Lord of Deliverance
April 14, 2024
Acts 3:12-19 and Psalm 40:1-5
By Jane Shelton, CRE
One of my favorite things about this congregation is that you are caring and nurturing to one another. You are caring and compassionate, and you pray for one another.
It was the same with Jesus in his healing of those he met who were ill, lame and blind.
And it is the same with Peter and John after healing the lame man they encounter at the gate of the temple on their way there to pray.
Our First Scripture Reading comes in just after this healing by John and Peter has occurred, and the crowd around them show amazement and wonder. Some of this crowd are the same who had witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus, maybe even some of the ones who yelled, “Crucify him!”
In their amazement, Peter uses the opportunity to preach to them.
He questions their amazement and wonder, asking them if they do not believe in the power of the God they worship, the God of their ancestors.
Peter uses the opportunity to chastise them for rejecting the Jesus, the Messiah, the Holy and Righteous One that God had sent.
“You killed the Author of life,” he states, and I can just see him glaring at them, pointing the finger. “You killed the Author of life, the one whom God raised from the dead.”
I wonder in his preaching to them, if he showed the anger he probably had toward them for rejecting Jesus, and pushing him to deny Jesus three times.
Peter tells them that this lame man has been made strong and to walk again through the faith that he has shown in knowing he could be healed through the power of Jesus Christ.
Peter explains to the crowd that the man has been given perfect health in their presence, and here it seems his tone changes to a more compassionate tone as he tells the crowd, that surely they must have acted in ignorance in rejecting Jesus, and if they repent their sins will be wiped out.
When we ask, the Lord will deliver us and heal us, and when I speak in terms of healing, I’m referring to the “perfect health” of the soul.
We read stories in the Bible about people being healed so they can see and so they can walk, and other ailments from which they were healed, and in our live we hear of such miracles even today because our Lord is still a Lord of deliverance.
What is hard to understand, however, is when our bodies are not healed physically. We might wonder, why are some healed and others are not. I know that I had these questions.
However, our Psalmist proclaims the deliverance of our God. When we get so weighed down with “why is this happening?”, “why do I have to endure the pain?”, “why do I have to go through this?”, “why do I have to watch my loved one go through this?” The only peace we sometimes find is in the crying out to the Lord. And when we cry out, our God hears us.
A few years ago, I did not consider myself to be a good prayer person. It’s not that I didn’t pray, but they were mostly in my head and not out loud. Which worked great for me when I prayed privately to God.
However, I feared the very thought of being called on to pray. What would I say? How would I say it? What if I said the wrong thing? What would the person listening to me think? Would they think my prayer was good enough or would they think I was a total dork?!
Well, I can tell you, not a lot has changed in that I still hear some of those questions, but maybe not so loudly. And I find the more that I pray, the fainter those questions become.
When we know in our hearts that when we say a prayer, it’s for the person that we’re praying for, and God already knows what they need, so we really can’t mess it up, right?!
Like Peter tells the crowd, we just need to turn to God. We have to turn to God when we need a larger strength than what our humanness can provide. When we pray, God listens, regardless of how it sounds, as long as it is sincere.
I have learned that praying by yourself is easy, it’s when you are praying with someone that you really need God to give you the words to say to bring healing to the person you are praying with and the one you are praying for.
There’s another important task that we have to do, and that is we have to muster the courage to ask for prayer for ourselves.
Some people are really good at that, and others are really good at praying for someone else, and not asking prayer for themselves.
I’ve thought a lot lately about why this is…that some people have a hard time asking for prayer for themselves.
Perhaps they don’t want to be a burden to others, but does that mean the people they are praying for are a burden. I know they would say, no, of course not! So why are they not okay with asking for prayers for themselves?
It reminds me of one of my sisters that was always giving things to people. It didn’t matter what the item was, if she found out you wanted something, she would do her best to get it for you. She loved people through her giving. On the other hand, she did not receive things well, as she did not think she was worthy.
Scripture tells us that everyone loves a cheerful giver, and it is better to receive than to give.
Scripture also tells us that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and gifts should be received in humility, recognizing that gifts come from God.
When we think in terms of prayer as a gift from someone who is praying for you or who wants to pray for you, if they are deprived of knowing you are in need of prayer, you are depriving them of the very blessing that comes through God, for them and for you.
If you are denying someone the opportunity to pray for you by not letting them know you need prayer, are you also depriving them of an opportunity to communicate with the sacred or the holy on your behalf?
Even the lame man went to the temple to find someone who would pray for him.
Prayer is a powerful blessing for the person who is praying and for the person to whom they are praying for.
I love that the Psalmist is proclaiming the goodness of the Lord’s deliverance, and especially when he says, “You have multiplied your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us, and none can compare with these.”
None can compare. Regardless if we or someone we know is in the mire so deep that we are broken to the point of tears, Jesus is waiting for us to reach out with our prayer, so that our Abba Father will set our feet upon a rock and make us secure, no matter what we are facing.
The Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and he did, and he teaches us still how to pray when we speak the words of our heart. The most beautiful thing about prayer is that it is a conversation with God, and keeps us in relationship with God, the one thing that is desired by the one who created us.
We have so many in our church family and many that we know outside these walls that are dealing with health issues, loneliness, grief, depression and even joys. Let us continue to be aware, let us continue to be the compassionate and caring congregation that we are together, and let us not forget to ask for prayer from those we trust. Let us not deprive ourselves of any blessing from our Healing God.
God is our deliverer in doing for us what he knows is best for us, even when we don’t understand it.
C.S. Lewis wrote a letter to his friend, Mary Neylan for reflection on Psalm 40:1-3, titled, “Noticing the Dirt”:
‘I know about the despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience etc doesn’t get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper, and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us: it is the very sign of His presence.’
May we all notice the mire, the dirt that weighs us down and may we continue to pray for one another.
I’m grateful that I have the privilege of coming here and meeting with you all here in this Holy place, and having you pray for your church family and your friends and loved ones who are in need of prayer.
I’m even more grateful knowing that when we leave this place, you carry your holy place with you, and you pray for your church family, friends and loved ones when you are outside this place, often, and continually.
May God shower down blessings of deliverance for all those in need, and may those who need prayer, remember that it is okay to ask for prayer, you are not a burden. You are a child of God that is loved by God, and one that is never considered a burden.
To God be the glory.
[PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and LORD’S PRAYER]
Healing God, you heard our cries, and you sent the One who was rejected. We come today asking that you hear our prayers in the name of Christ Jesus. As the risen Christ opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures and gave them power through the Holy Spirit to walk boldly in this world, open your people today to the healing, wisdom, and faith given in your Word. Being the Prince of Peace, Christ showed his wounded hands and feet to the apostles, reveal to your church, and to people of prayer in every faith, the wounds of our neighbors, the fears of individuals and families, and the strength in healing through the power of the death and resurrection of our Lord. Author of life, we ask for peace among nations, in communities, and within families. There are so many who cry out today who live in fear in captivity, abuse, and are oppressed. We pray for your protection and release for those too often forgotten and overlooked. Light in our darkness, let your brightness burn in shrouded violence. Reveal pains hidden in secret, and unveil the needs of our own hearts so that we may know the power of vulnerability, as we are reminded that as we proclaim the resurrection of your Son, we know that life comes from death. Hear our prayers as we pause to remember those who have asked for our prayers, and may we pray for those who have not learned to ask for prayer for themselves. Healer of every ill, we pray for these we have named silently in our hearts, and all who are in need and those who are weary. We pray for caregivers and medical professionals as we trust in your abundant mercy. We say all these prayers because we know that you deliver us and pick us up out of the mire to stand firmly in your presence on solid ground. Hear us as we pray together the prayer Jesus taught his Disciples, Our Father, who art in heaven……….