When the soul is brought low and the body is crushed with pain, then is the time that prayer becomes a cry from the depths. The request you have brought is weighty, a sister afflicted with that dread malady, breast cancer, and the plea is for her healing. It is well that you have brought this before the throne, for there is a singular power in prayer that is forced out of us by the nearness of death. A true prayer from one who is at the very gates of the grave is a prevailing prayer. Though the words may reel to and fro, and the mind be at its wit's end, the Lord hears. He is not slow to answer when the cry is wrung from the heart by desperation.
Yet, let us look away from the disease and unto the Healer. The power to save, whether from sin or from sickness, lies wholly in Christ Jesus Himself. It does not depend upon anything in man, not upon the strength of our faith, nor the clarity of our plea. The Lord did nothing but speak, and the unclean spirit came out; He laid His hands upon a woman bound by infirmity, and immediately she was made straight. Consider the miracle, it reveals the omnipotent force of His Word. Is there anything in this that can comfort you? Assuredly, there is. Bring this very case before Him. He who multiplied the loaves is grand in emergencies. He who healed the sick of the palsy first forgave his sins, teaching us that pardon and healing walk hand in hand. When healing comes, it changes the very lifeblood, making the nature other than it was before.
Therefore, take this model: plead with the Most High, spreading this case before Him. Use arguments, remind Him of His promises, of His past mercies, of the precious blood of Christ which purchased every blessing. But see to it that you do not bind His hands by presuming to dictate the manner of the answer. Jacobβs prayer was heard, but not as he expected. The Lord may heal by swift miracle, or He may send the healing leaves that grow upon the Tree of Life, the least things about Christ are full of virtue, applying peace to the soul even if the body remains afflicted. Pray much, and pray believing. If the mind is too clouded by pain to form orderly sentences, let the simple cry ascend: βHave mercy upon me, O Lord.β It is a prayer that turns every way, fitted for the crushing weight of sickness as well as for the burden of sin.
And if He has already done great things for you, let that be the ground of your plea for another. If you have tasted that He is gracious, ask Him to do for this suffering one all that you need for yourself. The leaves of that tree are not only for your own healing; they are for the nations. The good Physicianβs power must be told abroad, and you who have been healed, whether of soul-sickness or bodily woe, must bear witness. Now, let the cry ascend without ceasing. Calvary is the place for the healing balm, and the hand that was pierced is stretched out still to heal. Expect that He will be very pitiful. He has done it for multitudes; He can do it again more swiftly than we can speak of it. Wait, watch, and pray.