For those of us who have a testimony of the existence of God, Jesus Christ (Yeshua) and the Holy Spirit, the Words of God can be our anchor in the storm of our illness. Much has been revealed by Him to assist us in our journey here on our wonderful home planet, Earth. Our darkest hours, such as enduring a chronic illness, provide us with the opportunity to read the Words of God, ponder and pray about them and apply them to our particular situation.

Yeshua/Jesus Christ offered this Intercessory prayer on behalf of his disciples. According to the scripture, if we believe, we are also his saints and disciples. He offered this prayer on our behalf. It is very powerful.

The Gospel According to St. John, Chapter 17:

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Our loving and compassionate Savior offered this prayer for his disciples and saints (saints meaning His followers). What are some of his requests for us? He asks Father in Heaven to keep us safe from the evilness of the world, he asks for us to be able to be one with both He and the Father and he asks for us to be able to behold His glory and understand the Son’s mission from before the foundation of the world. In verse 17, he asks for us to be sanctified through the truth because the Word is truth. One way we can become sanctified through the Word is by reading and knowing the Word. That is why it is so important for us to read our scriptures on a regular basis. If we want to learn about the life of a famous person, we will read their biography. If we want to learn about God, His Son and the Holy Spirit, we will read the scriptures.

How can John Chapter 17 help us during chronic illness? 

We can remember that Yeshua/Jesus Christ offered this prayer for us prior to His great Atonement. We can know of His great love for us. We can know that He cares enough for us to take the time to pray on our behalf. We can remember that He wants us to behold His glory. We can know that His desire is for us to become one with Him and the Father. What great comfort and joy this can bring when we are in the midst of our suffering and pain!

The Gospel According to St. Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 39-46:

39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed.

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

What a great example for us to follow! Our Savior warned his disciples to pray to avoid the trap of falling into temptation. Temptation comes in a variety of forms. Complacency can be a temptation, because it causes us to become stagnant and aloof. We must heed his warning and watch and pray always to avoid becoming complacent. Our loving Savior momentarily comtemplated his ultimate mission of atoning for our sins and afflictions and asked his Father to remove the cup from him, so that he wouldn’t have to go through it. During our illnesses or at other difficult times in our lives, have we asked our Heavenly Father, “Why has this happened to me?” “Why do I have to go through this?” “This pain and suffering is too much for me!” It is at these moments that we need to remember our Savior’s willingness to endure intense physical and emotional suffering that did not belong to him, but to all of us. It is my belief that it is not quite enough to say “I believe in Him.” It is my belief that we must be willing, as he was, to endure our afflictions willingly and with the understanding that our afflictions are for our benefit and spiritual growth. Each one of us has our own unique set of trials; we must be willing to submit to them, as Jesus Christ/Yeshua did. Remember also, that an angel came to the Savior himself to strengthen Him and help Him endure the great agony of the Atonement. 

The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Chapter 8, Verse 17:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

The physical and emotional pain of enduring OUR iniquities and infirmities caused the Son of God to fall upon the ground in agony. The intense pressure of this physical and emotional burden caused Him to sweat great drops of blood. Each of us knows of physical and emotional suffering with regard to events in our lives. If we magnify that suffering to include EACH AND EVERY PERSON’S, we can begin to imagine how difficult the Atonement was for Him to endure.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Chapter 27, Verses 27-50:

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

34 They gave him vinegar mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

36 And sitting down they watched him there;

37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then there were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Are we able to remember the Atonement and Crucifixion when we falter and feel as though we cannot endure further? Can we be willing to embrace our suffering and afflictions as He did? Are we willing to accomplish the tasks and endure the trials that are set before us in our lifetime here on Earth? I believe that when we are able to answer yes to these questions, we have reached the point where bitterness, resentment, anger and impatience will turn into joy, acceptance, peace, calmness, patience and the desire to serve others by utilizing the spiritual truths and knowledge we gained during our trials and afflictions.

The Gospel According to St. John, Chapter 14, Verses 21-27:

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

It is my hope that the Words of God and the thoughts set forth on this spiritual page have been inspirational to you. It is my hope that your health improves through faith in God and that you may find joy and peace in His Words. I pray for these things in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ/Yeshua. Amen.

In Love, Faith and Hope,

Tina J. Garcia