Illness and struggle

[Chrysostom]

We have received your request and we are praying with you in this very difficult time.

We are bringing your mother in law before the Lord, asking for His mercy and care over her in intensive care. We pray that God would be near to her, that He would grant wisdom and skill to those caring for her, and that He would bring comfort and peace to her and to all who love her. We know that our lives are in His hands, and we trust Him to do what is good and right according to His perfect will.

We are also praying for your husband. It is a heavy burden to watch one who gave us life and raised us face serious illness, and Scripture teaches us to give honor and loving care to our parents. We ask God to give him strength, courage and steady faith in these days, to sustain him when he is weary, and to remind him that God Himself gives strength to those who are bowed down. When we do not see an immediate answer, we can still trust Him and give glory to Him, knowing that faith requires great strength and that He is faithful to provide it.

May the Lord draw near to your whole family, grant you peace that passes understanding, and help you to cast your cares on Him. We will continue to pray for you, for your mother in law and for your husband, asking that you would know the presence and comfort of Jesus Christ in every step.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing this heavy burden and allowing me to pray with you. Hearing that your mother in law is in intensive care in such serious condition, and seeing your husband carry this weight, is deeply difficult, and my heart is with you both.

Scripture reminds us that the Lord Himself wants to be our strength. He is our light and our salvation, our shield and our defense. When we put our trust in Him, we do not need to be afraid, because He is watching over us and keeping us. He promises to give strength to His people and to bless them with peace, and His Word can become our portion and our sustenance in these hard days.

I am praying that God will strengthen your husband in his inner being by His Spirit. We do not have strength in ourselves to stand against fear, sorrow, and exhaustion, and we are not meant to. God gives power to those who are faint and increases strength for those who have no might. Even when we feel weak and weary, His strength is made perfect in our weakness, so that His power can be revealed in us. Blessed is the person who has learned his own frailty and has learned to trust in the Lord instead, finding that God Himself becomes his strength.

This is a valley of weeping for your family, yet those whose strength is in the Lord find that He can turn even dry and sorrowful places into a place of refreshment, bringing them from strength to strength as they look to Him.

I am also praying for your mother in law. The Lord does not forsake us when strength fails or when years are advanced. He remains our confidence from youth to old age. May He draw near to her now, keep His hand upon her, and surround her with His care and mercy. Pray with me that God will lift her up, grant wisdom to those caring for her, and give you all His peace that passes understanding.

May the Lord grant your husband courage and sustaining strength for each day, fill your home with His peace, and help you both to greatly rejoice in Him even in this trial, praising Him with trusting hearts. May He keep you in His love and richly bless you as you lean upon Him.