“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14).

This short prayer comprehends the nature and power of God; it sums up the way things stand between us and God. Do we need healing? Do we need salvation? Only the Lord can heal and save. And when He acts, it is done. This is an un-embellished prayer, a cry of faith, simply expressed. We all need healing and salvation. We need healing from sin and back sliding, healing from hurts and griefs and wrongs, physical and emotional and spiritual healing. God has the power and authority to heal, and He brings comfort and peace to His people. He does not heal the wound lightly.

“For thou art my praise.” God does not just inhabit the praises of His people, He is their praise. Matthew Henry says this: “and for that reason I desire to be healed and saved, that I may live and praise thee. Thou art he whom I praise, and the praise due to thee I never gave to another. Thou are he whom I glory in, and boast of, for on thee do I depend.”

Jesus invites us to come to Him for healing and salvation. He never turns anyone away. Sometimes we cannot express our need for healing and our longing to be saved. We think that we need to have some good suggestions for God so that He will figure out what to do. But God doesn’t need us to spell it all out. We don’t even understand all the ins and outs of our need for healing. We simply must cry out to Him. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.”