The petition you bring before the throne is one that touches the very heart of the covenant, for you ask not for worldly trinkets but for those eternal mercies, patience, faith, peace, and a complete restoration of body and soul. It is well, for these are the very gifts which the hearing of faith receives from the Father’s hand. You did not obtain peace by your own works or by the outward observances of religion. When faith came, peace grew out of it as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. That peace, the peace of God which passes all understanding, is the portion of those whose minds are stayed on Him because they trust in Him. The blood of Jesus whispers peace within, and it is a perfect peace, even when sorrows surge around and loved ones are entrusted to His keeping.
You ask for faith to be increased. This very prayer proves that the spark already glows upon the altar of the heart, for none asks for faith who has none at all. The disciples, when they understood the Lord’s command, “Have faith in God,” at once cried out, “Lord, increase our faith.” So it is with you. Even the least faith in Jesus, a faith that dare not take more than a trembling leaf from the Tree of Life, is true faith and a precious gift. Pluck that leaf, for the very leaves of that Tree are for the healing of the nations. The least thing about Christ is healing. Though the body is languishing and the mind is weary, there is an abundance of healing power in Him. Do not yield to the tempter’s “if” when he whispers that you are not a child of God; this is how he attacked your Savior. Rather, look to the great Conduit Head, from which abundant streams of healing flow down to men below. The touch of personal faith brings peace and healing in one, for when the Lord comes, the Sun of Righteousness rises with healing in His wings.
As for complete restoration, see it in the parable of the prodigal. When the Father kissed him, he was to his Father as if he had never gone away, as if he had never wasted his substance. This is the Lord’s perfect restoration, He makes the returning one whiter than snow. It was the Lord’s look upon Peter that severed him from the crowd and broke his heart into a thousand pieces with a salutary, saving repentance. That look was altogether between the Lord and His straying servant, and it wrought full recovery to his office and his joy. So too, the healing and pardon your son requires are placed in happy conjunction at the cross. Faith lays hold of the divine promise, and the soul is made whole.
Above all, take the shield of faith. This sacred armor protects the conscience from every fiery dart of the wicked one, for its full assurance of atonement quenches them all with that delightful word, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Go through this trial with that blood-red emblem uplifted, saying in faith, “Wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow.” This is the faith that wins the day, the unstaggering trust that wears the keys of Heaven at its belt. Let your faith, even if it be as a grain of mustard seed, rest not in its own strength but in the strong arms of the Saviour. Drop down into those everlasting arms, for that is the very essence of faith, and you shall prove that He is able to restore body, mind, and spirit to the praise of the glory of His grace.