Encouragement during times of illness
By Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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Think it not strange concerning the fiery trials that are trying you. Rejoice that through these sufferings, I am refining your faith.1
The breakings, remakings, and humblings of life are never joyous, but rather grievous. Yet afterwards they yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them who are exercised thereby.2 If you look up the word “grievous” in the dictionary, it gives detailed insight into what these breakings, remakings, and humblings are like. They are “extremely serious or significant,” “severe,” “very bad.” Sound familiar?
When you find yourself in a situation where there is little in the natural to praise Me about, it’s My desire for you to be able to rejoice in your difficulties, even through your tears, because you know I’m going to do a beautiful work in your life through them. Then when My glory is revealed through you, “you may be glad also with exceeding joy.”3
When you have no strength of your own, then My strength can be made perfect in your weakness.4 This is great strength. This is great dependence upon Me. You are learning to master the art of endurance.
Not by works of righteousness which you have done, but through My mercy I will save you from this fiery trial.5 It honors Me when you endure an affliction and still proclaim your love for Me, your trust in Me, your faith that I do all things well.6
Think about the verse “These all died in faith, not having received the promises.”7Some of My children who have come into My arms were given promises of deliverance and of healing, but they did not obtain the results of those promises while on earth. Yet they died in faith, believing that what I had promised, I was able to perform.8 I did perform what I had promised. I gave them the ultimate healing. And when they were reunited with Me, what rejoicing there was when their eyes were open to just how I fulfilled My promises, and great was their reward for being “faithful unto death.”9
Faith isn’t always accompanied by some glorious feeling, or some wonderful sensation, as some may think. It’s taking Me at My word. Faith is dependence on My truthfulness and faithfulness.
The seed of faith is encapsulated in the words, “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”10When you are sick, it is saying through your tears, “I will glory in my infirmities, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of me.”11That is how you can be “troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”12
You are My treasure. I have not forsaken you. I have not forgotten you. I am with you in all these things that you are going through.
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Lift your heart in a song of praise, and I will strengthen your feeble knees and lift your hands that hang low.13 When you face a rough moment, think of a song that you can sing. Then sing it, hum it, listen to it.
It’s very difficult to do anything that requires mental, physical, and spiritual energy when you are down and you feel lousy. But there is always something to praise Me for. Even if it’s a one-word praise, even if it’s through your tears, even if you think it’s not from your heart, praise Me anyway. As you do, it will accomplish something in your spirit; it will make a difference in how you feel and how you deal with your pain and discomfort.
Faith is not necessarily a feeling or an emotion. It has physical manifestations, and I will give you those at times. But you can’t count on those “manifestations,” because they won’t always be present. The manifestations of faith are nice, and something to be grateful for, but great honor is given to those who keep the faith without them. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”14
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Just as inventors, explorers, and world changers have to be willing to venture out and go beyond what is known to them, so does it greatly honor Me when you are in the midst of great difficulty and yet you’re willing to trust Me beyond what you can understand or comprehend with your mind.
Believing in My promises of healing even when your body remains weak, wounded, or diseased requires great faith—faith that goes far beyond physical reality. Out there in the midst of that uncharted sea, often at the mercy of ferocious storms and in great peril, is where miracles take place.
If you could understand all about the way I work, what need would there be for faith? Even though you might feel as if you don’t have much or any faith, even though you may feel like your ship is being destroyed by the waves and is about to sink, hang on and keep on believing. You will emerge from this test stronger in some way, you’ll see. You won’t sink, I promise.
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My strength is made perfect in your weakness; there is simply no other way to realize and experience this unless you are weak sometimes.15
There are instances in the Word where this principle is expressed—when someone felt or experienced great weakness. It was said that Abraham’s body was “as good as dead,”16 and there’s the apostle Paul’s impassioned cry, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”17 Desperation is often a necessary ingredient in the mix for miracles and My will being accomplished.
I know that the difficulties of the earth life can be a struggle, because I experienced the earth life. You might say that there’s not a lot in the Bible about My physical condition during the days of My ministry on earth. But if you pause to think and compare My physical state with what I was used to in the halls of heaven, I think you’d agree that the “downgrade” I took upon Myself during My days on earth enabled Me to be touched with the feelings of your weakness. It was said of Me that I cried out to My Father with strong crying and tears, and that I feared.18 I can relate to the tests you are experiencing with this illness.
I’ll be with you every step of the way, giving you sufficient grace for every test and battle. I know at times it will probably seem like you’re being helped with very “little help,”19 but I promise that My help and grace will be sufficient to bear you up and carry you.
Think about what a testimony of faith it will be as you face the winds of adversity that blow against you, and watch Me come through for you!
Published on Anchor November 2012. Read by David Salas.
Music by John Listen.
1 1 Peter 4:12, 13.
2 Hebrews 12:11.
3 1 Peter 4:13.
4 2 Corinthians 12:9.
5 Titus 3:5.
6 Mark 7:37.
7 Hebrews 11:13.
8 Hebrews 11.
9 Revelation 2:10.
10 Matthew 26:39.
11 2 Corinthians 12:9; 4:7.
12 2 Corinthians 4:8, 9.
13 Hebrews 12:12.
14 John 20:29.
15 2 Corinthians 12:9.
16 Hebrews 11:12
17 Romans 7:24.
18 Hebrews 5:7.
19 Daniel 11:34.
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