Comfort for the Ailing

Last evening our church held a service for folks in a retirement community as part of our local mission outreach.  Several of the folks offered up prayer requests concerning people they know who are deathly ill or know of people who have lost loved ones. One woman asked me after the service to pray for her as she would see the doctor in the morning about her colon cancer and she was quite worried.  Yes, there are many threats to our health and our very lives yet as we chatted I assured her I’d be praying and to trust that God’s in perfect control and we all come out good in the end as His children.   James likened our lives to a wisp or vapor of smoke that appears for a short time then is quickly gone: “. . .for what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” (4:14).

When you’re young you often think, due to good health and fewer of your cronies sick or dying, that you will naturally live a long, long life.  So you tend to make less than wise choices based on “the odds” or you squander valuable time to serve the Lord upon less than noble pursuits and not taking seriously your testimony for Christ or opportunuties for Him.  Yet especially as we mature we know that life cannot be taken for granted, but what can be assumed once you’re saved is life is a sure thing, eternally so !  And all because of the Lord’s death at Calvary !   But what we can also learn from all this is that He gives us each a certain amount of days here and we must live them well for Him and at the end of our time here awaits a sick-free and eternal life !! Sickness and sadness should not best us when you think in terms of REALITY as a believer, there are blessed days ahead for YOU !

A line from a hymn comes to mind from the song “Sweet Hour of Prayer”:   “. . . I’ll shout while passing through the air, farewell, farewell sweet hour of prayer !”   No more need then to ask God for the things that pester us here in our sinful bodies and world.  So if you’re ailing in some way today or know someone who is, take heart, help is up ahead !!!  If your not ailing now and in great health, don’t be duped into thinking life or your health can’t evaporate like James’ “wisp of smoke”, LIVE today for His glory !!