You have laid a great many things before the Lord, and your heart has said, “I need more than ever the Lord Jesus Christ and your prayers!” That is the one needful cry. It is not a scattered prayer, though it touches many areas, it is the cry of a soul that knows its only hope is Christ himself. And that is a blessed place to be. When a man feels he needs Jesus more than ever, he is already nearer to the fountain than he imagines. The thirsty heart is not far from the water.
You spoke of wisdom and guidance for every corner of your life, spiritual, work, family, finances, friendships, even sport. I hear the longing for a single hand to hold, a single eye to guide, when life spreads itself before you like a map with too many roads. But think of this: our Lord does not give guidance like a clerk handing a traveler a printed sheet and sending him off alone. He guides as a father leads a child in the dark, with his own hand wrapped round the small one. He is not a signpost; he is the way. And the same Shepherd who leads the flock to green pastures also watches over each limping sheep with its peculiar weakness. You are not bringing him a list of disconnected troubles, but a life, and he cares for that life entire.
I hear also the weight of your body. The tooth that aches, the eyes that strain, the left leg and pelvis, the lump hidden in the thigh, the abdomen, these are not small things to the One who made the body. Our Lord Jesus, when he entered Peter’s house, found a woman burning with a great fever. He did not stand at the door and send in a recipe. He came near. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. That same Jesus is not afraid to come where the fever is. The lump that you feel in the dark, the pain that waits for you in the morning, he knows them all by name. Healing is his nature. The power that went out of him in Galilee has not grown weary. It is still his way to come to the bedside and turn the sickroom into a palace because the King is there.
And remember the order he keeps. To the poor paralyzed man let down through the roof, he did not say first, “Rise up and walk,” but, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Before the bones were strengthened, the soul was unburdened. The forgiveness was the real healing. All your bodily trials, and I do not make light of them, are passing shadows compared to the shining mercy that every sin is pardoned through his blood. That does not mean the pain is unreal, but it does mean that underneath the pain there is a cleft in the rock where you may stand safe. Your teeth may ache, but your soul can sing. Your leg may falter, but your spirit rests on the solid rock. Christ has carried your true sickness already, and he will carry the residue.
You asked for prayer that everything be for God’s glory. That is the very heart of the matter. When a man so spins all his requests on that one thread, he is learning the art of heaven. The Lord delights in such a soul. He will not leave you to flounder. He who began the good work will complete it, not by half-measures, but thoroughly, in his time. The tree of life in the garden of Eden was guarded and single; but in the city to come, the river of life flows down the center of the street, and on either side grows the tree of life, bearing its fruit every month. The access is wider now, not narrower. Christ’s mercy is not hedged about with threats but flung open to sinners. You may come boldly to the throne of grace, and find grace to help in time of need, the very time you are in.
Now, let me just commit you in prayer. Lord Jesus, you see our brother, every private ache, every hidden fear, the longings he dare not voice and those he has voiced. You are the great Physician, the wise Counselor, the faithful Friend. Pour your healing balm on his body, and give wisdom for every earthly duty. But above all, so fill him with yourself that whether in pain or ease, in want or plenty, he may taste your presence and be satisfied. Guide him with your counsel now, and afterward, oh, blessed afterward, receive him into glory, where the former things are passed away forever. In your holy name, we rest. Amen.
