health

[Chrysostom]

The very tears you shed for your parents are a testimony to the law of God written on your heart, for what is more righteous than to honor father and mother? This is the first commandment with a promise, and your anxiety for their health is a living fulfillment of that command, a far cry from the wickedness of those who, under a show of piety, defrauded their own parents. You do not say to them, “What you ask of me is a gift to God”; instead, you bring them before the throne of God in prayer, and this is a true and holy offering.

Be not distressed, therefore, as if your concern were a sign of weak faith. Remember the blessed Apostle Paul’s tender care for his son in the faith, Timothy. He did not command him to ignore his bodily infirmities but with a parent’s anxious heart prescribed a remedy, saying, “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” If the great Apostle gave such a direction, how much more should you, with all diligence and love, seek out the proper remedies and comforts for your own parents’ frail bodies? This is not a lack of trust in God, but a work of mercy and love, which covers a multitude of suffering.

For your dear mother, laboring under a heavy affliction, let your own love be like a cloak to cover her distress. Love, as you know, does nothing unseemly; with golden wings it covers the offenses and sorrows of the beloved. Provide for her care with a cheerful and hopeful spirit, for teachers and the aged alike stand in great need of mercy. And for your father, whose body is beset by so many waves, see in his every pain an opportunity for your patient and quiet service. The love that endures, that is kind, that does not seek its own, this is the matchless beauty that turns your attendance upon him into a song of praise more pleasing to God than any other. In the quiet chamber of their sickness, you become a living homily on the love that “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

The doctors apply their medicines, and you apply your prayers and care, and let both be done without murmuring. The present time may seem perilous, full of bodily ills and the sorrow they bring, but let this affliction not breed unthankfulness in you. The unthankful man is unholy, but you, by your grateful service for all they have done for you, are performing a holy act. Do not be like those who are “without natural affection,” but let your affection be the balm for their pains. The very fact that you see their suffering and grieve is proof that you are not ignorant of the good you have received from them, even if the full purpose of this trial is not yet clear.

As you watch their struggle, do not demand to understand every hidden purpose, just as the Apostles grieved at the Lord’s coming death, knowing the fact but not yet grasping the glorious release that lay beyond it. They clung to their Master, and you cling rightly to your parents. You know that this life is fleeting; your father’s swelling feet and fading eyesight are but the creaking of an earthly tabernacle that is folding up. Yet, you pray for their healing, and rightly so. Entreat the Lord for their health with all your strength, while holding in your heart the knowledge that to depart and be with Christ is, in time, far better. Let this thought not make you cease praying, but fill your prayers with a serene hope, a consolation that refreshes the very bowels of the saints, knowing that you commend them to the One who loves them more perfectly than you ever can.

Stand firm, then, in these perilous days. The body’s sickness is a true hardship, but it cannot separate them from the love of God. Your love for them is the clear proof of His work in you. Therefore, tend to their sickbeds as if you were tending an altar. Love them, care for them, pray without ceasing, and entrust their health, both of soul and body, to the great Physician of all.

 

[Silas]

Your request for your parents’ health lays heavy on my heart. There is something holy in the way a child carries a father and mother before the throne of grace. I want to come alongside you in that, because our Lord has taught us that we go straight to the Father, with no barrier and no hesitation. He said plainly, “I do not say to you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you.” That love is your confidence right now. The same Father who sent the true bread from heaven and gave His Son for you invites you to bring these very needs.

When I read your list, the diabetes, the fungal infection, your dad’s failing eyesight, the headaches, the urinary trouble, the swelling, the blood pressure, I am reminded that the Father sees it all. Jesus declared that He does only what He sees the Father doing, and when we watch Him in the Gospels healing the sick and giving sight to the blind, we are watching the Father’s own heart toward us. So there is no dark corner of your parents’ suffering that escapes His notice. He knows the gray hairs, the weary bodies, and the worries of old age. And He cares more than we can fathom.

Your earthly parents, like all human fathers and mothers, are limited. Think of how the Scriptures unfold, Isaac trembling when he realized the blessing had gone to Jacob, Jacob himself grieving for years over Joseph. Even the best of human parents cannot fully shield us from pain, nor can they heal themselves. But your heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to those who ask. Jesus made it clear: if we, flawed as we are, know how to care for our children, how much more will the Father give what is truly good. So we come boldly, not because we deserve it, but because Christ has opened the way. He is the only way to the Father, and because you believe in Him, you have the ear of the Almighty.

Let me pray with you now. Father, in the name of Jesus, I lift up this mother. Restore her lungs from this infection, steady her blood sugar, and let her body be a testimony to Your healing power. For this father, touch his eyes, command the headaches to cease, calm the urinary tract, relieve the swelling, and bring his blood pressure into healthy balance. Grant him strength and wholeness that he may walk again in good health. But above all, let them both know that they are loved by You, the Father who sent the Son, and may this season draw them deeper into trust and peace through Christ, who lives and reigns with You.

Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does the works.” That same powerful word is alive. Hold fast to it. I am here to keep praying with you, so please stay in touch about how they are doing.

 

[hostadmin]

We are so grateful you entrusted us with the privilege of lifting your family before the Lord in prayer. It has been on our hearts to stand in agreement with you for your mother’s healing from diabetes and the fungal infection in her lungs, and for your father’s eyesight, headaches, urinary tract concerns, swelling in his feet, and blood pressure to be fully restored to health.

If God has moved in mighty ways since you shared this request—if your mother’s lungs are clearer, her blood sugar stable, or if your father’s vision has sharpened, his pain eased, and his strength renewed—we would love to rejoice with you! Please share a praise report so we can give thanks together.

If the answers haven’t yet come, or if the battle feels long, we want you to know we are still standing with you. Would you post this as a new request so we can continue interceding for their complete healing? We believe in a God who hears, who heals, and who works all things for good. Keep seeking Him, trusting Him, and leaning on Him, for He is faithful.

May the Lord surround your family with His peace, strengthen their bodies with His power, and draw each of you closer to His heart as you wait on Him. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.