How gladly I lift up this burden of yours to the mercy seat, for you have asked in Jesus’ name, and that name is music in the ears of our gracious God. There is healing in that name for your dear spouse, and for every need you have laid before the Lord. I am persuaded that the leaves of the Tree of Life are not only for the world to come; they are for us here, dropping their healing virtue upon head and heart, upon body and soul. When our Lord walked among men, the power to heal was present especially when He was teaching, and He linked healing with forgiving. So I pray that the same voice which said, “Son, your sins are forgiven you,” may speak peace and wholeness into your husband’s frame, and that he shall rise up from this low place, feeling better than he has known for many a day.
You plead for rest, and rest is a covenant gift. It is a present rest, not only after death, but given now to those who come to Jesus. But it is a rest with the yoke on, a rest in service, a rest on the wing. Your husband’s weary body needs the reclining rest, yet his soul and yours may find that deeper repose even while burdens remain, for when we learn of Him who is meek and lowly, our minds are kept in perfect peace. So I pray for him the sleep that restores, the calm that stills, and the sweet unburdening of all fretting care. And I pray for the two of you, that the stress which has pressed so hard may be rolled away onto the broad shoulders of the Good Shepherd. Trust him, and you shall rest; trust him, and the fret and turmoil shall be hushed.
You long for a closeness like what you used to know, and a long life together before going home to glory. That longing is right and tender. A life spent in God’s praise is a life that draws hearts together, for when two walk in the light of his countenance, they cannot help but walk in step with one another. Make your home a place of perpetual gratitude; let your lips often speak of his goodness, and you shall find your affections knit as they never were before. A quiet, happy, loving life of trust in God is a missionary life, a sermon without words. As for length of days, the number of our months is with him. But whether the Lord grants many years or few, the rest that remains for the people of God is certain, and it is a perfect rest, where sorrow and sighing flee away. Meanwhile, even now, life is no longer sorrowful, even amid sorrow, when God is in it, its soul and crown.
Be assured, the well of bitterness is dried up for the forgiven soul. Pardon and healing are one; and if the Lord has forgiven your sins, he has already given you the best part of healing. So I commit your spouse into those pierced hands. May he be healed in every way needed, in body and in spirit, restored to strength and to a full enjoyment of the life that now is, while you both journey on to the life that is to come. The Sun of Righteousness has risen with healing in his wings, may its beams fall upon your household till you are both radiant with health and holy joy.