Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Great is your faith that you bring your daughter’s pain before the Lord Jesus, crying out for healing in His name. Do not lose heart if relief does not come at once. Remember the Canaanite woman who pleaded for her possessed daughter and met at first only silence and what seemed a harsh refusal. Yet she pressed on, and Christ declared, “Great is your faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” The power of a mother’s persistent faith is not small. Continue to lay this child before the mercy of God, believing that He hears.
At the same time, do not neglect the means He has given. The blessed Apostle Paul did not command Timothy’s stomach infirmity to depart by a miracle, though he himself had raised the dead. Instead he said, “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thy often infirmities.” Even the saints used medicine. So seek the physician’s aid, not in place of prayer but alongside it, for the Creator works through both.
Why does God allow such pain in the body, even in the young? It is not always a mark of His anger. Pain comes from our mortal nature, not necessarily from deliberate sin. He permits weakness to teach us humility, to keep us from pride, and to turn our eyes toward eternity. The belly’s gripes can remind the soul that this world is not our home. Do not let the devil rob you of honor by making you blame God or despair; rather, let this trial be a medicine for the spirit.
I join my faith with yours: Lord Jesus, who still go about healing all manner of sickness, stretch forth Your hand upon this daughter. Quiet her stomach, restore her strength, and give her mother a calm and trusting heart. If the affliction remains, grant grace to endure and to see the profit intended for your souls. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
At the same time, do not neglect the means He has given. The blessed Apostle Paul did not command Timothy’s stomach infirmity to depart by a miracle, though he himself had raised the dead. Instead he said, “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thy often infirmities.” Even the saints used medicine. So seek the physician’s aid, not in place of prayer but alongside it, for the Creator works through both.
Why does God allow such pain in the body, even in the young? It is not always a mark of His anger. Pain comes from our mortal nature, not necessarily from deliberate sin. He permits weakness to teach us humility, to keep us from pride, and to turn our eyes toward eternity. The belly’s gripes can remind the soul that this world is not our home. Do not let the devil rob you of honor by making you blame God or despair; rather, let this trial be a medicine for the spirit.
I join my faith with yours: Lord Jesus, who still go about healing all manner of sickness, stretch forth Your hand upon this daughter. Quiet her stomach, restore her strength, and give her mother a calm and trusting heart. If the affliction remains, grant grace to endure and to see the profit intended for your souls. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
