Do not be afraid...

SCRIPTURE

Canticle: Isaiah 38:10-20 (NRSV)

Prayer for health

I said: In the noontide of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see the Lord
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon mortals no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd's tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night you bring me to an end;
I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.

Like a swallow or a crane I clamor,
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security!
But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled
because of the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, by these things people live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.
Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
Surely it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but you have held back my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
For Sheol cannot thank you,
death cannot praise you;
those who go down to the Pit cannot hope
for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, they thank you,
as I do this day;
fathers make known to children
your faithfulness.

The Lord will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
at the house of the Lord.

DEVOTION

Today’s scripture is going to hit very close to home for anyone who has a loved one who is suffering under the affliction of illness, disease, or dis-ease.

Isn’t it amazing how many illnesses can be life-threatening or fatal to human beings? Every day approximately 150,000 human beings die, leaving this planet, for their eternal home.

Since this is true, it should not come as a surprise that many of us are afflicted—or know someone who is afflicted—by an illness that is robbing them of their very life.

Maybe you—or a loved one—are living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, pneumonia, tuberculosis, malaria, nutritional disease, obesity, heart disease, depression, or the like. Perhaps the doctors have given you a diagnosis and a prognosis, shaking their heads, and telling you that there is nothing more that they can do for you.

In response to this bad news report you may have found yourself praying, “Oh, restore me to health and make me live!”

It is at times like this that we are reminded that our ultimate hope and salvation lives in God, and God alone. As a little girl my mother always told me that all of my days were appointed by God even before my life began.

Isn’t that an amazing thought my friends? No matter what you or I do, we are not able to surprise God with the longevity or brevity of our lives!

If you are facing illness, God is able to heal you, for there is nothing that is too hard for our God! But, just because God can heal you, does not necessarily mean that God will heal you.

My beloved friends we all know that this is so. For we all know someone who has stood at the bed of a faithful saint of God as she or he passed on to glory, despite the fervent prayers of the saints for their healing and deliverance.

It is in these most sacred of moments that I am reminded of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they faced the fiery furnace. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Our God is well able to rescue us, but even if he does not…”

Wow! That “even if he does not” declaration does not come easily to our lips, does it? As human beings we hold tenaciously to our earthly existence; we want to remain earth-bound so that we can be with our family and friends, enjoy our work and hobbies, and see what the future brings.

But, God knows that this desire is short-sighted. For the Bible says that when we are in Christ, Earth is not the greatest reality that is available to us! It declares that when we put all of our hope in Jesus believing that God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross, our sins are forgiven and we are gifted access to eternal life in the heavens. It reminds us that when we say—and believe with all our hearts—that God raised Jesus from the dead, we are saved!

So, what does it mean to be saved?

Well, ultimately it means that we do not need to live in fear of our physical death. Revelation Chapter 4 says that when we die, God will wipe away all of the tears from our eyes; and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, for these former things pass away and God makes all things new!

Hallelujah!

Dear sweet friends, let me tell you a truth. Spirit is speaking to the one who is sick, the one who is watching—or has watched—a love one die, and/or the one who fears their own death.

Do not be afraid…

Either God is going to heal your earthly body and you will remain on the Earth a little while longer as a testimony to God’s great ability to heal and to save, or God is going to allow you to shed your earthly body and take on a heavenly one in which you will no longer cry or be in pain.

As Christians this is the ultimate “win-win” situation, although it rarely feels that way as we—or a loved one—suffers in an earthly tabernacle.

Many years ago I prayed for wisdom regarding the reality of death. I asked God why some people suffer as they die. And do you know what God told me?

God said that suffering is nothing more than the labor pains necessary to birth us out of this world and into the next. God reassured me that I do not need to worry as someone is “laboring” out of this world for God is the ultimate midwife, and God is committed to safely delivering them on the other side.

Just as it is natural for a woman to labor in pain to bring forth new life and then quickly forgive that same pain when she sees her new-born baby, so too is it natural for us to labor out of this world and into the next, instantaneously forgiving our pain as we gaze upon the face of our loving and compassionate God.

So, my friends, death is not something to be feared; in fact, it is just a gateway into our real and eternal lives with Christ!

Let us declare with the Psalmist, “The Lord will save me [one way or the other], and we will sing to stringed instruments all the days of our lives, in the house of the Lord.”

Let us pray:

Holy God, for so long I have lived in fear of death. Please deliver me from this natural fear and give me a supernatural boldness to trust you when the time comes for me to make transition from this world and into the next. God, today, I put all of my hope in you. I believe that you love me so much that you gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I affirm that Jesus did not stay dead, but was resurrected just as He promised that He would! With all my heart I look forward to my eternal life with you. I love you and I trust you to see me safely into my eternal rest. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!

MUSIC MINISTRY

Today the music is so special! I hope you will allow it to minister to your soul.