Silas
Beloved of All
Your love for this dear cat comes through so clearly in every word you wrote, and the sorrow you are carrying is real and deep. God sees the affection you have shown her and He understands the grief that fills your home as you watch her struggle to breathe, to eat, to purr and to cuddle as she once did. He is near to the brokenhearted and to those with a contrite spirit who pour out their pain honestly before Him.
I want to pray with you for her and for you, and also to share some truth to anchor your heart while you wait on the Lord.
Scripture shows us that a large part of the ministry of Jesus was touching and healing those who were physically sick and afflicted. He went through cities and villages preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people. When Matthew looks back at those healings, he connects them to the promise in Isaiah that the Messiah would bear our infirmities and carry our sicknesses. That prophecy is not limited only to spiritual forgiveness. When Jesus broke bread and said this is my body which is broken for you, He was pointing to a work that includes both our salvation and the healing of our bodies. For that reason I believe with all my heart that God still heals in our time, that He is the Lord who heals and that He becomes to us whatever our need requires, whether salvation or comfort or physical restoration. Our materialistic culture can make it hard to trust for that, and there can be a lack in us, but God is still able. I have known what it is to feel His healing touch in a moment, to go from being too ill to stand to being strengthened and restored, and I know He can do the same for any of His creatures according to His mercy.
At the same time the Bible is honest that we cannot presume healing will come in every case just as we ask it. Paul prayed three times for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, and the Lord did not remove it but answered in another way according to His wisdom. God hears every desperate cry and He answers, but His answer flows from His perfect compassion and knowledge, not simply from the intensity of our asking. There is much fakery and emotional manipulation done in the name of healing by those who prey on suffering, and God will deal with that, but true healing is not a circus of feelings. It is the quiet, sovereign compassion of Christ.
That compassion was shown when Jesus raised a little girl not for her own sake, for she was at peace, but for the sake of her grieving parents. He was moved by their sorrow. In the same way He is moved by yours now. The grief you feel as you watch her stare, cough when she tries to purr, pull away from affection she once loved, and lie alone is not small to Him. There are times when friends can only sit in silence with us as Job's friends did when they saw his grief was great, not knowing what to say. God does know what to say and what to do, and even this pain and grief can be a chisel in His hands to carve Christlike character in us, though we would never choose it. One day when we see the full work He was doing, the rejoicing will outweigh the misery we plowed through.
So let us pray together, trusting His power and His will.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this precious cat before You. You created her and You know every detail of her body, the tumor in her brain and the masses and lesions in her lungs. Nothing is hidden from You and nothing is too hard for You. We ask that You would touch her with Your healing power and grant a full recovery if it is Your will. Ease her pain and discomfort, calm her breathing, quiet the coughing, and let her purr without distress. Restore her desire and ability to eat normal food and drink water, and bring regularity to her body. Let her find comfort in affection again without fear of coughing.
Lord, give steady hands and a gentle spirit to the one who must give her pills, hold the inhaler, and provide fluids. Take away panic and make each treatment as calm and kind as possible without causing hurt or terror. Grant wisdom for every decision that must be made, and guide to the right help and counsel, including a veterinarian who can come to the house if that need arises, so she is not terrified in her last moments. Above all we ask for Your mercy, that You would let her go peacefully in her sleep if her time to leave has come, and that she would know she is safe and loved to the end.
Comfort this heart that loves her so deeply. You are the God who heals, the One who bore our sicknesses and carries our sorrows. We trust Your compassion, Your timing, and Your perfect will. Hear these cries and answer according to Your great love. In the name of Jesus, amen.
I want to pray with you for her and for you, and also to share some truth to anchor your heart while you wait on the Lord.
Scripture shows us that a large part of the ministry of Jesus was touching and healing those who were physically sick and afflicted. He went through cities and villages preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people. When Matthew looks back at those healings, he connects them to the promise in Isaiah that the Messiah would bear our infirmities and carry our sicknesses. That prophecy is not limited only to spiritual forgiveness. When Jesus broke bread and said this is my body which is broken for you, He was pointing to a work that includes both our salvation and the healing of our bodies. For that reason I believe with all my heart that God still heals in our time, that He is the Lord who heals and that He becomes to us whatever our need requires, whether salvation or comfort or physical restoration. Our materialistic culture can make it hard to trust for that, and there can be a lack in us, but God is still able. I have known what it is to feel His healing touch in a moment, to go from being too ill to stand to being strengthened and restored, and I know He can do the same for any of His creatures according to His mercy.
At the same time the Bible is honest that we cannot presume healing will come in every case just as we ask it. Paul prayed three times for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, and the Lord did not remove it but answered in another way according to His wisdom. God hears every desperate cry and He answers, but His answer flows from His perfect compassion and knowledge, not simply from the intensity of our asking. There is much fakery and emotional manipulation done in the name of healing by those who prey on suffering, and God will deal with that, but true healing is not a circus of feelings. It is the quiet, sovereign compassion of Christ.
That compassion was shown when Jesus raised a little girl not for her own sake, for she was at peace, but for the sake of her grieving parents. He was moved by their sorrow. In the same way He is moved by yours now. The grief you feel as you watch her stare, cough when she tries to purr, pull away from affection she once loved, and lie alone is not small to Him. There are times when friends can only sit in silence with us as Job's friends did when they saw his grief was great, not knowing what to say. God does know what to say and what to do, and even this pain and grief can be a chisel in His hands to carve Christlike character in us, though we would never choose it. One day when we see the full work He was doing, the rejoicing will outweigh the misery we plowed through.
So let us pray together, trusting His power and His will.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this precious cat before You. You created her and You know every detail of her body, the tumor in her brain and the masses and lesions in her lungs. Nothing is hidden from You and nothing is too hard for You. We ask that You would touch her with Your healing power and grant a full recovery if it is Your will. Ease her pain and discomfort, calm her breathing, quiet the coughing, and let her purr without distress. Restore her desire and ability to eat normal food and drink water, and bring regularity to her body. Let her find comfort in affection again without fear of coughing.
Lord, give steady hands and a gentle spirit to the one who must give her pills, hold the inhaler, and provide fluids. Take away panic and make each treatment as calm and kind as possible without causing hurt or terror. Grant wisdom for every decision that must be made, and guide to the right help and counsel, including a veterinarian who can come to the house if that need arises, so she is not terrified in her last moments. Above all we ask for Your mercy, that You would let her go peacefully in her sleep if her time to leave has come, and that she would know she is safe and loved to the end.
Comfort this heart that loves her so deeply. You are the God who heals, the One who bore our sicknesses and carries our sorrows. We trust Your compassion, Your timing, and Your perfect will. Hear these cries and answer according to Your great love. In the name of Jesus, amen.
