June 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity" (Isa. 33:24).

Devotional

Let the Christian who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or disability be cheered with the prospect of soon arriving at this land of light and love, of rest and holiness.

The moment the spirit is "away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8), it treads those balmy shores where health breathes in the air, flows in the waters, and sparkles in the sunbeams. There is no sickness in heaven. "And no inhabitant will say, 'I am sick'; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity" (Isa. 33:24). This accounts for the absence of all physical malady. There is no sickness in heaven because there is no sin.

But the more full enjoyment of this blessing is reserved for the new earth, upon which the "the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" will dwell (Rev. 21:2). Then it is that "God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:3–4).

Christian sufferer! You are nearing this land. A few more days of languishing and pain, a few more nights of weary wakefulness, and you are there!

Don't you see, through tatters in the "the tent that is our earthly home," "a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5:1)? Don't you see the "the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10)? It has "no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ...and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there" (Rev. 21:24–25).

Soon you will exchange this hospital for your Father's house. And the instant you cross the threshold, the last pang will be inflicted, the last sigh will be heaved, and the last tear will be brushed from your eye.

Then, at the resurrection of the just, will come the new body. "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:42–44).

All this blessedness and glory Jesus has procured for you! All this blessedness and glory awaits you! And into its full possession and experience Jesus will soon bring you.

Animated with such an expectation and cheered with such a hope, then, patiently endure the prolonged sickness, the protracted suffering. Exclaim in the spirit and language of Jesus, "My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done" (Matt. 26:42).

In sweet communion, Lord, with thee
I constantly abide;
my hand thou holdest in thine own
to keep me near thy side.

Thy counsel through my earthly way
shall guide me and control,
and then to glory afterward
thou wilt receive my soul.

Whom have I, Lord, in heav'n but thee,
to whom my thoughts aspire?
And, having thee, on earth is nought
that I can yet desire.

Though flesh and heart should faint and fail,
the Lord will ever be
the strength and portion of my heart,
my God eternally.

To live apart from God is death,
'tis good his face to seek;
my refuge is the living God,
his praise I long to speak.

(from Psalm 73:23–28, The Psalter, 1912)

Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.

Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.