THE CHILDREN'S ILLNESSES

We feel a special sympathy with younger ones who suffer in health, some for a short time, others perhaps for longer. There are in the Scriptures several incidents of children being ill; each of these has some particular teaching for us, but they all reassure us that the Creator concerns Himself with the welfare of the young. Infants were brought to Jesus that He should touch them in blessing. When we see toddlers we remember that God has said, "I it was that taught Ephraim to walk, - He took them upon his arms". As to older children Jesus desired that they should come to Him. You are able to do this by faith now. Three of the Gospels relate the incident of Jairus' daughter who became so ill that they thought that she would never get better. She was twelve years of age and it is instructive that her being brought back to health is linked with the curing by Jesus of a woman who had suffered severely just that number of years: Perhaps this shows for one thing that young people growing up need a personal experience with the Saviour as much as a mature persons do. Jesus said to the girl, Talitha koumi", meaning "Damsel, I say to thee, Arise". You have probably noticed that Mark mentions the actual words of Jesus on various occasions. All three of the evangelists mention that Jesus took the girl by the hand. This is encouraging because it gives assurance that He will help you to do the things that He desires for your blessing.

When Jesus was in Cana of Galilee there came to Him the father of a sick boy asking the Master to come down to Capernaum to heal the invalid. The distance was about thirty miles and the journey would take a long time. Jesus evidently did not wish the boy to suffer any longer so He said to the father, "Go, thy son lives". How Jesus must have felt in His spirit the burden of that which He graciously, and with few words, removed by His power! The father believed the words of Jesus a long time before he knew that his dear child had got better just at the time Jesus had spoken. One result of the incident was that a whole house-full of people believed on the Lord Jesus. Do you believe on Him too?

J.C.Evershed