so.
Specifically with regard to healing, here are 15 Bible verses that clearly prove Jesus is our Healer, He heals today, and we are to be His instruments for healing through prayer:
Exodus 15:26- “I AM the Lord that heals you.”
Psalm 103:1, 3- “Bless the Lord, O my soul….Who heals all your diseases.”
Psalm 107:20- “He sent His Word [Jesus-John 1:1] and healed them.”
Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24- “By His stripes we are healed.”
Jeremiah 30:17- “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord.”
Matthew 8:16- “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.”
Matthew 15:30- “Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they lay them down at Jesus’ feet, and he healed them.”
Matthew 18:19- “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything…it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
Mark 16:17-18- “These signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Luke 9:1-2- “He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
John 14:12- “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus], the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to the Father.”
Acts 5:12, 16- “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people….Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
James 5:14-15- “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 heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
Hebrews 13:8- “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Jesus has not changed. He is still the Healer. He has given us the authority to pray for the healing of others. The man who walked into our meeting in the rice market was a graphic reminder. His life will never be the same after receiving a touch from the Master. Those he worked with on a daily basis in the rice market will never be the same after seeing him healed. While the healing is a great miracle, it is only the starting point. The life won for Jesus, the life changed and saved for eternity is the real objective. The salvation of a lost soul is the greatest miracle of all. Why would we not pray?
