“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 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.” (James 5:12-15 KJV)
I do not believe there has been an earlier time of my forty-one years in the ministry that I have spent more time in prayer for the sick. It seems that they are like the poor, we will always have them with us. These physical bodies are constantly breaking down, becoming more prone to illness, and more so as the aging process continues. And I feel sure that I shall have need to pray for others and have personal need of pray in the days ahead.
I do not like to suffer nor do I enjoy seeing others suffer from injury or illness. It is our lot to do so because of sin, but it is by no means a pleasant experience. That is one reason why I have never understood hypochondria. Why anyone would desire to find sickness and pain to experience and seemingly enjoy it, is beyond my reasoning. I have observed too much of suffering in the lives of others to pursue it for myself.
We are reminded in Scripture that God is merciful. Even though we do deserve to agonize in pain, He is so gracious and compassionate to us. Jesus is our Great Physician. It is by His mercies that we are not consumed. I am so glad He hears and answers our prayers.
Perhaps, someday I shall be lying on a gurney in the hospital, not knowing if it is my time to leave this world and go on to be with the Lord. I believe it will be a great comfort to know that others are praying for me and that God is in control of it all. “...and the Lord shall raise him up...”
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