Posted on by Angela

Sustained and Restored

I feel like I have been on a long journey. I haven’t been anywhere, but sickness has run through my house. It ended with me. I was sick for over a week and after ten days of medicine I am finally back at my desk trying to get back to work.  

Scripture is replete with men and women, kings and ordinary people who were sick in one way or another. Some suffered horrible deaths from their sickness. Others recovered by a touch from Jesus. Some were sick because of their sin. Some were sick through no fault of their own, but that God might be glorified. And ultimately, Jesus bore our sickness and shame on the cross that by His stripes we are healed. (see Isaiah 53:5) 

The time of Flu/Covid that ran through our home was inconvenient, and my husband and I are still left with a cough that will last till Christmas, as coughs are known to do. Yet it did not end in our death. We are well. Our strength has been, and is being, restored.  

This brings me to a wonderful verse in the Psalms that can bring us comfort no matter our illness.  

The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 41: 3 (NASB) 

For those of us who call on the Lord as Christians, this verse should comfort us. No matter the illness. No matter the condition, He is the one who sustains us. He is the one who restores us. Doctors provide medicine and a course of treatment. But where does the intelligence come from to know what medication to prescribe? Where does wisdom come from to know what course of treatment is necessary? Were it not for the revelation of the Lord, there would be no discovery of medication.  I am not diminishing the years of study and preparation doctors and nurses must put into their practice. I appreciate the hard work that they must go through to practice medicine in any form. Yet the treatments work because of the wisdom of the Lord.  

My time of sickness was short and insignificant compared to what some of you may be going through. What I want you to understand, however, is that whatever illness you have, the Lord sustains you. Turn to Him. If you do not know Him as your Savior, make today that day. I mentioned earlier that it is by His stripes we are healed. He bore our sins on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins. He took our punishment, our death. He bore it all. Give yourself to Him today.  

Maybe you are not suffering from a physical sickness but a sickness of the heart. Your spirit is broken and you can find no answer and no relief. Believe me, friend, there is comfort and peace and healing in Jesus. We might be able to bear our physical sickness, but the sickness of a broken spirit is much more difficult to bear. He does not leave those who have called on Him alone to try to figure it out. He is right there with you as you walk through your pain. You are not alone. Keep your head up and keep walking.  

So, whether you are afflicted with physical sickness or a broken spirit. Jesus is with you if you have called on His name. If you haven’t, He is waiting. Call on Him today. He is ready to heal or walk with you through whatever situation you encounter or experience. Will you come to Him today and let Him sustain you and restore you? He is waiting.  

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Third Verse Devotion: On Jordan’s Stormy Banks

Old age is the leveling field for all of us, and it is not kind. We all reach an age when our bodies will not allow us to do what we did in our youth. Our minds tell us we can still do what we did in our twenties or thirties, but our bodies tell us no way.  

Ecclesiastes 12 paints a picture of old age. Take a moment a read Ecclesiastes 12: 1-8. What are some of the words and phrases used to describe old age?  

Solomon paints a dreary picture of old age and aging in these verses. He speaks of things those of us of a certain age can relate to. He speaks of eyes growing dim, unsteady feet, stooped posture, missing teeth, poor hearing, poor sleep, fear of falling, fear of travel, slower steps, white hair and low energy. The caper berry was used as a stimulant to increase appetite and pleasure. So, when the caper berry was ineffective, Solomon was referring to the fact that life’s pleasures were gone. He took no pleasure in food, sex, or other physical activities. He had no energy for them.  

The hymn “On Jordan’s Stormy Bank” has a view that might put things in perspective. Verse three reassures us one day the sickness, pain, ailments and suffering we experience as we age and even as we just experience life will not touch “that healthful shore.” None of the negative emotions felt over loss, pain and death will be felt and feared again.   

No chilling winds or poisonous breath 
can reach that healthful shore; 
sickness and sorrow, pain and death, 
are felt and feared no more.  
Refrain: 
I am bound for the promised land, 
I am bound for the promised land; 
oh, who will come and go with me? 
I am bound for the promised land. 
 

While we are here, we must experience grief, sorrow, and pain. It is part of life. We live in a fallen world. As a result, we all suffer in some way. We all grieve and sorrow. We all have pain.  

If we want to someday find a place of no more suffering and no more pain. A place where death cannot be found. If we want to find a land where there is no sorrow or grieving. We must look to Jesus. He suffered in our place on the cross for the sins of the whole world so that He might erase our suffering for eternity.  

Revelation 14:13 assures us  

“…Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” (NASB) 

John continues to record in Revelation 21, 

“and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (v4 NASB) 

There is hope at the end of aging and sickness. We have hope that eternal life exists for those who trust in Christ. Whatever you might be going through now is hard. Whether it is part of the aging process or an illness, it is hard. Maybe it is a family member or loved one and there is nothing you can do. Now is the time to experience the assurance that you are bound for the promised land. Stand strong in the hard days. The rest our bodies crave at the end of aging and illness is found on that healthful shore. Are you bound for the promised land?  

“Oh, who will come and go with me? I am bound for the promised land” 

All for One  

Angela