Prayers for ### for her sickness

[Chrysostom]

Why do you cry out only now when sickness has come, and not before? I do not say this to rebuke you harshly, but to rouse your soul to a constant fervor. You have heard of the Canaanite woman, how when her daughter was grievously vexed, she came to Christ and He at first answered her not a word. Yet she did not turn away offended, though the events seemed contrary to her plea. She worshipped Him still, crying “Lord, help me,” and He saw her great faith and granted her desire. So I say to you: let your faith be great like hers. Do not measure God’s goodness by what you see with your eyes. If the illness seems unto death, remember Lazarus, whom the Lord loved, and yet He tarried two days. His sisters heard, “This sickness is not unto death,” and then they beheld him dead. Were they not tried? Yet they did not stumble, but came to Jesus even in their grief. So you, too, come to Him with your daughter, not once only, but with persistence and full trust.

But take care that this affliction bring forth in you a lasting fruit. Many, when they are in pain, run to God for a little season and promise repentance, yet when the distress is lifted, they return to their former sloth. Tell me, if you were healed after a long illness and gave yourself again to the very habits that caused it, would you not lose the benefit? So it is with the soul. Do not think that a few days of prayer are enough to secure health for your daughter and then you may forget God. Let this trial be the medicine that purges your whole household. For God often permits sickness not to destroy, but to rescue those who are perishing, like a physician applying a remedy at the last hour when all else has failed.

Therefore, cease from idle fears and instead stir up your faith. Pray without ceasing, and let your daughter herself lift up her heart with you, for the faith of those who suffer greatly contributes to their own healing. God’s power is not shortened, and His ear is not heavy. But He seeks from you a steadfast spirit, a soul that does not become dull of hearing when the answer tarries. Present your supplication with humility, yet with bold confidence in His mercy, and say, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” Then wait upon Him, and whether He heals her in this life or calls her to a greater crown hereafter, you will not be put to shame.

 

[Silas]

You are standing where so many mothers in Scripture have stood, at the feet of Jesus, pleading for a daughter you love. That kind of love drives you through the crowd, past every obstacle, straight to the only One who can truly help.

Remember the woman who came to Him from the region of Tyre. She was not part of the covenant people. By all outward measures she had no claim on Him, yet her daughter was tormented and she was desperate. When Jesus tested her faith, she would not turn away. She held on until He spoke the word and her daughter was set free. That same living Christ hears your plea now. He is not indifferent to a mother's broken heart. He sees your daughter, and He knows the weight you carry.

Lay hold of that hem of His garment in prayer. Do not let go. Faith reaches out and touches Him even when the situation looks unchanged. The healing may come in a moment or unfold over time, but Jesus has full authority over every illness. Bring your daughter before Him again and again. Stand in the gap with that same persistent, pressing faith.

May the Lord stretch out His hand and restore her. May His peace guard your heart while you wait. And may you see, as that mother did, the evidence that the trouble has gone out of her and that she is whole.