The shadows of sickness fall heavily upon a household, yet they are but the backdrop for the light of divine mercy to shine more brightly. How good it is that your little brother has been brought low enough to seek help; the Lord often uses such an hour to break up the fallow ground of the heart. I have seen it times without number, when a man is at his wit's end and his soul melts because of trouble, then he cries unto the Lord in his distress, and the Lord brings him out of his entanglements. There is a peculiar power in the prayer that is wrung from a soul near the gates of the grave, even a prayer that seems to reel to and fro without orderly petition, for the Lord reads the groanings that cannot be uttered. Let us lift him up with the confidence that our great Physician holds the keys of every ward in every hospital, and His leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Yet while we plead for his body, let us not forget that the root of all malady is sin, and the sweetest cordial for any sickroom is the forgiveness that comes from Christ’s hand. The Master first said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” and then gave the command to rise and walk. So let your supplication be double-barreled: beg for the pardon that brings peace to the conscience, and the healing that restores the frame. Mix your prayers well with thanksgiving, for a draught of gratitude kills the fever of care. Thank the Lord that your brother is in a place where help may be had, thank Him for the very sickness that drives the soul to consider its latter end, and thank Him even now for the answer that is on its way, though it may come in a fashion you have not imagined. God’s answers travel by secret paths; Jacob prayed for deliverance from Esau and found the answer in a wrestling match with the angel that left him limping. The blessing came, but through a shattered hip.
Now to the matter of his daily habits. When we pray for a man to take better care of himself, we are asking the Lord to do what no mere resolution can accomplish. The will is as palsied as the body until grace strengthens it. Pray therefore that the healing virtue which flows from Christ may not only mend his flesh but also renew his mind, teaching him that his body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and ought not to be defiled or neglected by intemperance or folly. We have a religion that touches the smallest trifles; the very leaves of the Tree of Life are for healing, which means the common blessings and daily duties of the believer are full of sanctifying power. The Lord can make a man see that a regular hour of rest, a temperate table, and a guarded tongue are all parts of that reasonable service which is his spiritual worship. Only you who have been healed can tell the tale, and your brother, when he rises from that bed, must declare the works of the Lord with rejoicing.
Therefore, let your prayers be continued and importunate. Knock again and again at the golden gate. If the heavens seem brass today, they are only gathering the moisture of mercy for tomorrow’s showers. Be careful, too, that your intercession is not stained with unconfessed sin or burdened with a secret reliance upon mere forms. Go to the throne by the blood-sprinkled way, pleading the promise as your warrant, and you shall see the power of the Lord present to heal. The Lord grant that his sickness be not unto death, but that the Son of God may be glorified thereby. May you soon behold him walking in health, humbled by the rod but lifted up by the righteous right hand, a living monument that God hears the prayer of the staggering man.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
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