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"PRAYER FOR THE CHILDREN!"--By Father David       30-9-78       MO--DFO 753

       January 1979 by the Family of Love, CP 748, 00100 Roma, Italia.

       (Dad leads the family in singing:)
       "Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
       Let me hide myself in Thee ..."

       1. DAVID, NOW SON, THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH NOW TO UNDERSTAND. Davida is still a baby and she has to play, but you can sit up there and you can listen, and you can understand what we are singing about. We don't ask you very often to sit in on our times of devotion and worship, and we haven't had very many of them with the family all together--But,

       2. YOU'RE GETTING TO BE A BIG BOY AND YOU CAN UNDERSTAND now, and with Daddy here I think you should give your cars to Davida. You let her play with them, and you sit up and listen with us, okay? That's a good boy, at least for a little while anyhow. Davida is still young and we can't expect her to understand, but you are a big boy you can understand.

       3. I WANT YOU TO ESPECIALLY LISTEN TO NIGHT BECAUSE DADDY HAS GOT SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOU! This is a special little program. You want a program? This is a program--Daddy's program! Here I am, I'm on television! A real live show! A 100-percent personal appearance!

       4. SO, WE'RE SINGING YOU SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED SONGS like Daddy used to sing when he was a little boy. I think you can understand them now, and some of these songs you need to remember. All right, what was that one? (Sings again:) "Rock of Ages ..."

       5. (TO DAVIDITO:) THAT'S A SONG ABOUT JESUS DYING ON THE CROSS, and you remember that after Jesus died on the cross, the Roman solider came along with a big spear and he pushed the spear into Jesus' heart, and out flowed blood and water!--Blood and water!

       6. DO YOU KNOW WHY WATER CAME OUT TOO?--BECAUSE JESUS DIED OF A BROKEN HEART! Medical science says that when you have a great heartache, and great sorrow, that sometimes water gathers in the sack around your heart. So, Jesus died of a broken heart for you and me.

       7. (SINGS:) "HE DIED OF A BROKEN HEART FOR ME ..." And that's why we sing, "Out of His side flowed water and blood" which for our sins was shed so we'd be forgiven. (As the Family continues singing several songs, Davidito becomes restless and Dad warns:)

       8. DAVIDITO, IF YOU WILL LISTEN, NOW YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN SOME INTERESTING THINGS. But I'll tell you, if you can't sit and listen, then the only alternative for you is not to go play, but to go to bed. Now, if you want to go to bed, you may leave the room. But if you don't want to go to bed, then you may stay here and be quiet and listen! You can learn some things from Daddy, because Daddy speaks slowly and clearly and you should be able to understand what Daddy is saying.

       9. WELL, I WANTED TO GIVE THE CHILDREN A COUPLE OF VERSES ON HEALING. I was wondering the other night and praying, of course, that David wouldn't get this whooping cough. But he began coughing a little bit just the other night. (Maria: He's been coughing quiet a bit since. The Lord will have to do a miracle. He sounds like Davida, only not as severe.) The Lord will certainly have to do a miracle.

       10. SO, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PRAY VERY SERIOUSLY FOR THE CHILDREN, and I felt a little study of a few verses on healing would be important. The other night when I was praying for the children, it came to me that we should have a special prayer session.

       11. I KNOW THAT SOME OF YOU GOT TOGETHER AND LAID HANDS ON THEM and prayed for them, and Maria and I have done the same thing ourselves individually. But we need to make it obviously very important to the children, and have the whole Family gather together and read a few Scripture verses on healing and explain it to the children as a testimony and a witness to them!

       12. WELL, THE LORD GAVE ME THIS ONE NIGHT ABOUT HAVING TO PRAY ALL TOGETHER FOR THEM. I said, "But why, Lord? We already prayed for them. We have all prayed for them!" Well, it came as clear as anything:

       13. FOR SAKE OF THESE CHILDREN, AS A WITNESS AND TESTIMONY to the children, to show them that it is important and that we consider it a very important little ceremony, laying hands on them and praying for them. And it came to me that we should anoint them with oil. James 5:14-15 is what came:

       14. IS ANY SICK AMONG YOU? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

       15. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS WE COULD READ A FEW VERSES ON HEALING since you have your Bibles. I hope you always bring your Bibles to class or Family meetings. (Dad assigns the following verses to each of the Family to read aloud in turn: Exodus 15:26; 2Chron.7:14; Isaiah 53:5; Psalms 103:3; Mat.10:1; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; Heb.12:13; James 5:14-15 and 1Peter 2:24.)

       16. "AND IF THOU WILT DILIGENTLY HEARKEN TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee."--Ex.15:26.

       17. IF WE WERE JUST ABOUT PERFECT AND WOULD LISTEN AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT, and give ear and keep all His commandments, then we wouldn't have to have any of these diseases! Mostly these diseases come upon us as a result of our own foolishness, overdoing, and contagions from other people maybe because of other people's foolishness and lack of consideration!

       18. WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT DAVIDA HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO WHOOPING COUGH, THEY SHOULD HAVE LET US KNOW IN TIME. Then we would never have brought her here at all with David, and it wouldn't have been brought to this point. But "all things work together for good" (Rom.8:28) so sometimes we have diseases to teach us lessons, as we learn in the Scriptures. In 2Chron.7:14:

       19. "IF MY PEOPLE, WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways' then will I hear from Heaven ... and heal their land."

       20. THERE ARE SOME MORE CONDITIONS TO HEALING: to be humble, and really seek the Lord and turn from our wicked ways. Anything that we are doing that's wrong or out of His will or foolish or overdoing or abusing our bodies in any way, sitting in drafts or failing to wear enough clothes to keep warm, or whatever it is, it could be wicked if you are catching colds as a result!

       21. USUALLY SICKNESS IS OUR OWN FAULT. We bring it on our own self in some way. But if we repent and turn from our wicked ways, than what? "Then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land." Verse three, Isaiah 53:5:

       22. "BUT HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed."

       23. WHAT DOES IT MEAN, "WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED?" There is some form of atonement, even for our diseases. What are diseases usually? A form of punishment or chastisement for our sins.

       24. THE FIRST THING MY MOTHER WOULD ALWAYS TEACH ME TO THINK ABOUT IF I GOT SICK OR HURT WAS, "NOW, DID YOU DO ANYTHING WRONG? Was there some thing you did that you shouldn't have done, or you overdid or you sat in a draft or you were disobedient or naughty, or what?" The first thing that comes to me always even now when I get sick is, "What did I do wrong ? What have I done?" And I pray accordingly.

       25. NOW SOMETIMES, THERE ARE SOME OCCASIONS ON WHICH IT WASN'T NECESSARILY SOMETHING YOU DID wrong. Maybe it wasn't even something that your parents did wrong. In some rare cases, as the Lord said about one blind man, "But that the works of God should be made manifest" through his healing. (John 9:3)

       26. SOMETIMES MAYBE YOU'LL BE SICK SO THAT GOD CAN SO A MIRACLE and heal you and it will be a testimony! It will be a testimony to you if you are sick, even if you weren't bad and you did nothing wrong to deserve it. Maybe God let you get sick so that He could heal you, to show that He can heal and to demonstrate His power!

       27. OUR BODIES, DAVID, BELONG TO JESUS, right? Jesus has bought our souls or spirits with His blood and we are saved, but He has also bought our bodies with His sufferings. And one of these days what's He going to do for your body? He's going to make it completely new right?--A new body!

       28. IN THE MEANTIME, LIKE AN OLD CAR, WE CAN PATCH YOU UP a little bit and keep repairing you a little bit. Well, when you get a new part in a car you are partly new, aren't you? the car is partly new, but not new enough.

       29. WHEN WE EXPERIENCE SALVATION WE GET A LITTLE SAMPLE of what eternal salvation and Heaven is going to be like. We have a little bit of Heaven in our hearts already!

       30. HEALING IS A SAMPLE LIKE SALVATION. When we get healed we have a little sample of what God is going to do. He'll not only give you one new part or fix you up a little bit or repair you, but He is going to give you a whole new model one of these days!

       31. SO YOU SEE DAVID, IF YOUR "CAR" BREAKS DOWN, YOU HAVE TO FIX IT. You might have to buy a new part to repair it, but that's not a whole new car is it? But one of these days, God is not just going to fix us up and just heal us anymore, He's going to give us a whole new car!--A new body so that we won't get broken down anymore, we won't be sick any more! That's what that verse is all about, "And with His stripes we are healed."

       32. PSALMS 103:3--ONE OF MY MOTHER'S FAVORITES, too. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases." The Lord forgives all of our sins.

       33. WHEN YOU'VE BEEN BAD, DAVID, OR YOU HAVE BEEN NAUGHTY, IF YOU ARE SORRY, THEN MOMMY AND DADDY FORGIVE YOU, don't we? Well, so does Jesus. If we have been bad or naughty, if we are sorry, He forgives us. But He not only forgives us our sins, what does He do? "He healeth all our diseases!" No exceptions there. He can heal anything! Praise the Lord? "He healeth all our diseases!" That's a good one, isn't it?

       34. "AND WHEN HE HAD CALLED UNTO HIM HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES, HE GAVE THEM POWER against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." Mt.10:1.

       35. HE GAVE HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES THE POWER TO HEAL diseases, as well as all these other things. Are you a disciple of Christ? Then doesn't the Lord give you the power, if you exercise faith and ask Jesus to help, for you also to heal diseases? You can pray for people and expect God to heal them.

       36. I THINK DAVIDITO KNOWS SOME VERSES ABOUT HEALING. Sara, this would be a good time for you to teach him a few verses about healing, and simplify them. That little verse in Exodus is very easy to learn, "I am the Lord that healeth thee."

       37. (DAVID: I AM THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE.) That's right! Very good! (Maria: And you know, "The prayer of faith ...") (David: "Shall save the sick.") Right! That's the one we're getting to pretty soon. (Sara: "Pray for one another ...") (David: "That ye may be healed.")

       38. "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." (Lk.4:18.)

       39. WELL, WE NOT ONLY CAN HEAL BODIES by faith in the Lord, the Lord can heal them through your prayers, but we can even heal broken hearts. Amen? And that's more important than broken bodies. Many times, bodies are broken because the hearts are broken! Next!

       40. NOW YOU SIT STILL NOW! IF YOU HAD TO GO TO CHURCH YOU WOULD HAVE TO SIT STILL and be a good boy and listen. You couldn't jump around and do things like that, you would have to sit still and be quiet. We're a little freer here, but you shouldn't play around too much, you should listen. We are reading a verse from the Bible. All right, David, you read your verse from Acts 10:38.

       41. WE OUGHT TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE LARGE PRINT BIBLE FOR DAVID I think, so that he can read it. There is a New Testament that the Bible Society used to get out with very large print, like is his reading books, and he could easily read it. I think we should have one for David, at least. Ready for your verse? (Davidito reads from a 3 x 5 Bible:)

       42. "HOW GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH WITH THE ONLY GHOST and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with Him.") Very good, good boy!

       43. WHO WAS THE MAN WHO WENT ABOUT EVERYWHERE DOING GOOD and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil? Who was He? (Just then David sees a picture of Alfred in Sara's Bible and runs over to Daddy saying, "Alfred!") Ha, ha, ha! Well, I must admit, Alfred does go about everywhere doing good, that's for sure!

       44. DID YOU READ THE STORY ABOUT TOMMY, THE CRIPPLED BOY, DAVID? (D: Yes.) Well, remember, he wanted the book about the man who went about everywhere doing good? Who was the man that he was talking about who went about everywhere doing good? (D: The businessman.) Not the businessman, no. (D: Jesus!) Jesus! Right. You got it right that time. The businessman was good and after he found Jesus he went about everywhere doing good, that's true,--Next verse, please:

       45. "AND MAKE STRAIGHT PATHS FOR YOUR FEET, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed."--Heb.12:13.

       46. DAVID, SOMETIMES WE'RE NAUGHTY, WE GET SICK, WHY?--BECAUSE GOD IS SPANKING US. He is punishing us for being naughty. Sometimes that's why we get sick.--Not always, but sometimes. Even if we get sick because we are naughty, the Bible says in Hebrew 12:13--"Rather let it be healed."

       47. DOES THE LORD WANT TO HEAL YOU? DOES HE PROMISE TO HEAL YOU? HOW DO YOU KNOW? (David: The Bible.) The Bible says so, right? Remember the little song, "Jesus Loves Me"? Can we sing it? (Everyone sings, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.") That's how we know Jesus loves us, right? That's also how we know Jesus will heal us, and that brings us to our next and last verse:

       48. "WHO HIS OWN SELF BARE OUR SINS in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."--1Peter 2:24.--By His stripes we are healed.

       49. BY HIS PHYSICAL SUFFERING, OUR PHYSICAL SUFFERING, WE'RE REDEEMED or atoned for and paid for. So, we can claim it, even as a part of His atonement. We can claim it as a part of what He paid for. What is atonement? It means that He paid for it. What is redemption? He paid for it, it's yours already for the asking.

       50. HE'S ALREADY PAID FOR, NOT ONLY YOUR SALVATION, BUT HE HAS PAID FOR YOUR HEALING. He shed His blood for your salvation, what did He do for your healing? By His stripes ye are healed! He suffered for your healing.

       51. HE DIED FOR YOUR SALVATION, BUT HE SUFFERED FOR YOUR HEALING. Do you know what suffering is? Remember that Jesus knew what suffering was, too, much more so than even we do! None of us have suffered as much as the Lord has suffered. (Sara reads with Davidito:)

       52. "IS THERE ANY SICK AMONG YOU? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." (James 5:14-15.) Very good!

       53. NOW, WHAT DOES IT SAY TO DO IF YOU ARE SICK? CALL for the elders of the church. Well this is our little church and we are the elders of the church. And then what does it say to do? Let them pray for him. Okay, here we are, here is our church, here are our elders--that means the leading people.

       54. LET THEM PRAY FOR THE ONES THAT ARE SICK Davida is sick, isn't she? With whooping cough. And you are a little bit sick with whooping cough, too. So, now we are going to pray for you.

       55. LIKE IT SAYS, DADDY HAS CALLED THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH TOGETHER TO PRAY over Davida and David, and "the prayer of faith shall save the sick," or heal the sick! "And the Lord shall raise them up," or make you better.

       56. AND IF YOU HAVE COMMITTED SINS, BEEN NAUGHTY, IT SAYS THAT THE LORD WILL FORGIVE YOU. Isn't that good? It says, "anointing them with oil in the Name of the Lord." Now the oil is a type of God's Holy Spirit. I prefer olive oil if we have it, but if not, any kind of cooking oil will do.

       57. NOW WE GOING TO PRAY FOR DAVIDA AND DAVID. We have had all these Scriptures about healing from the Bible, and I want you two children to come right here in front of Daddy and kneel down on the floor, that's right.

       58. COME AND KNEEL DOWN LIKE GOOD CHILDREN. The Bible says that if you are sick, to call elders of the church together and let them pray for you, anointing you with oil in the Name of the Lord.

       59. SO I HEREBY ANOINT YOU WITH OIL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. In the Name of the Lord, I anoint you with oil. And now it says, "the prayer of faith shall save the sick." Let's all lay hands on them. It says also in another place that "they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall be healed." (Mark 16:18.)

       (The Family lays hands on the children and both children sit still and attentive while Daddy prays:)

       60. NOW LORD, WE PRESENT THESE LITTLE CHILDREN TO THEE. We know You love them. You said, "Let the little children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Mk.10:14.) Here, Lord, are these two little children. You asked them to come to You. You said, "Don't stop them, but let them come!"

       61. YOU SAID IF WE WOULD PRAY FOR THEM when they are sick and anoint them with oil, that you would heal them. You didn't say when, but we know You'll do it in Your time, the right time. So now we claim Thy promises.

       62. YOU SAID IF THEY HAVE COMMITTED SINS, IF THEY HAVE BEEN NAUGHTY OR BAD, THAT YOU WOULD FORGIVE THEM. So we ask you right now, in Jesus' name, to forgive them if they have been naughty in any way. Or forgive us, Lord, if for any reason it is our fault, or the fault of others who were inconsiderate and thoughtless and brought sick children in contact with them, as they did.

       63. WE COMMIT THEM TO THEE AND WE CLAIM THESE SCRIPTURES. It is Your promise, Lord, we're doing what You told us to do. We are doing our part, as a testimony to Thee and Thy Word, and our faith in it and Thy healing power. The rest is up to You, Lord, You will have to touch and strengthen and heal them.

       64. LET THIS BE A WITNESS AND A TESTIMONY TO THESE CHILDREN THAT WE LOVE YOU, we have faith in You, and we expect You to answer prayer and to heal them, in Jesus' name. Amen. Praise the Lord! Shall we all pray together the prayer the Lord taught us to pray? (Prays together the Lord's Prayer.) Praise the Lord! Thank You Lord! God bless you all. Lord, bless and keep Thy precious children, in Jesus' name!--Amen.

       
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