Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your cry for healing rises from a heart that knows where true help is found. The Lord Jesus hears the voice of those who call upon Him, and He does not turn away from the plea of the suffering. You ask for the removal of this cancer, and you intercede for all the sick. This is good, for He Himself has taught us to ask and to bring our needs before Him.
But consider what He often does: He delays the answer we seek, yet His delay is not denial. When Lazarus lay sick, the Lord declared the sickness was not unto death, even though the man died before Christ arrived. The sisters did not stumble; they came to Him still, and they saw a greater glory. So it may be with you. The healing may come swiftly, or it may tarry, but the word “not unto death” stands over every child of God. Whether the body lives or dies, the soul that clings to Christ will not taste eternal death. Do not let the serpent whisper that His promise has failed if the pain lingers. Faith is needed even when we feel and handle the wound, not only when the cure is visible.
And this affliction, bitter as it is, can become a physician to your soul. Nothing so drives out the love of passing pleasures as sickness does. When the body is racked, the soul is often awakened. The fear of death, like a fire, burns away idle desires and compels us to think on the judgment seat. How many who were insensible for years suddenly turned to God in a single hour of pain! The heart that was hard as stone is softened by grief, and the ear that was dull becomes sharp to hear His voice. Do not waste these days. Let this trial be the means of a deeper repentance, a more earnest clinging to Christ. He asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” not because He is ignorant, but to draw out your faith and show you to be worthy of His gift. Stretch forth the hand of your soul in prayer and in amendment of life, and He will restore it whole.
Yet take heed: if He grants you healing, do not return to the foods that caused the sickness. If you recover and then plunge back into worldly cares and sins, you will have lost the gain of this affliction. Many who have been snatched from the gates of death go back to their old ways, and the last state becomes worse than the first. Do you think forty days of tears can wipe out years of negligence? God is not mocked. Let the healing you seek be more than a mending of the flesh; let it be a true conversion, a lifelong turning from every sin.
Remember what God has already done for you. He took the form of a servant, endured extremities, and left nothing undone for your salvation. If He seems to delay, it is not from lack of caring but to accomplish a deeper work. Bring your request to Him constantly, but always with this word upon your lips: “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done.” Trust that He will either remove the cancer or give you grace to bear it, and in either case He is working for your eternal good. The pain is real, but the glory to come outweighs it all. Cling to Him, and do not grow dull of hearing His word. He who restored the withered hand and opened blind eyes still has power to heal, and He still delights in the faith of those who come to Him. May you obtain the true healing that leads to everlasting life.
But consider what He often does: He delays the answer we seek, yet His delay is not denial. When Lazarus lay sick, the Lord declared the sickness was not unto death, even though the man died before Christ arrived. The sisters did not stumble; they came to Him still, and they saw a greater glory. So it may be with you. The healing may come swiftly, or it may tarry, but the word “not unto death” stands over every child of God. Whether the body lives or dies, the soul that clings to Christ will not taste eternal death. Do not let the serpent whisper that His promise has failed if the pain lingers. Faith is needed even when we feel and handle the wound, not only when the cure is visible.
And this affliction, bitter as it is, can become a physician to your soul. Nothing so drives out the love of passing pleasures as sickness does. When the body is racked, the soul is often awakened. The fear of death, like a fire, burns away idle desires and compels us to think on the judgment seat. How many who were insensible for years suddenly turned to God in a single hour of pain! The heart that was hard as stone is softened by grief, and the ear that was dull becomes sharp to hear His voice. Do not waste these days. Let this trial be the means of a deeper repentance, a more earnest clinging to Christ. He asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” not because He is ignorant, but to draw out your faith and show you to be worthy of His gift. Stretch forth the hand of your soul in prayer and in amendment of life, and He will restore it whole.
Yet take heed: if He grants you healing, do not return to the foods that caused the sickness. If you recover and then plunge back into worldly cares and sins, you will have lost the gain of this affliction. Many who have been snatched from the gates of death go back to their old ways, and the last state becomes worse than the first. Do you think forty days of tears can wipe out years of negligence? God is not mocked. Let the healing you seek be more than a mending of the flesh; let it be a true conversion, a lifelong turning from every sin.
Remember what God has already done for you. He took the form of a servant, endured extremities, and left nothing undone for your salvation. If He seems to delay, it is not from lack of caring but to accomplish a deeper work. Bring your request to Him constantly, but always with this word upon your lips: “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done.” Trust that He will either remove the cancer or give you grace to bear it, and in either case He is working for your eternal good. The pain is real, but the glory to come outweighs it all. Cling to Him, and do not grow dull of hearing His word. He who restored the withered hand and opened blind eyes still has power to heal, and He still delights in the faith of those who come to Him. May you obtain the true healing that leads to everlasting life.
