“Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord, and I will heal them. (Isaiah 57:19)
As I write this, I am preparing to go to the hospital tomorrow morning bright and early for surgery. In the grand scheme of things, it should prove a minor surgery, but it has been on my mind, nonetheless. When I was younger, I perhaps did not give as much thought and care to my health and wellness as it deserved, but it seems a growing issue as I age. There’s an ache here or a pain there. Stress can be more present than in the days of my youth. Sleep can be a challenge – not enough time for sleep or at times (perhaps much worse or at least more frustrating) disrupted sleep. Then whether for annual visits, precaution, or due to illness, it seems like I am visiting with doctors more and more. It is a good thing that I like them!
I’ve learned from my chaplaincy work in hospitals, hospice, and among law enforcement, our health and wellness are never to be taken for granted. Instead, self-care is a complicated thing deserving our prayerful discernment, effort, and trust. Yes, you read that correctly. I wrote “prayerful discernment, effort, and trust,” for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs are all intertwined with one another and our need for God’s grace.
Did you ever notice that when Jesus forgave sins, it often resulted in other manifestations of healing? People were restored to relationship or could once again walk. Scripture commands (in James 5:14-15), “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” God desires that we look heavenward for help, guidance, and hope. Martin Luther even alluded to our sacraments as a kind of healing medicine at times. Yet Jesus never taught, and scripture never claimed, that the healing to be gifted would only be physical or provided in the way we would want or expect it. Instead, we are asked to trust that the loving God who created us cares for us still. Indeed, God’s loving grace desires to enfold us in a kind of eternal hug from cradle to grave and beyond.
No matter our situation or prospects in this world, Jesus offers us a peace that is not of this world and beyond our understanding. It is a gift that can help us enter with boldness into new challenges, the doctor’s office, surgery, or even hospice care. This does not mean there will never be tears or fear or other human emotions, but even when these human emotions rise (trying to help us process our situation) or amidst our limited wisdom seeking to find our way forward, we can try to remind ourselves of and trust in Jesus’ promise that we will never be alone. Indeed, it is Jesus who sends us family, friends, and trained professionals to help us on the way. How do I know? Well, all good things come from God, and near or far, God’s healing will always find us. Indeed, Jesus has declared that one day sickness and death will be no more, and we will be with him when that day comes.
Image: Picture by DarkoStjanovic on Pixaby. Used by permission.
Originally published in the July 2021 newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.
© 2021 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.
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