Written Mar./Arpr. 2000
Psalm 121:6
Chronic Illness- "A Scorching Sun" and "A Freezing of the Bones"
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
Lord, the hot sun beating down in the middle of summertime here in Texas can indeed strike…wound…kill. Chronic illness is kind of like a "scorching sun" that "zaps" the life out of me! And how can the moon smite me? Perhaps the comparison here is between hot and cold. In some places it gets very hot in the day and very cold at night. Illness can also be like a "freezing in the bones", and many of the "horrors" of chronic illness are NIGHTTIME HORRORS…with very
little sleep…But the promise to me here is that neither the "hot" nor the "cold" shall "kill" me and cut me off from You.
I thought of this symbolically, too! The sun implies "brilliance" and perhaps PROSPERITY. And of course nighttime is always symbolic of ADVERSITY. Yes, by virtue of the fact I'm an American, I have many THINGS. I have had the "prosperity" although it doesn't seem that way
since many times I can hardly afford the foods and supplements I need. BUT then I think of the dying in third-world countries who have NO medicines and barely enough to eat to keep them alive. You are so good to me, Lord!… And of course I've had the "adversity", too. ILLNESS is a great ADVERSITY!
Are you saying here, Lord, that since I am Your little child, neither this prosperity nor adversity shall cause me to lose my faith in You? Yes! This makes me think of the parable of the sower, too. Riches and/or afflictions and persecutions "scorch" and "choke" many. But the sun or moon shall not smite or KILL the true child of God! Thank- You, Lord, that YOU keep hanging on to me…else I would fall headlong into hell. Thank-You, Lord, for this wonderful promise! Amen!
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