Feeling pretty melancholy today, a great friend and a fellow 24-7er has just come down with a mystery illness. The symptoms are a little frightening and no diagnosis is in sight. All I can think is "Not him, he's brilliant, he doesn't deserve anything weighing him down". I've been praying and I don't want to give the enemy too much credit but I'm pretty sick and tired of the health and finance issues 24-7 continually faces...
Lets call him Mr X, for he may be my friend but it's not my place to declare his personal life to the cyber world. The illness could be anything, hopefully it's quite innocuous and I trust God that He's with him and involved with this family and their current situation. It doesn't make it any easier though to know that someone you love is suffering and probably, if it were me, afraid of what's in store.
It really provoked me to think, before Steve and I got married we sat down and talked about the pattern that's emerged with illness in the leadership of 24-7. It made me face that possibility for us and I'm sad to say I'm not greatly equipped for it. The more I love Steve the more the idea of something happening to him really scares me. I'm sure the opposite is true and it's a natural reaction.
There are no gaurentees in life and there are risks to every lifestyle/ministry/vocational choice as we are but mortal beings. I am not intimidated by the idea of potential Spiritual attack or dissuaded that following Jesus is worth the price. I think this week has just provoked me to consider the reality of what that might mean.
I'm not certain that Mr X's illness isn't purely mundane and physical, but I'm pretty sure the physical and spiritual are more interlinked than I often percieve. Please pray for him, pray for complete healing and peace. While your at it and if you're of the praying to Jesus persuasion please pray for all of 24-7: protection over health and healing for those suffering and a release of resources and finance so we can go further to better support the people working for us and spread prayer further around the Globe... xc