Caring for the sick

The statistics are startling, and very real. Approximately 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Every day, nearly 7,500 people are infected with HIV and 5,500 die from AIDS. Malaria kills over 1 million people annually. More than 500,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year. And among children under five, malnutrition is the cause of one third of their deaths. These are the startling statistics, but all around us are people in need of medical care.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34-36

Several years ago, a man came to my home and asked if I could help him get his boy medical care. I told him that I would help him but that I also wanted to pray for his child's healing. We prayed together and then I paid his medical bill. After four years of not seeing this man and his family, he approached me one day on the street and ask me if I remembered him. I did not. He reminded me of the day I prayed with him and then asked me if I would tell him more about Jesus. Today, he is a follower of Jesus. God says that if we call out to him, he will answer.... both for the sick in body and sick in heart.