Your many and heavy burdens have been heard, and they have moved our hearts to carry them with you to the throne of grace. You have spoken of pains of body and weariness of flesh, of asthma and infirmity from your birth, of skin and hair and blood, of sleepless nights and troubled dreams, of sadness and anxiety and fear, and of loneliness and poverty and the desire for marriage and a home. The Lord knows the number of these griefs, and not one sigh escapes Him.
We would gently counsel you concerning prayer itself. It is not the multiplying of words, nor the repeating of a phrase as though by its very utterance it must compel Heaven, that prevails with God. That would be a mechanical religion, praying as by clockwork. True prayer is the vital cry of a child to his Father, through Jesus Christ alone, stayed upon Him and trusting in Him. The question is put to us, will he always call upon God, not only in enthusiasm when the burden is sharp, but in depression and sorrow, in the quiet day as well as the dark night. We urge you to keep calling upon Him, with a mind stayed upon Christ, for it is that personal faith, that simple trust, which brings peace to the soul.
Concerning the body, we do not despise your sufferings, for we very speedily care for bodily diseases and they rightly urge us to seek the Physician. Hear this comfort, that in Christ there is an abundance of healing power. His fruit is sweet and nourishing, and even His leaves are for the healing of the nations. The least thing about Christ is healing, and He takes care of the little things, the trifles of His people. In this present world, where need and infirmity are not yet fully banished, His grace sustains and His healing virtue changes the life blood and makes the nature other than it was. The full removal of all disease and pain awaits that bright world where darkness and anxiety and dread are far away, yet even now the Sun of Righteousness rises with healing in His wings, and pardon and healing are one in His hand. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and without that justification there can be no settled peace. Seek first that peace which the blood of Jesus whispers within, and then bring every bodily infirmity to Him, asking not with demand but with humble submission to His wise and loving will, whether He will restore or sustain.
Concerning the trouble of your mind, your fear and worry and heaviness, hear the word which grows so plentifully in God's garden, Fear not. The fear which God commends is not being afraid, but filial fear, like a child's reverence for his father, and in the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence. The fear of man brings a snare, and many feet have been tripped by it, but who needs fear man that fears the King of kings. Your anxiety, though it feels so natural, unfits you to meet your difficulty, for it is the mind which is the main thing and will bring you daylight or midnight. You are bid to keep your mind stayed upon Him, and He will keep you in perfect peace, peace upon peace, because you trust in Him. This peace is a present possession and may be enjoyed in the ordinary circumstances of life, even with sorrows surging round, even with loved ones far away, even when death shadows us, for Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers. Bring your sleeplessness and your bad dreams, your nerves and your heaviness, to Him who says, Fear not, I am with you, I will help you. It will be disobedience to remain in unbelieving fear when Jesus Himself whispers, Fear not.
Concerning loneliness and the desire for marriage, and concerning poverty and your dwelling, we must speak plainly and tenderly as a faithful ministry. Marriage is a holy ordinance of God, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and singleness itself is not a curse nor a mark of His displeasure, nor is a council flat a sign that you are forgotten. The Lord redeems His people from the curse, and no generational curse can hold where Christ has borne the curse for us. We will not ask God to bless what is contrary to His Word, but we will ask Him to do you good according to His wisdom. If it be His will to give you marriage, we pray He will give you a godly and faithful union as He has ordained. If He keeps you waiting, we pray He will keep you in contentment and purity, guarding you from fornication and from living together outside that covenant, and making your heart to find its portion in Christ Himself. And for your daily bread and habitation, we pray that He who feeds the sparrows will supply your need, give you strength for honest labour, and teach you to find confidence not in place or plenty but in Him who is your strong confidence.
We now commend you to the Lord in prayer. O Lord our God, look upon this afflicted child of sorrow. Forgive sin through the blood of Jesus, and give peace with Yourself. Lay Your healing hand upon body and lungs and blood and skin, as it pleases Your sovereign goodness, and sustain where You do not yet remove. Speak perfect peace to the troubled mind, keep the heart stayed upon Christ, banish slavish fear and grant filial fear and trust. Deliver from despondency and give rest in doing Your will. Provide for daily need, set the solitary in Your family as You see fit, and if it be Your will, in Your time bring a godly marriage according to Your holy order. Keep this soul always calling upon You, through Jesus Christ our only hope. Amen.
Continue to seek Him, not only in the urgency of this hour but day by day, and may the Divine Teacher lead you into the deep things of God, until earthly struggles shall cease and Jesus calls you to Heaven's perfect peace.
