First Page
70
Last Page
78
Abstract
Seventh-day Adventists are not usually known for taking authority over sickness or taking a person by the hand and saying, “In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and walk.” And rightly so, for Adventists have been counseled that when praying for the sick “our prayers must take the form, not of command, but of intercession” (White 1942:230, 1915:218). Why, because only God knows what is right and best (White 1948:148, 149). In addition, Ellen White warns against prayers that insist on God doing what people think needs to happen (1948:148) and suggests that God’s people should only pray for God’s will to be done (1915:217). However, Jesus, the disciples and the practices in the Early Church were much more direct in their interaction with sick people. Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home” (Mark 2:11, NLT). There was no statement about if it was God’s will, for Jesus knew what God’s will was in that situation. When a man with leprosy approached Jesus and said, “Lord . . . if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” Jesus responded by reaching out and touching him and saying, “I am willing . . . . Be healed! And instantly the leprosy disappeared” (Matt 8:2b, 3). Again, no request for God to heal, rather a direct command.
Recommended Citation
Bauer, Bruce L.
(2024)
"The Purpose and Importance of Words of Knowledge When Praying for the Sick,"
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies:
Vol. 20:
No.
1, 70-78.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32597/1553-9881.1557
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol20/iss1/9
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.32597/1553-9881.1557