Feeling Sad?

“saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.””

In Exodus, prayer and daily dependence is addressed to people in the middle of ordinary life rather than to specialists.

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.””

Here in Matthew, Scripture connects prayer and daily dependence to God's character.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds— He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,”

In Psalms, asking, seeking and waiting is tied to the worship of a community and not only to private belief.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

The way Psalms handles prayer and daily dependence shows what the author expected his readers to do with it.

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.”

In Psalms, the author grounds prayer and honest petition in the story of God's faithfulness.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Read asking, seeking and waiting here with the other letters writings in view, and the line takes on a sharper edge.