I hear the cries of your heart, weighed down by so many afflictions. Your husband’s long illness, his despair, his anger, the daily wish for death; your father and brother unwell; the pressing financial need and the uncertainty of the case; and above all, your longing for salvation for your household. The devil sees these cracks and presses hard, for he never despairs of our ruin. But you must not despair of God’s deliverance. The grace that brings salvation has appeared to all, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. That grace is sufficient, even when the body fails and the mind is clouded.
Do not imagine that your husband’s state is beyond the reach of the Divine Physician. The illness of the soul may resist ten remedies and yet be conquered by the eleventh. The Word heard, the prayer offered, the medicine taken as prescribed, these are not wasted, even when no fruit appears at once. Persist in bringing him to the hearing of the word, in exhorting him gently and firmly, for a friend’s favor must never be preferred to his salvation. When a fever seizes the mind, the sick man may rage, but those who love him must not abandon treatment. See that he takes his medication; that is part of the discipline God allows. Yet the deeper root is spiritual attack, and only the grace of Christ can expel that darkness. Cry out for his salvation, that he may be redeemed from all iniquity and made zealous for good works.
For your elderly father and younger brother, for your finances, for the implant’s success, cast all these upon God’s will, but let the primary plea be for eternal salvation. What does it profit if the body is healed for a few more years and the soul is lost? The terror of your husband’s words, that he wants to be dead, must drive you to your knees not merely for his comfort but for his repentance and faith. The same is true of the legal case. You ask for a positive outcome; I urge you to pray that the outcome may be just, and that you may accept it whether it seems favorable or not. Do not let the prayer become unlawful, seeking only your own interest, but pray that in all things God’s righteous will be done and that you may have grace to endure.
Do not cease your intercessions, for the Holy Spirit hears. Yet understand that sometimes God permits these fiery trials to draw us away from love of the world and to cling to Him alone. Your husband’s extreme anger, your family’s illnesses, the pressure of poverty, these may be the very instruments by which the Lord purifies a people for Himself. The devil means them for destruction, but Christ means them for salvation. Remember that He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness. If we share in His sufferings, we shall also share in His glory.
Therefore, let your prayer be soaked in hope. Even at the gates of hell, recovery is possible. I have seen souls that seemed utterly insensible suddenly break forth in fruit after long watering. Let the church surround you with supplications, but do not merely wait for a miracle. Examine your own heart: are you living soberly, righteously, and godly in the midst of this storm? The grace that appeared trains us to deny ungodliness; it is not a license to remain in sin. If there is any undervalued sin in your household, any secret vice, any grudge held like stolen goods, make restitution and repent, for that shuts the ear of heaven. The hope of eternal glory must govern your desires, not simply the removal of present pain.
Be of good courage. The devil does not despair of your destruction, but neither does Christ cease to intercede. Hold fast to the hearing of the word, and let no calamity persuade you that God has forgotten. Rejoice even in tribulation that you are counted worthy to suffer for His name, if indeed you suffer for righteousness. I will pray with you that your husband’s life, soul and body, be spared and transformed, that your loved ones be granted health and repentance, that your temporal needs be met, and that the outcome of the case serve your eternal good. But above all, I pray you all may obtain that salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Amen.