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Stories Story

Healing the Aged

By Rachell Hoogbaard July 1, 2015

My son informed me that his friend’s grandmother was very sick. Her heart was failing and she experienced shortness of breath. She struggled with bladder function and infection. The family had no hope and prepared for the worst.

I believed that I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to go and pray for her. To tell you the truth I am still a baby when it comes to prayer but I have faith in the Word.

The Lord gave me Psalm 103:1-5:

Praise the LORD, my soul;

all my inmost being,

praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

He also brought to mind James 5:14, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.”

I went to the hospital, taking with me my oil for anointing the sick and my cell phone with two hymns, “Walk with Me,” and “Oh Happy Days.”

I played these hymns as I prayed and laid hands on the grandmother. She was barely conscious. The family complained that she was at times very restless and could not sleep peacefully. While praying for her, compassion flooded my heart and tears came to my eyes but I continued to pray for her. I petitioned the Lord to give her peace and to soothe her breathing. I asked the Lord for peaceful sleep, to remove the pain and swelling, and to take away her burdens and give her rest. I left soon after she fell asleep.

During Sunday’s service the family informed the church that the grandmother was improving and thanked the congregation for their prayers. The Lord heard the cries of our hearts and healed the grandmother.

I believe that while I prayed I could sense the heart of the Father, which was full of compassion. By praying the Word over her, the Lord heard our cries. Because the Lord knows the desires of our hearts, we can pray according to His will and believe He will answer. 

You can read this article and more like it when you subscribe to our magazine, The Breakthrough Intercessor. Subscribe at https://www.intercessors.org/magazine_sub.php

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How to get to heaven

Do you know what it means to be a Christian?

The Bible says:

1. God created you to have a relationship with Him. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him. (Genesis 1:27)

2. But because of sin, you have infinitely offended God. For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23)

3. This offense of sin carries with it a present separation and, if not dealt with, the ultimate separation of death. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. (Isaiah 59:2) For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

4. But God, in His great love for you, took the initiative to restore your relationship with him. But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

5. Jesus, God’s Son, removed the offense of your sin and made reconciliation possible. For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

6. OUR PART is to accept God’s gracious gift of forgiveness by embracing His Son Jesus Christ, by faith. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

One way to express your faith and your trust in Jesus is with a prayer like this:

Dear God, I want to be in a right relationship with You. I understand that I have offended You by my sin. God, please forgive me. Forgive me through Your Son, Jesus. I accept His sacrifice for me. I trust Him right now as my personal Savior from sin. God, thank you for taking the initiative to save me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If you have come to God through Jesus Christ, your spiritual journey has begun! We would like to put materials in your hand to help you understand this step and to begin to grow in your Christian faith. Call or e-mail us to get started. God bless you!