Today I offer a prayer to encourage overall health. We have multiple types of health and wellbeing including our physical body, our spirit / heart, and our mind. Our ‘being’ is the combined whole of these parts, so we can’t have ‘overall well-being’ without giving attention to all of these parts. It’s very easy to focus on the health of one or two of these parts (for example, I favor my spirit then my mind) and neglect the remainder (ie. I neglect my body). God teaches that our eternal spirits are are most important, though we should also care for our minds and bodies. My prayer today is that we all partner with God to take care of our entire being. Let’s be diligent in what we can (I realize many things are outside of our control, but some are certainly within our control), and give it all to God.
Father God, our Miraculous Healer and Provider, we praise Your holy and awesome name. You have knit together the fibers of our very being, creating us intricately and uniquely for Your glory and honor. Father, we are complex, and we need Your help to care for ourselves properly, so we are holistically healthy enough to help care for others. As we face each day, may we trust in you with all of our hearts, not leaning on worldly understanding, for when we turn away from evil and toward You we receive healing and refreshment to our bodies and spirits. Father please help us to find joy in You, for it is written that a joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit withers us. May we keep our bodies and hearts as healthy as we are able, knowing that we are vessels for Your Holy Spirit, and we wish to bring You glory through our entire being. Father You promise that those who serve You will be blessed, and blessings can include provision for our bodies and healing for that which is broken. May we honor You with our lips, and speak good words to our neighbors, for it is written that gracious words are sweetness to the soul, health to our bodies, and gladness to our hearts. We realize that practicing godliness which has present and eternal value is most important, though we also acknowledge that completely ignoring our bodies and minds is not wise. May we also remember to be good stewards of everything with which You have entrusted us, laboring for that which matters and satisfies. May we care for our physical flesh, while not living in the sinful flesh, setting our minds and hearts on things of Your Spirit which bring peace and life. May we learn to take every thought captive and submit it through Your Spirit, so we may discern how to remain obedient like Jesus, who remained fully devoted to You in mind, body, and Spirit. Please help us remain sober-minded and watchful, always on guard against the devil and his deceitful ways. May everything that we say and do, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual, give all glory to You O God, our Creator and Redeemer, forever and ever, amen.
[Inspired by: Psa 139:15-16, Pro 3:5-8, Pro 17:22, 1 Cor 6:19-20, Ex 23:25, Pro 16:24, Pro 12:25, 1 Tim 4:8, Isa 55:2, Rm 8:5-6, 2 Cor 10:5, 1 Pt 5:8, 1 Cor 10:31]
~ Conqueror in Training