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Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

Worried about my sick friend

Stephen M. Miller
angioplasty balloon
HEART BALLOON. This is an angioplasty balloon, like those used in the procedure my friend is undergoing as I write this blog post. I’m not sure if they will need to use the balloon to stretch open some arteries, or maybe install a stent, or do something more invasive. I hate waiting. Photo by Denise Chan / flickr.

THIS MINUTE a friend of mine is having an angiogram. A doc is threading a catheter up his femoral artery to scout out the heart for any blockage or damage.

I visited my friend in the hospital a little while ago and prayed for him just a few minutes before they were to wheel him back for the procedure.

My wife is a nurse, and she has been with our friend’s wife all morning and into the afternoon. She’s planning to stay until the procedure is finished.

My friend is a business exec who was in the middle of a meeting the day earlier when he noticed a tightness in his chest. A pressure.

He has a pretty extensive family history of heart problems, which has been a killer for some in his clan. So he wisely decided to leave the meeting and go to an urgent care center.

The docs there sent him to the nearest hospital. From the emergency room he was whisked up to the intensive care unit, where he spent the night.

Blood testing showed signs of a mild heart attack.

Back in my office, waiting for news, I sit here wondering what the Bible has to say for sick people, and for those of us who worry about them.

Pardon the book plug, but I have a section in one of my books, Bible Snapshots, that is called “What the Bible says about…” And one of the subsections is called “Health troubles.”

I have only two passages in this section. That surprised me. Sitting here, I’m wondering why I didn’t add more.

Here’s what I have:

PRAY. When the prophet Isaiah told ailing King Hezekiah that he wouldn’t get well, Hezekiah “turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD” (Isaiah 38:2). Theologians say something about that prayer must changed Hezekiah, because God changed his plans: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add 15 years to your life” (Isaiah 38:5).

ASK FOR PRAYER. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil… Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet (James 5:14-15, The Message). This advice sounds like it will always work. It doesn’t. The caveat appears in the prayer Jesus prayed shortly before his arrest. He asked God to spare him from the crucifixion, adding: “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42).

How about we add another passage, just for my peace of mind.

FOR STEVE’S PEACE OF MIND. You, LORD, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you. So, trust the LORD always, because he is our Rock forever (Isaiah 26:3-4 NCV).

That’s better.

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About Stephen M. Miller

STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.

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