Chrysostom
Beloved Warrior
This fever which has laid hold of your body and brought you such misery is not beyond the reach of the Lord’s hand. Recall the account of Peter’s mother-in-law, who lay sick with a fever. The Lord Jesus did not merely command the illness to depart, but He touched her hand, and at once the fever left her, and her strength returned so fully that she arose and ministered to Him. The physician’s art could not accomplish such a thing, for even after fevers break, the body remains weak for many days. But here was a healing so complete that no trace of frailty remained. Take comfort in this. The same Lord who entered that house in Capernaum sees you where you lie. His power has not diminished. Cry out to Him in the midst of your pain, for He is present with all who call upon His Name in every place.
Yet while you rightly seek relief from this sickness, do not let your mind rest there alone. What is far more to be feared than any fever of the body is the fever of the soul, that inflammation of unruly passions and earthly attachments. The body’s illness makes you feel wretched, and so it does. But consider this: a man cured of a fever who still tosses and turns, convinced he is sick, is more to be pitied than one who truly burns. Even if your body suffers, your soul may be whole and at peace if you cleave to Christ. If you have desired health only so you might return to the empty comforts of this life, then your request is small. Set your affections higher. Ask not merely for the quenching of this bodily flame, but for the mortification of everything within you that is not of God. For what the Lord truly seeks to give you is something far greater than a day’s relief. He offers Himself.
Yet while you rightly seek relief from this sickness, do not let your mind rest there alone. What is far more to be feared than any fever of the body is the fever of the soul, that inflammation of unruly passions and earthly attachments. The body’s illness makes you feel wretched, and so it does. But consider this: a man cured of a fever who still tosses and turns, convinced he is sick, is more to be pitied than one who truly burns. Even if your body suffers, your soul may be whole and at peace if you cleave to Christ. If you have desired health only so you might return to the empty comforts of this life, then your request is small. Set your affections higher. Ask not merely for the quenching of this bodily flame, but for the mortification of everything within you that is not of God. For what the Lord truly seeks to give you is something far greater than a day’s relief. He offers Himself.
