All day today, I’ve felt as though my head were two feet in diameter. I can’t stand up for more than a few seconds without being promptly persuaded that I should sit down before I fall down. I’m sniffling and sneezing, and generally hating life at the moment.
But even illness is not beyond God’s use. As I lay there on the couch, waiting for the room to stop spinning, it occurred to me that this weakness I feel, this diminishment, is a reminder of my frailty and weakness before God, and thus a cause for humility before Him.
Who am I to live as though I could do without Him? I can’t even stand erect.
Who am I to jealously make plans about my future? I can’t even guarantee I’ll wake up in the morning.
In Genesis 18:27, Abraham says that he has “been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes...” And Abraham was absolutely right. We are completely dependent upon God for every day we live, every heartbeat we feel, every breath we draw. It is in Christ that we live and move and have our being, and apart from Him, there is no righteousness, no meaning, no life.
So in my illness, I pray:
Lord, thank you for teaching me that I am but dust. I freely admit my need for you, day-by-day, hour-by-hour. May this malady be a reminder to me of your goodness and grace, that though I am weak, you make me strong in Christ. Heal my body, Lord Jesus, and heal my soul.
For the cause of Your Glory I pray, Amen.
From the hymn,
I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR
by Annie S. Hawks
I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need thee, O I need thee;
every hour I need thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.
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