Not a single one of us doesn’t suffer from at least one weakness of mind or body that we wish would be healed instantly. At times, the affliction of illness can take on such a central role in our day-to-day life that it becomes our God – everything we think about, the thing that we fear, the thing that determines whether our life is good or bad. Sometimes we measure the love of God for us only in terms of whether or not we are suffering from an illness. And if we are sick, God’s love is defined by either taking the illness away or leaving the yoke on our shoulders. But Christ teaches us that there is something far more needed and enduring than sickness – the forgiveness of our sins. When we have the promise that the guilt of our sins is removed from us and that God will not judge us according to what we deserve for our evil, then we also have the promise of the eternal restoration of our bodies. To be forgiven is to be healed. And though we don’t necessarily taste that healing of our flesh immediately or even at any time in this life, we can rest assured that the same one who has forgiven us will also restore our bodies to perfect wholeness on the Last Day. I look forward to seeing all of you this coming Lord’s Day as we gather together around Jesus, that He may forgive our sins and comfort us with the assurance of our eternal healing.
Pastor Ulmer