Daily Companion  |  25 June

WHAT AILETH THEE?

And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, ‘What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.’” - Genesis 21:17

Ishmael was a child of circumstance. He being born in bond was not his own making. He had little or no chance to be anointed heir to Abraham because an everlasting covenant had been made in Isaac already.  

Circumstances beyond your control may just surface unexpectedly and you are troubled. You may have a disability or genetic ailment that has been passed on from your generation. Today you are well, tomorow you ail. But the chief of all ailments is sin which has been passed from our first parents, Adam and Eve. Sin is a genetic ailment. As David was faced with bessetting sin, he also cried “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

 Dear friend, What ail thee? What makes you cry every night? What has enslaved you in bond? You dont have to hide it anymore because God knows it: “fear not”, God has heard your voice. ”For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). 

Christ Jesus, the Great Physician, offers full salvation and deliverance for all our sins. As He came to Ishmael, so the Lord comes to you this day. Repent and be converted. Ask for God’s healing grace. But it does not just end there. He requires you to keep sin (that ‘genetic ailment’) suppressed by reading the word of God, the Bible. David eventually overcame sin and had this say “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalms 119:11).  And lastly, keep this ‘ailment’ away by praising and praying as ”a perpetual incense before the LORD” (Exodus 30:8). 

Today’s Recite: When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. - Mark 2:17

Today’s Morning Prayer:  1. Oh Lord, the Great Physician, I come today with my sin. Forgive me. Heal me. Save me. Make pure and white as snow. I’m so sorry for not praising You enough.

2. Hear my voice as I call upon You for deliverance from all ancestral and familiar ailments in Jesus name. Help me to be faithful to reading your word, praising You and, 

3. As I step out today, I offer my life as a living sacrifice, incensed before You in Jesus name. Amen! 

Today’s Hymn: The Great Physician (CHS 135)

Today’s ReadMe:  Psalm 90 - 95