WATCH: Who Can Receive the Anointing of the Sick? Psalm 35: Fight back against illness Psalm 41 contains perhaps the most comforting verse in all of Scripture for anyone struggling with sickness: “The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.” While we know that God doesn’t heal every illness-and when he does, it’s always on his own timeline-this psalm testifies to the sustaining grace he offers our souls when our bodies fail us. There’s solidarity in remembering that even (or especially) God’s beloved saints have endured illnesses just as bad-or far worse-than mine. His wounds “fester and are loathsome,” his back “is filled with searing pain.” To me, it’s good to read that my suffering is not unique. “There is no health in my body,” he laments. I personally find enormous amount of encouragement in Psalm 38, where David offers up a litany of his sufferings. But that doesn’t mean they don’t still bring comfort. Though most psalms point to God’s enduring faithfulness and eventual deliverance, they don’t all end neatly tied up with a bow. RELATED: How I Started Praying the 23rd Psalm with My Kids Psalm 38: You’re not in this alone How long, O Lord, how long?” The psalm ends with the helpful reminder that “the Lord has heard my cry for mercy the Lord accepts my prayer.” We, too, can rest in the knowledge that no matter how God may choose to answer, he does hear and accept our prayers. In this totally relatable cry for mercy, he pleads with God, “O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. This biblical “man after God’s own heart” knew well the burden of unrelenting affliction. Sometimes when you don’t feel well, don’t you just want someone to commiserate with you? If you can’t call upon loved ones to share the pain of your illness, try praying along with David, the author of Psalm 6. Here are five psalms to turn to when you’re sick.
Though you may have read the psalms in the midst of other trials in the past, perhaps it’s time for a fresh look at how they can serve as a source of hope and comfort for illness.
If you’ve ever read the Book of Psalms, you know that these ancient prayers of praise (and sometimes even anger or despair) resonate on a deep level even today. Thankfully, the Bible offers a wealth of encouragement for such times. Whether you’re laid low with something acute, like the flu, or something chronic you struggle with all year long, it can be tough to find comfort for your soul when your body feels so wretched. When we get sick in the winter months, darker days and colder weather can compound the misery of the experience.
But the reality of winter presents us with some health challenges, as contagious illnesses like colds and the flu make their annual rounds. For many of us, as we move through January, our thoughts turn to getting healthy by watching what we eat and hitting the gym.