WORDS OF CHEER FOR THE AFFLICTED
IN the Bible are wonderful words of promise which assure the sick and afflicted that God will hear and answer prayer. In Psalms 50:14, 15 we find these encouraging words:
“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
Many, in times of distress, have proved God’s promises to be true and are thanking Him for deliverance from their afflictions. Faith in God’s Word is the only sure way to solve the problems that beset mankind, whether they be spiritual or physical.
A Compassionate Savior
Jesus indicated the great love of God, and His interest in every detail concerning our lives, when He said:
“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
“But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12: 6, 7).
When Jesus walked the shores of Galilee, He manifested His compassion by healing all who were brought to Him. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the dumb spake, the fevered brow was cooled, the crippled and lame leaped and walked. His healing the people of divers diseases was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy spoken hundreds of years before by Isaiah, who said, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (See Isaiah 53: 4, 5 and Matthew 8: 16, 17.)
The Lord also commissioned the Apostles to lay hands on the sick and pray the prayer of faith, with the promise “they shall recover” – and they did recover!
Healing Available Today
Christ’s healing virtue is just as powerful and effective today as when He walked this earth. Those who trust wholly in the Lord and believe His promises find that God still heals the sick, even in these modern times.
If you are sick and afflicted, turn to the Book of James, and read and obey the instructions given there:
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5: 13-15).
Consecrate your life to God; wholeheartedly yield your will to Him; and if you steadfastly hold on in faith, the Lord will fulfill His promise.
Nothing Impossible
In Exodus 15:26, we are told: “I am the LORD that healeth thee.” There is no sickness the Lord cannot heal. This is made clear in the Word of God:
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
The Prophet declared:
“Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17).
And in Luke 1:37), we read, “With God nothing shall be impossible.”
Believe and Receive
What an assurance we have in time of sickness, test and trial as we claim the promise: “Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
The Word also tells us that “If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (I John 5:14, 15).
If you have not received your healing, re-consecrate your life to the Lord. Never doubt His promises, but know that God values that trial of your faith as being “much more precious” than gold.
If you have never been saved and know not the love and grace of God, you can repent, give your heart and life to God, and experience the joy of sins forgiven.
It is possible that sickness may come as a reproof to bring an erring one into line with God’s Word, or it may come as a refining fire to purify and try the heart of a Christian.
David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67).
Afflictions of the Righteous
In Psalm 34: 19, we are told:
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
One of these righteous men was King Hezekiah who had walked before God with a perfect heart. He became sick unto death, and as he lay on his bed he turned his face toward the wall, prayed and wept sore, and the Lord added fifteen years to his life.
Likewise, the perfect man Job was afflicted. He had sore boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, but he was not forsaken of God. After being severely tried and tested, Job was not only healed, but was given twice as much as he had before. “So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12).
Give Thanks
Yes, God has provided divine healing for His children through the Blood of Atonement.
You can have the assurance that God will fulfill His promise and answer prayer according to His will and His purpose for you. As you look to the Lord for your healing, give thanks unto Him for all His mercies. Praise Him as did the Psalmist who so devotedly exclaimed:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Psalm 103:2-5).