Even in a time of declining health and worsening physical weakness, the Lord can still make spiritual realities more of a concern to people than their bodily needs. When we are confronted with our frailty and vulnerability it can give us the opportunity to look beyond even very pressing health concerns to the needs of our souls and what there is to look forward to when we leave this world. The Glasgow minister Zachary Boyd imagined a situation where a man who was terminally ill started to be concerned about his soul. He published the dialogue between this man and his godly pastor with the title “The Last Battle of the Soul in Death.” Over several days, the pastor leads the man to see that there is forgiveness in Christ Jesus for his sins, and the man grows in confidence that as he has believed in Jesus he will go to be with Him in heaven sooner or later. In the following updated extract, the pastor prays with and for the sick man, giving us an indication as to what we should care enough to pray about both for ourselves and others when time is short.

O Lord, prepare our hearts to pray. Let us not be rash with our mouth, nor hasty with our heart, to utter anything before Thee.

Forgiveness

O glorious God, and merciful Father, who art the true physician both of soul and body, we must humbly bend our knees before Thee, intreating Thee to be with Thy servant here, whom Thou hast now laid in this bed of languishing. Let not the sins of which he has been guilty from his youth up provoke Thy wrath any more against him. Tie them all up in a bundle and cast them all behind Thy merciful back. Bury them all in the bottomless sea of thy compassions, so that they will not be able either to accuse him any more in the world, or to condemn him in the world to come.

Lord, even if his sins were like scarlet and crimson, there is virtue in the blood of Thy Lamb to make them white like wool, and whiter than the snow. For Thy Son’s sake, remove all his transgressions as far from him as the east is distant from the west.

Lord, hell and destruction are before Thee, and how much more the hearts of the sons of men! Thine all-seeing eye pries most clearly into the inmost chamber of our hearts. Look with the eye of Thy compassions within the doors of the wearied heart of this servant of Thine. Look in and proclaim mercy and pardon to his poor soul.

Comfort

Let him know that neither death nor life shall be able to separate him from Thy love. O Lord, assist him, and stand fast by him at this time. Do not desert him in his greatest and last agony. Let Thy Spirit possess him so fully that there will be no entry nor space for Satan’s temptations. Where Satan is busiest, let Thy Spirit be strongest. Arm him with all that he needs against the last conflict of this battle. Honour him with the laurels of victory. Let Thy strength be made perfect in his greatest weakness. Bring it about by Thy own power, and take all the glory to Thyself.

Grace for grace

By the virtue of Thy Christ, crucify to him the old man and his works. Make him to die to the old man, so that he will live to Thee, who gives the advantage to all the faithful both in life and death. He is now, Lord, walking between Thy mercy and Thy justice through many temptations. Govern his steps with such wisdom that the fear of justice will keep him from presumption, and the hope of mercy will prevent him from despair. Increase his patience with his pains. Sanctify his sickness. Make it as bellows to Thy graces, so that by it they will be kindled and blown up to a greater flame.

Enamour him with the love of Thy goodness. Pour the oil of Thy mercy into his bruised heart, which has been filled with mournful groans.

O pity this wounded man, as the Samaritan did. Pour oil into his wounds, bandage them up, and take him to Thy inn. For Thy mercy’s sake, remember him. For Thy Son’s sake, pity him. For Thy promise’s sake, do not forget him. Free his soul from the maze of all worldly cares. Breathe into him the life of grace with a most fresh vigour, and fervent heat of zeal to Thy glory. Lord, in his most piercing pains, he does not know what to do, but his eyes are on Thee. In Thy hands is both life and death; Thou bringest to the grave, and back again.

Clarity on bodily and spiritual contrasts

In Thy great mercy, Lord, make his bed into a classroom where he may not only learn the hugeness of his own misery, but also the greatness of Thy mercy. Let neither death frighten him nor the grave grieve him. Let him know that death is just a sleep for the friends of Christ, and the grave just a bed for them to rest their weary bones. Do not let the weight of mortality bear down his spirit from minding the things which are above. Make him content to quit gladly all earthly pleasures and contentments so that he can go and dwell with Thee his God in immortality.

Do not let the sweetness of the fig, nor the grapes of the vine, nor the fatness of the olive, hinder his desire to reign in heaven. Against the fear of death, comfort him with hope of the glorious resurrection. Assure his soul that, though his body goes to be eaten by worms, he in that body again shall see his Redeemer, and none other for him. Equip him with spiritual courage to the end. Give him boldness to march without fear through the valley of death to come to Thee, and indeed, to run, supposing it was through hell, to come to Thee in heaven.

Tell his soul that his pains need not dismay him, seeing they are to bring forth eternal life. Let Thy justice-seat trouble him no more, seeing Christ has paid his debts. Do not let him be afraid to come before his judge, seeing the judge is Himself his brother, who has cancelled the handwriting of the law which no flesh was able to perform.

Pity and mercy

Pity him, Lord, pity him, for see! He is now in Thy hands, looking pitifully up to Thee for Thy mercy. Pity, good Lord, and pardon. Set to his soul the seal of Thy pardons by the Spirit of adoption.

This is our confidence, that Thou who hast stricken him art able to heal him, and Thou wilt also do it, if it is for Thy glory and his welfare. If not, Lord, in judgment remember mercy.

If it be best for him that after some days’ sickness he depart out of this mortal life, let these pains which he suffers now be like Jonathan’s arrows, which were shot not to hurt but for warning. Give him grace so that, as an obedient child, he may kiss Thy hand both when it beats as well as when it blesses.

If Thy decree comes forth that he must remove from this world, assure him of a better place, where pleasures are in greater number than the stars. Teach him by Thy Spirit that by death he shall change a mortal habitation, a dungeon of darkness, a cage of corruptions, for everlasting tabernacles, and most heavenly sacred mansions, where constant peace and unmixed joys remain. Wean his heart from the love of all things that are under the sun. Let the beauty and glory of the heavens he has heard of draw the desires of his heart to abide in that palace of pleasures, where there is light without darkness, mirth without sadness, health without sickness, wealth without want, and beauty without blemish. For the sake of Thy dear self, seal up into his soul the assurance of Thy love, so that in all boldness, through the bleeding bowels of Christ’s compassions, he may come to the throne of Thy grace, and from thence enter Thy glory.

Blessings for others

Lord, abide with us this night. As Thou hast drawn the night curtain of darkness on the face of the earth, so be Thou a pillar of cloud between us and our enemies. Hide our souls from Satan’s temptations. Make us this night to sleep softly and soundly in Thine arms, so that when our bodies are refreshed with sleep, they may be the better enabled tomorrow to set forth Thy glory in the work of our calling.

Doxology

Lord, let these weak prayers of ours come up before Thee like pillars of smoke perfumed with the living scent of Thy Son. To whom, with Thee and the Spirit of Grace, be endless glory and dominion for ever. Amen.

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