When the strength to lift a spoon or swallow a mouthful of water has ebbed away, the simplest bodily acts become a trial. You have been keeping watch, and it is no small thing to see him struggle so. The frame that once took food without a thought now seems to have forgotten how, and the sight of it drags at your heart. Yet it is just here, where the need is so very ordinary and so very urgent, that our Lord Jesus delights to show Himself strong on behalf of those who trust Him.
Do you recall that day at Capernaum when our Lord came into Peter’s house? He had been thronged all day by the multitude, but He did not turn away from a humble fisherman’s cottage even though trouble had entered before Him. Peter’s wife’s mother lay prostrate with a great fever. The house was a hospital before it could be a palace, and yet Jesus did not stand at the door because sickness was within. He went straight to the bedside. The fever was no barrier to His mercy; rather, it was the very thing that drew His compassion. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and immediately she arose and served them. The Great Physician knew the need of that household, and He put forth His power to heal, not to destroy.
Your dear one’s room is such another cottage. The Lord who entered Peter’s house has not changed His nature. He is not offended by weakness, nor is He kept at bay by the stubbornness of an ailment. When you breathe that name, Jesus, you are calling upon Him who still holds all power in heaven and on earth. His power is present to heal. It was never meant to be a destroying power; He came not to call down fire from heaven, but to lift up the fallen and to restore the years the locust has eaten. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and His ear is open to the cry of those who bring their loved ones before Him.
Remember how the palsied man was lowered through the roof. The poor fellow could not stir hand or foot, but he had hearing ears and a believing heart. He had heard that Jesus of Nazareth was come into the city, and he believed that Jesus could heal even him. His friends would not be put off by the crowded door; they broke up the roof to get him to the Lord. Your prayers are just such a stretcher. You are carrying the one you love into the presence of Christ. He sees that faith. He will not despise it. He may first speak a deep, quiet assurance to the soul, for the inward healing always takes precedence, but the outward relief follows in His perfect time.
Perhaps you have watched the clock for the hour when a little water might be taken, and your heart has sunk when it was refused. It seems such a tiny thing, and yet it looms so large. Lift your eyes from the water glass to the river that flows from the throne of God. The Tree of Life grows on its banks, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations. That healing virtue is not locked away in heaven; it flows down now, through the mediation of Christ, into the chambers of the sick and the weary. He who multiplied the loaves and fishes can put new appetite into a failing frame. He who changed the water into wine can make the simplest draught a cordial. Your business is to keep looking to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
And do not imagine that this trial is sent in anger. Our Lord Himself knew hunger and thirst; He knows what it is to be utterly spent. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. When He sees the body languishing, He is full of compassion. The sickness in Peter’s household did not mean that the Apostle was under a cloud of divine displeasure, it simply meant that the Savior was about to show His glory. Wait on Him, then, with expectation.
Let us ask Him together now.
Lord Jesus, our Beloved Physician, we bring before You this dear one who cannot eat, who cannot drink, whose strength is ebbing away. You healed Peter’s wife’s mother with a touch; You gave the lame the leaping of a hart. Your arm is not shortened. Come, we beseech You, into this room where sorrow reigns, and let Your healing presence be felt. Put forth Your hand and touch his frame. Restore what the fever has wasted, unloose the bands that hinder, and give him the simple desire for food and water once again. And to this dear watcher, give Your perfect peace, the peace that does not wait for circumstances but rests in You. In Your own name, Lord Jesus, we ask it. Amen.