Tag: Psalm 50:15
“I AM The Lord Your healer”
Scripture Reading for July 1: Exodus 15:26 “There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there He tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your Healer.”
God through Moses had just lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Singing and dancing, they had celebrated the victory over the Egyptian army who were drowned as they were about to overtake them. Three days journey on towards their promised home, they found no water but a bitter spring. This caused them to grumble against Moses and God. The instruction given by God to them was given to inspire faith and motivate them to listen to God and obey His loving instructions. He showed Moses a log that he was to throw into the spring. The water became sweet as he listened and obeyed.
In the early part of 2026, my wife, Mary, was diagnosed with a disease called multiple myeloma. We are people who love God and have walked with Him for many years on our journey through this wilderness. We are people who pray and seek the Lord. It is His promises and Word that bring faith to our hearts. God tells us to call upon Him in the time of trouble. He states that that honors Him and that He will deliver us. (Psalm 50:15)
God tells us over and over not to fear or worry, but to share all our concerns with Him. (Philippians 4:6-7) For the last several months, we have been doing just that. We are waiting on the Lord while taking the treatments prescribed by our doctors. I have just finished the six months of this year writing a devotional for first responders and now feel that I am to build our faith by inviting the Holy Spirit to help us see His plan to find healing that is promised and needed.
I invite you to pray for us as we walk through our journey. Would you also read these devotions and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s heart for His children. Would you offer yourself as an instrument of prayer for those needing healing and take steps each day to encourage those in your life who are going through a health or emotional crisis? God declares,“I Am the Lord, your Healer.” Amen!
In His Love, Pastor John
Day 2–God is watching!
Scripture reading for March 3: 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.” Psalm 33:18-19 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”
There are between eight and nine billion people alive now on the earth. Scripture teaches us that God knows each person by name. He even knows all their thoughts and the number of hairs on their head. God takes delight in people who are made in His image and likeness, especially those who honor Him as Lord and trust Him for righteousness.
Today’s verses declare that God’s eyes are in continual motion, scanning the hearts of men. He is looking for those who are blameless towards Him. But Scripture also declares that there are no righteous people, not even one! So how can anyone be ‘blameless’ towards God? It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we are declared to be blameless. (Romans 3:22-25) This is a gift given to all who believe and trust God’s cleansing us from sin by the blood shed by His Son. God is just in that He provided the sacrifice of His Son to pay for sin and is now able to justify those who by faith accept that payment.
It is comforting to know that God is watching us to determine how He might help us and support us. As a faith responder we can have strong confidence that God is with us. He has given us His Holy Spirit to be with us always, revealing God’s wisdom and counsel in each incident. Even in dry times, He will provide life-giving refreshment in the midst of famine. He knows your name and needs and will be honored if we call on Him for help! (Psalm 50:15)
Prayer: Father God, thank You for watching over all believers. I am encouraged to be reminded of this truth as I face each day and the dry times in life’s journey. Help me start each day acknowledging Your great love and concern with a thankful heart. I rest in Your provision for my blamelessness in Jesus. Amen.
Day 2–Calling on the Lord
Scripture reading for January 20: Genesis 4:26 “To Seth also a son was born, and he called His name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the Name of the Lord.”
The emergency contact system in our country is organized around our phone system. Almost everyone has cell phones and can be contacted at anytime. The 911 Emergency call center in each county or municipality is manned at all times by trained listeners. They answer the calls for help and ask pertinent questions to determine the location of the individual and the nature of their problem. They then contact the appropriate emergency personnel to assist in a timely manner. So we might say that in our culture when in an emergency, call ‘911’ for a dependable response.
God encourages His children to call upon Him in the time of trouble. (Psalm 50:15) He says that honors Him and He will deliver us. We see from today’s Scripture taken from Genesis that after Cain killed Abel, Seth was born to Adam and Eve as another child who could walk by faith. Seth had a son, Enosh and it is recorded that during his life, people began to call on the Name of the Lord. It appears that Adam and Eve began to train their children and grandchildren, those who would humbly listen, that they needed to always ask God for their needs and become people who prayed.
God wants each person to know Him personally and learn to personally call on Him. God revealed His Name to many of the early men and women as answers to their cries for assistance. Genesis 21:17-18 describes how Hagar and her young son Ishmael were sent into the desert and cried out to God. “Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is,” was God’s reply. He is the God Who hears.
As responders, we must always live in humble dependence that God is involved in each incident and knows each person involved. I always call out to God as I respond for the wisdom that I and the other responders will need. I ask for direction and the provision to effectively help the hurting. Even though ‘911’ may have helped direct, I know that God is over all.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for always hearing and answering the cries of Your people. What a comfort for us to be able to call upon You in each incident. Amen.
Week 4–Day 1–911–God’s Emergency Number
Scripture reading for January 19: “. . . and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me.”
In our country we use an emergency number that is easy for most people to remember: ‘911.’ When an accident happens or an emergency requires help from first responders, anyone with a phone can simply dial ‘911’ and an operator from the local emergency response center will take down your location and the nature of your need and dispatch the right first responders to handle that specific incident.
As a first responder, I carry either a pager or a cell phone with an application that is called “I Am Responding”. This is the one used in our county but there are others available that do the same thing. I am a volunteer and upon receiving a brief summary of the problem and the location in our county, I decide whether I can respond in a timely manner to bring the assistance. I text the ‘911’ operator how I am responding. I may just respond ‘Standby’ if others are enroute. If I can respond, I text “I am responding” and give the location that I will respond to. I can either go to the scene of the incident or to the fire station No. 1 or No. 2 to pick up gear and fire equipment as needed. As I leave the station with the truck and equipment, I report that I am enroute. I use the app to follow the map to the scene. The operator can then track me in my response location.
I find many parallels in this system designed by man to help organize response with how God responds through His children to meet the needs of hurting people. God encourages His people to call out to Him in our time of need. We are to specifically state the need and ask in faith for His assistance. He says that we honor Him when we faithfully call out. He promises the help we need and this brings Him glory to show His loving care and provision. He knows right where we are and sends out those that will willingly serve us with the proper equipment and training.
Father God, Thank You that You hear every ‘911’ call of Your children and even those who do not know You. You send the help needed from willing responders. I offer myself to respond on Your behalf. Teach me to follow Your amazing system. Amen.
Powerful Prayers
Scripture reading for December 10: Revelation 8
“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” Revelation 8:1-5
Often people wonder if their prayers are heard or answered by God. Prayer is an act of faith coming from a belief that God is alive and actively concerned about each person and their needs. God has told His people that when they call on Him in the times of trouble they honor Him and He will deliver them. (Psalm 50:15) Jesus Christ spent time each day in prayer with His Father, often all night! Jesus urged His disciples to pray, asking the Father in His Name for their needs and promised answers. (John 16:23-24)
As John was in heaven observing Jesus Christ open the seventh seal on the Father’s scroll, he faced a period of silence lasting about half an hour. It was as if all heaven stood at attention as the Lamb revealed the contents of the scroll and the judgments coming soon. Seven angels with seven trumpets stood ready before the throne. Another angel stood at the golden altar with a golden censer. This angel was given incense to offer with the prayers of the saints. God received the prayers as the sweet smell of incense. In response, the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and hurled it on the earth. Fireworks resulted resembling a great thunderstorm with lightning and thunder and a great earthquake.
How does your view of prayer and its effects get shaped through this picture shown to John? Will you pray powerful prayers that move heaven to shake the earth on behalf of believers or the lost?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for hearing and answering prayers of Your people. Increase my faith to pray even more powerful prayers that shake the heavens and the earth as You send forth the answers. Shake up my children and grandchildren to fulfil Your calling. Shake up my lost friends and neighbors with heaven’s lightning and thunder. Amen!
Prayer is Working!
Scripture reading for November 6: James 5
“Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” James 5:13-18
James concluded his letter to the suffering church with encouragement to pray. Tradition says that James, Jesus’ half-brother, was a man of prayer. His knick-name was ‘camel-knees’ because of callouses on his knees from much time in prayer. His advice to the suffering: Pray! James encouragement to those who were cheerful: Sing praise! His encouragement to the sick: Call the elders to pray! We honor Him when we ask in faith for needs and healing. (Psalm 50:15) We honor Him when we sing praises in worship and adoration for His work. (Psalm 103:1-3)
But prayer and praises must come from a heart anchored in faith in God and His Word. All prayer for healing is based on God’s demonstrated will through Jesus Christ and His Word. “The Lord will raise him up” is our hope and trust. We who pray must also be righteous, but our righteousness is not based on us doing everything right, but in Jesus Christ Who Alone was perfect. His righteousness becomes ours by faith and gives us ability to pray in faith with great power. Because of this, we are told to confess our sins one to another that we might be healed and walk in the power of fervent prayer. Elijah was cited as an example of fervent prayer and the Lord giving results. Let’s release our faith through fervent prayer and praise! He will bring resurrection life!
Do you find it hard to spend time in regular prayer? Is there one thing you need that you have not prayed about or asked the elders to pray with you for? Will you pray a prayer of faith today or ask for help? Can you offer praise and thanksgiving for God’s answer now?
Prayer: Father God, forgive me for often worrying or whining instead of praying to You in faith. I have also been reluctant to ask other believers to pray. Forgive my pride and self-sufficiency. Give me grace to ask You for the help I need and to ask other mature believers to pray over me. Amen.
Asking in Faith!
Scripture reading for July 28th: 2nd Chronicles 24, 2nd Kings 12, Psalm 50, Matthew 9
Key Scriptures: Matthew 9:27-30 “And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When He entered the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.””
Jesus had just raised a dead girl to life and healed a woman who touched His garment of 12 years of hemorrhaging. As He moved on, two blind men followed crying out in faith to Jesus for their healing, using the divine title, ‘Son of David.’ Jesus asked them if they believed that He was able to do what they were asking and they replied in the affirmative. One touch from the Master Jesus and a Word brought instant healing! He sent them away warning them to tell no one!
Psalm 50:15 “. . . and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.”
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that You can do all things and that I bring You glory when I call on You for help, healing, or deliverance. Help me to humbly ask for help as I labor restoring Your House.
2nd Chronicles 24:13 “So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the House of God to its proper condition and strengthened it.”
Faith and prayer move mountains!
Scripture reading for January 29th: Matthew 21
Key scriptures for over-comers: Matthew 21:20-22 “When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “God, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.””
Jesus had cursed a fig tree that had no fruit and the next day the disciples marveled that it was dead from the roots. They asked Jesus how this could happen. He gave them a simple but profound answer that would enable them to live as over-comers in their calling as disciples and apostles. Having faith in God and His ability to do what He is showing you is the key to receiving answers to prayer. Jesus told them that they could not only curse a fig tree but speak to a mountain and see it moved! God would honor their faith and their asking Him for the ability and results that they needed for their ministry.
Observations for over-comers: Without faith we cannot please God! When we ask Him in faith for our needs, we honor God and He delivers! “Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession.” (Psalm 2:8) “and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” (Psalm 50:15)
Faith, love, and authority!
Scripture reading for January 12th: Matthew 8
Key Scripture: Matthew 8:13 “Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.”
Rome had placed units of their army in Judea and Galilee to keep peace and protect the land from insurrection. A Roman centurion was a commander of a hundred men and was under direction of military officers. The centurion in this story came to Jesus out of deep concern for a servant of his that was paralyzed. He had evidently heard about Jesus’ ability to heal and came believing in Him. After Jesus agreed to go and heal the servant, the centurion told Him not to bother coming but to just speak the word! Jesus was amazed at this Gentile’s faith! He simply told him to go and it would be done as he believed! The results were immediate!
As we walk through this year, we will face many difficult situations and attacks of the enemy against us and our loved ones. Jesus is honored as we call on Him and believe in the authority of His powerful Word! Let’s make Jesus marvel at our faith each day as we ask and believe for the miraculous!
Observations for over-comers: Let your compassion for hurting people move you to ask Jesus to heal and to claim His Word as authority over the attacks of Satan! “. . .and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” (Psalm 50:15)