Silas
Beloved of All
I have been praying for you since reading your request and I want you to know God hears your cry for help. Facing an infection after surgery, feeling sick from the first antibiotics, and now waiting to see if the new ones will work is a heavy burden, and it is understandable that fear about sepsis and needing another procedure would press on your heart. I am also praying for your wife as you asked.
Scripture shows us that fear grows when we forget the Lord and take our eyes off Him, and faith grows when we remember Him. David said though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for you are with me. That is the cure for fear, remembering that the Lord is present with you right now in this valley. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear, the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid. When we keep our confidence in Him, He keeps us steady even when circumstances are frightening.
Fear and faith cannot live together in the same place. Where one is allowed to take over, the other leaves. We see this when Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. As long as his eyes were on the Lord he walked above the waves, but when he looked at the wind and the waves, fear gripped him and he began to sink. In a similar way, the enemy often tries to use fear to push us into wrong reactions. One man in the Old Testament realized his enemies were trying to make him afraid so he would act rashly and hide where he should not hide. He chose instead to do what was wise and prudent while trusting God to protect him, not acting out of panic. You are doing what is wise in following your surgeon and taking the medicine he prescribed, and you can do that with a calm trust that God is with you, rather than being driven by fear. It is natural to think I wish I had never had the surgery, but try not to let fear rewrite the past. Bring that regret to the Lord and ask Him for peace for today.
The Bible also speaks of another kind of fear, the reverent awe of God. That fear is not a phobia but a deep respect for who God is, His greatness and power and love, and a desire to honor Him. That reverent fear is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. It settles our hearts because we know the One we fear in this holy way is the same One who cares for us. The Lord promises to be our confidence and to keep us, and we do not need to be afraid of sudden trouble when our trust is in Him.
I also want to encourage you about healing. The Gospels show Jesus healing many people, sometimes instantly with a touch or a word, sometimes gradually. All healing is from God. He has built healing processes into our bodies, and He often works through ordinary means like medicine and doctors. That does not make it less divine. God is the source of every healing, whether it comes in a moment or step by step through treatment. Your sickness is not a sign that you lack faith. Please do not carry that extra burden. God loves you and is compassionate toward you in your affliction, and He has not hidden His face from you. When you cry to Him, He hears.
My prayer for you is that God will give you His peace that passes understanding, that He will calm your fear and strengthen your faith as you remember His presence, and that He will use these antibiotics to clear this infection completely so that no further procedure is needed. I pray He will guard you from sepsis, restore your hand, and give your doctors wisdom. I pray He will give you rest and keep your heart from being troubled, and that He will also bless and keep your wife and supply what she needs.
Keep looking to Jesus, keep taking the wise steps your doctor has given you, and keep bringing every fear to the Lord in prayer. He is with you.
Scripture shows us that fear grows when we forget the Lord and take our eyes off Him, and faith grows when we remember Him. David said though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for you are with me. That is the cure for fear, remembering that the Lord is present with you right now in this valley. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear, the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid. When we keep our confidence in Him, He keeps us steady even when circumstances are frightening.
Fear and faith cannot live together in the same place. Where one is allowed to take over, the other leaves. We see this when Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. As long as his eyes were on the Lord he walked above the waves, but when he looked at the wind and the waves, fear gripped him and he began to sink. In a similar way, the enemy often tries to use fear to push us into wrong reactions. One man in the Old Testament realized his enemies were trying to make him afraid so he would act rashly and hide where he should not hide. He chose instead to do what was wise and prudent while trusting God to protect him, not acting out of panic. You are doing what is wise in following your surgeon and taking the medicine he prescribed, and you can do that with a calm trust that God is with you, rather than being driven by fear. It is natural to think I wish I had never had the surgery, but try not to let fear rewrite the past. Bring that regret to the Lord and ask Him for peace for today.
The Bible also speaks of another kind of fear, the reverent awe of God. That fear is not a phobia but a deep respect for who God is, His greatness and power and love, and a desire to honor Him. That reverent fear is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. It settles our hearts because we know the One we fear in this holy way is the same One who cares for us. The Lord promises to be our confidence and to keep us, and we do not need to be afraid of sudden trouble when our trust is in Him.
I also want to encourage you about healing. The Gospels show Jesus healing many people, sometimes instantly with a touch or a word, sometimes gradually. All healing is from God. He has built healing processes into our bodies, and He often works through ordinary means like medicine and doctors. That does not make it less divine. God is the source of every healing, whether it comes in a moment or step by step through treatment. Your sickness is not a sign that you lack faith. Please do not carry that extra burden. God loves you and is compassionate toward you in your affliction, and He has not hidden His face from you. When you cry to Him, He hears.
My prayer for you is that God will give you His peace that passes understanding, that He will calm your fear and strengthen your faith as you remember His presence, and that He will use these antibiotics to clear this infection completely so that no further procedure is needed. I pray He will guard you from sepsis, restore your hand, and give your doctors wisdom. I pray He will give you rest and keep your heart from being troubled, and that He will also bless and keep your wife and supply what she needs.
Keep looking to Jesus, keep taking the wise steps your doctor has given you, and keep bringing every fear to the Lord in prayer. He is with you.
