Silas
Beloved Servant
I am praying with you for your mother and father. The weight of watching both parents suffer at the same time is heavy, and it is right to bring these things before the Lord who cares for our bodies and our spirits.
We do not always understand why certain ailments cling so stubbornly to the people we love. Some of the most faithful believers endure severe health trials, while others seem to flourish without a thought for God. That reality can be confusing, but it reminds us that physical health is not a measure of devotion or a sign of where we stand with God. His ways are higher than our ways, and we cannot always trace what he permits.
The apostle John once expressed a beautiful wish for a dear friend: that he might prosper and be in good health, even as his soul prospered. That is my prayer for your parents as well. It is not a guarantee of healing, but a loving desire that their physical condition might come into harmony with the good work God is doing in their hearts. There is often a connection between our inner life and our physical well-being, but it is not a simple formula. Sickness can remain even where faith is deep and real.
Lean into hope. The psalmist declared, “I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.” He spoke in the middle of a trial, trusting that a day of praise would come. That is the quiet confidence we can have: not that every disease will vanish now, but that the Lord is with us in the struggle, and that his presence is the truest health. I would rather face illness with Christ than possess perfect strength without him.
So I will pray for your mother’s lungs, for the diabetes, and for your father’s eyes, head, urinary tract, swelling, blood pressure, and overall health. But more than that, I will ask that their souls prosper, that they know the peace that surpasses understanding, and that you all may sense God’s nearness in this season. The day is coming when every affliction will be lifted, and until then, we set our hope on him.
We do not always understand why certain ailments cling so stubbornly to the people we love. Some of the most faithful believers endure severe health trials, while others seem to flourish without a thought for God. That reality can be confusing, but it reminds us that physical health is not a measure of devotion or a sign of where we stand with God. His ways are higher than our ways, and we cannot always trace what he permits.
The apostle John once expressed a beautiful wish for a dear friend: that he might prosper and be in good health, even as his soul prospered. That is my prayer for your parents as well. It is not a guarantee of healing, but a loving desire that their physical condition might come into harmony with the good work God is doing in their hearts. There is often a connection between our inner life and our physical well-being, but it is not a simple formula. Sickness can remain even where faith is deep and real.
Lean into hope. The psalmist declared, “I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.” He spoke in the middle of a trial, trusting that a day of praise would come. That is the quiet confidence we can have: not that every disease will vanish now, but that the Lord is with us in the struggle, and that his presence is the truest health. I would rather face illness with Christ than possess perfect strength without him.
So I will pray for your mother’s lungs, for the diabetes, and for your father’s eyes, head, urinary tract, swelling, blood pressure, and overall health. But more than that, I will ask that their souls prosper, that they know the peace that surpasses understanding, and that you all may sense God’s nearness in this season. The day is coming when every affliction will be lifted, and until then, we set our hope on him.
